Sprints, sparks, shuffled grids: What to expect at F1's Chinese Grand Prix

The sprint qualifying session was controversial. An unexpected grass fire in the circuit's runoff area — the second grass fire of the event — caused a red flag and delayed progress. While investigations into the fire are ongoing, many believe the trackside grass was too dry and ignited after being hit with sparks from the vehicles.

After struggling through the fire, the drivers faced another elemental challenge: water. Unexpected rainstorms threw the late stages of the qualifying session into disarray and shuffled the final grid. 

McLaren's Lando Norris got a strong lap in precisely the right time, securing the pole position for Saturday's sprint race. Defending world champion Max Verstappen finished fourth.

"I got a bit nervous," Norris said of his stellar qualifying lap, per formulaone.com. "They're conditions where you've got to risk a lot, you've got to push, build tire temperature and so forth.

"I didn't do the first two laps well at all, but I got a good final one, a good enough one for pole. I'm happy... sad it's not for a proper [Grand Prix] qualifying, but good enough."

Norris' McLaren wasn't the only team that outperformed its expectations in difficult conditions. 

Stake F1 Kick Sauber put in its best shift of the season so far, with drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu (the first Chinese driver to race at a Chinese Grand Prix) finishing in ninth and 10th place, respectively.

As the Grand Prix nears, fans should also watch Ferrari closely. While the team's sprint qualifying performance wasn't strong, it should improve. The Shanghai International Circuit is a great track for Ferrari's 2024 vehicle and should suit its drivers well when the weather behaves.

Fans should also watch Haas and Alpine, two bottom-of-the-pack teams that brought significant car upgrades to China. 

Both Haas cars feature new developments, and only one Alpine does. (Pierre Gasly pulled the short stick and will not receive upgrades on his car until the next Grand Prix.) Both Haas and Alpine will hope these updates can turn around their middling seasons.

The Chinese Grand Prix race weekend continues Friday evening with the 19-lap sprint race. The Grand Prix itself will start Sunday at 3 a.m. ET.