Nico Hulkenberg will start the sprint race ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix from the pit lane after changes were made to his car following Friday's qualifying session. All 20 F1 cars entered parc fermé conditions at the start of the sprint qualifying shootout, which saw Lewis Hamilton marginally edge out Max Verstappen to the top spot. Any changes made to the car before the race would result in a grid drop, with penalty free alterations to the car ahead of the grand prix only allowed after the sprint race. Following the session, Stake opted to make changes to Nico Hulkenberg's suspension. As a result, the German driver will start the sprint race from the pit lane. The 37-year-old endured a challenging outing in China as he exited sprint qualifying in 19th place. Team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto is due to take the start from 14th, while the penalty promotes Liam Lawson up one spot after the Red Bull driver ended Saturday's session at the bottom of the timesheet.
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