Lewis Hamilton on pole on Chinese GP qualifying

Summary

Hamilton becomes only fourth man to take five or more poles at one track
Brit sits alongside Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio
Rosberg 2nd, Vettel 3rd, Massa 4th
Bottas 5th, Raikkonen 6th, Ricciardo 7th
Grosjean 8th, Nasr 9th, Ericsson 10th
Hamilton top in Q2, Rosberg 2nd, Saubers through
Kvyat, Maldonado, Perez, Toro Rossos out in Q2
Both McLarens, Manors & Hulkenberg out in Q1

Live Reporting

Jamie Strickland

Get involved - #bbcf1published at 08:47 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Jeremiah Kariuki: Saubers have as well improved and their rookie driver proving he can be a champion in the making.
Gareth Jones: Ron Dennis: "Eric, get on the phone to Manor - let's use *their* cars next race"
Simon Latson: Whilst I want them to do well, McLaren have produced more lemons in recent years than the man from Del Monte.
Q2 timespublished at 08:47 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Image source, Formula1.com
Top 10 challengerspublished at 08:45 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
So, the line up for Q3 is:
1. Lewis Hamilton 2. Nico Rosberg 3. Sebastian Vettel 4. Kimi Raikkonen 5. Felipe Massa 6. Valtteri Bottas 7. Daniel Ricciardo 8. Felipe Nasr 9. Romain Grosjean 10. Marcus Ericsson
Prove me wrong why don't you?published at 08:43 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Wow, I did not see that coming from Sauber.
Having declared them dead and buried in my last post they are BOTH through to the top-10 shoot out.
Out instead goes Pastor Maldonado of Lotus in P11, Daniil Kvyat of Red Bull in 12th, the Toro Rossos of Max Verstapoen and Carlos Sainz in 13th and 14th and the Force India of Sergio Perez in 15th.
Image source, EPA
Who's going to miss out on top 10?published at 08:39 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Just seconds remain in Q2 and you have to say it looks like Sauber are struggling. Who will join them in elimination?
Third and fourth for Ferraripublished at 08:38 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
The Ferraris have posted their times for Q2 and they are good.
Sebastian Vettel does a 1:36.9 - just two tenths off Nico Rosberg.
Kimi Raikkoen is not all that far behind in fourth.
Image source, AFP
Ferrari playing it coolpublished at 08:34 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Still no Ferraris on track in Q2. The scarlet cars were quickest in Q1 and should be on the board soon.
Ooof - Hamilton lays down a markerpublished at 08:33 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
OK, Q2 has just got serious with Lewis Hamilton strapping on the soft tyres and banging in a 1:36.423. The quickest time of the weekend by some way.
Team-mate Nico Rosberg is three tenths back.
Job done for Mercedes.
Image source, EPA
Button: 'Qualifying just wasn't for us'published at 08:29 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
"The car didn't feel bad so it's interesting when you find a good balance but the lap time is not there," McLaren's Jenson Button tells BBC Radio 5 live.
"We've made good improvements this weekend but qualifying just wasn't for us. I'm relatively happy with the balance.
"Hopefully we'll be racing the cars in front tomorrow, but we hoped to be competing with them in qualifying as well."
Image source, AFP
Get involved - #bbcf1published at 08:28 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Rich Carey: Great job McLaren
Peter N. Wanyonyi: Wonder whether Jenson Button still thinks Lewis Hamilton made a mistake moving to Mercedes
Clint Bubba O'Neil: Growing pains for McLaren-Honda? Once again, Alonso and Button fail to qualify for Q2??!!! Brutal!
Costly twitch for Alonso?published at 08:27 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
A reply has shown Fernando Alonso had a very twitchy moment on his final qualifying lap. It cost him a couple of tenths - more a less the amount he missed out on the top 15.
Q1 timespublished at 08:24 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Image source, Formula1.com
Both McLarens out in Q1 - againpublished at 08:19 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
An unwanted hat-trick for McLaren - both cars are out in Q1 again, as they were in Australia and Malaysia.
This continues the team's worst run of qualifying form since the current system was adopted in 2006.
The Force India of Nico Hulkenberg joins the McLarens of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in being eliminated, along with the Manors of Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi.
Image source, Getty Images
Chequered flagpublished at 08:18 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Postpublished at 08:17 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Formula 1 on Twitter: #Q1 SPEED TRAP (13min): Mercedes ahead of Ferrari, who had dominated FP
Image source, Formula1.com
Who's in the danger zone?published at 08:16 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
With two minutes left, our Q1 drop outs are the Manors of Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi, the Lotuses of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado and the Toro Rosso of Carlos Sainz.
Williams on soft-tyre runspublished at 08:15 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
No nonsense from the Williams boys. The team have bolted on the soft tyres to be absolutely sure of getting through to Q2.
Seems overly cautious but I guess you can never be too careful.
Valtteri Bottas is currently second with Felipe Massa fourth.
Image source, EPA
Postpublished at 08:11 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Lotus on Twitter: In the top ten mid way through the session
Image source, Lotus
McLaren team radiopublished at 08:11 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Jenson Button: "The rears are overheating towards the end of the lap."
Button is currently in eighth, 1.6secs off the pace. Team-mate Alonso has dropped to 10th.
Alonso posts a timepublished at 08:10 British Summer Time 11 April 2015
Fernando Alonso is on the board with a 1:40.327 on the soft tyre. He's eighth right now. Remember, the McLarens need 15th or better to make it through to Q2 for the first time in 2015.