Lewis Hamilton has smashed Michael Schumacher's long-standing record in qualification for the Grand Prix in Shanghai. He was closely tailed by Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel.
Image: Reuters/A. Song
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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on Saturday qualified in pole position for the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai, setting a new track record.
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, who won the Australian Grand Prix, will start second in Sunday's race, qualifying just 0.186 seconds slower than Hamilton's benchmark.
Hamilton's Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas came third. Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in the other Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton set a track record, breaking the 13-year-old mark held by Michael Schumacher by more than half a second.Image: Reuters/A. Song
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was hit by an "engine software issue" during first qualifying and his last lap was halted prematurely after Sauber's Antonio Giovinazzi crashed.
The stoppage prevented Giovinazzi taking part in Q2, during which Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Fernando Alonso (McLaren) and Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) were eliminated.
The 2017 Formula One teams
The Formula One season is set to begin on March 24. Will Mercedes dominate again or do Sebastian Vettel or Max Verstappen have any chance of changing the status quo? Here are the F1 teams for the 2017 season.
Image: picture alliance/empics/D. Davies
Mercedes - Can they win the constructors' title without Rosberg?
The three-time defending constructors' champions have their sights set on a fourth in 2017. Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas (right) will take the seat vacated by the retired Nico Rosberg alongside three-time champion Lewis Hamilton (left). They make Mercedes the favorites for both the drivers' and constructors' titles.
Image: picture alliance/empics/D. Davies
Ferrari - aspiring to form of glorious years past
The Scuderia Ferrari go into the season with high expectations. Neither Sebastian Vettel (right) nor Kimi Räikkönen (second from right) won a race last season. Vettel, in his 10th season, and Raikkonen, Ferrari's last champion, will hope to put Ferrari back in front.
Image: picture-alliance/HOCH ZWEI
Red Bull Racing - 'catching up'
Red Bull, with drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are looking to build on their upward trend from last season in the hopes of dethroning Mercedes. The 19-year-old Verstappen, who entered F1 as the circuit's youngest-ever driver, is excited about the new season: "I think Mercedes might still have an advantage on us in terms of power at the beginning of the season but we'll be catching up."
Image: picture-alliance/Cordon Press/J. Valls
Renault - Can Hülkenburg make the podium?
Renault, the successor team to Lotus, are hoping to make an impact this Formula One seaaon. Germany's Nico Hülkenberg (right) has joined British driver Jolyon Palmer (second from left) at Renault and is hoping to help his new team to a successful start. Hülkenberg is still looking for his first spot on the podium after 115 Grand Prix starts.
Image: picture-alliance/dop/N. Ansell
Force India - continuing towards the top
F1's most consistent over-performers of recent years will once again have their sights set on the top half of the field. They reached fourth place in the constructors' championship with 173 points last season. Mexican driver Sergio Perez und and Frenchman Esteban Ocon will be in the cockpits in 2017.
Image: Sahara Force India
Williams F1 - young and old
Williams, which has been involved in Formula One motor racing since 1977, will have 18-year-old Canadian debutant Lance Stroll and veteran Felipe Massa driving for them this season. The 35-year-old Massa had retired at the end of the 2016 season, but agreed to take the wheel for one more year after Valtteri Bottas moved to take the vacant cockpit at Mercedes.
The second-most successful team behind Ferrari will be driving in new black and orange colors this season. The British racing team will once again have Spaniard Fernando Alonso (left) in the cockpit. Stoffel Vandoorne (right), who has just one start in his career, will take part in his first full Formula One season as he has replaced the retired Jenson Button.
Image: picture-alliance/LAT/S. Tee
Haas - Season 2 for the Americans
Successful on the American stock car circuit, Haas is set to take another crack at Formula One this season. They achieved the highest position for a racing team making its debut when Romain Grosjean (left) finished sixth at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. Danish driver Kevin Magnussen (right) has joined Grosjean at Haas for the 2017 season.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Jordan
Toro Rosso - more than the little Red Bulls?
The Italian racing team has gone back to Renault engines after a season using year-old Ferrari power. Red Bull's stronger 2016 season with Renault might have encouraged the switch. Russian driver Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz Junior, the son of two-time rally world champion Carlos Sainz, constitute an unchanged driver line-up.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Fernandez
Sauber - hoping to move up the pack
The Swiss racing team is hoping to mount a credible challenge again after finishing second-last in the constructors' standings. This season, Germany's Pascal Wehrlein and Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson will seek to collect more points for their team. Due to changes in regulations, the Sauber cars will be equipped with the Ferrari motors from last season.
Image: picture-alliance/LAT
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Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren), Romain Grosjean (Haas), Jolyon Palmer (Renault) all exited in first qualifying but finished ahead of Verstappen. Only Esteban Ocon (Force India) will start behind the young Dutch driver on the grid.
Hamilton's time of 1.31.678 was the fastest time set at the Shanghai circuit. It was the 63rd pole of his career and the sixth consecutive time he qualified first on the grid dating back to last season.
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull), Felipe Massa (Williams), Nico Huelkenberg (Renault), Sergio Perez (Force India), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) and Lance Stroll (Williams) completed the top 10.
The weather in Shanghai was fine for racing after fog grounded the medical helicopter for most of Friday, causing second practice to be cancelled. The governing body FIA arranged for a police escort to clear traffic for an ambulance on Sunday meaning the race can definitely proceed even if the helicopter cannot fly.
