Liam Lawson will commence the Chinese Grand Prix from the pit lane after changes were made to his car overnight. The New Zealander endured a disastrous qualifying session as he was the slowest out of all 20 drivers on Saturday and exited the outing in Q1. Lawson has struggled for pace across the opening two rounds of the F1 championship, as he also suffered an early qualifying exit last week in Australia. The Melbourne race also saw Lawson start from the pit lane. He later retired following a spin in wet conditions. Red Bull opted to make set-up changes to Lawson's RB21 car post-qualifying in Shanghai in a bid to offer the 23-year-old a more stable platform for the race. As he aims to make progress from the back of the grid, team-mate Max Verstappen is vying for victory. The four-time champion will start the race from fourth, sharing the second row of the grid with current championship leader Lando Norris.

Most read

Max Verstappen heads to Nurburgring 24 Hours without crucial exemption

Ford speak out after tweaks to F1 power unit rules

F1 bosses address 'deckchairs on the Titanic' accusation over major overhaul

Two former F1 drivers team up in superstar-backed Le Mans project

Oscar Piastri voices surprise at latest Red Bull development

Throwback

Three of F1 greatest heroes share podium for first and only time

Daniel Ricciardo confirms paddock return: 'It's going to really hit me hard'

Charles Leclerc makes eye-watering multi-million dollar purchase

Sergio Perez names crucial F1 factor Cadillac must fix

Pierre Gasly issues Alpine plea after 'surprisingly good' F1 return

Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.

Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar

A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..