Summary

  • Hamilton out of qualifying after technical problem - will start last with penalty

  • Rosberg on pole, Ricciardo 2nd, Raikkonen 3rd, Vettel 4th

  • Hulkenberg loses wheel out on track

  • Wehrlein crashes after spinning on wet patch - causing delay

Live Reporting

Gary Rose

  1. Esteban Gutierrez and Kevin Magnussen joins Jenson Button on the track. Still a bit of spray kicking up as the drivers go through that patch of water where Pascal Wehrlein spun.

  2. Let's just forget we spent around 20 minutes watching a puddle dry, shall we?

  4. Mark Gallagher
    BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

    "That said about the safety, I'm trying to imagine myself as a new fan of F1 who has come to China and paid quite a lot of money. They would be trying to figure out why there is no-one on the track. The show has to improve in the way these things are managed." 

  5. The drivers are hardly busting a gut to get back out despite that lengthy wait. Only Jenson Button fancies it at the moment. He's got super softs on his McLaren. 

  6. Go! Go! Go!

    The session restarts with 14 minutes on the clock.

    The delay may well have suited Mercedes. Just before Pascal Wehrlein's spin Lewis Hamilton had reported he was down on power.

  7. Get involved #bbcf1

    Reece Young: Is this a joke? Get on with it. This is why people don't like F1 anymore. It's a joke.  

    Jim Robb: Drying the wet patch? What will they do if it starts raining now?  

  8. The puddle is deemed dry and qualifying is set to restart in one minute.

  9. Mark Gallagher
    BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

    "There is a sense that in recent years, the way in which risk and safety has been managed has reduced the appeal of the sport. My own view is you can never be too safe because we don't want to go to any more driver funerals."

  11. Time for a cup of tea I think

    Well this break is lasting a lot longer than we thought. Do what Lewis Hamilton did a little while earlier and pop the kettle on.

    Lewis Hamilton with a mugGetty Images

  12. Tom Clarkson
    BBC Radio 5 live commentator

    "Pressure is on the guys now to get out there and set a time, you can't be too conservative otherwise you risk being knocked out."

  13. Jack Nicholls doesn't see what all the fuss is about.

    "We've got a damp patch in the commentary box and we are not complaining."

    The drivers are sat waiting patiently in their cars as the road sweeper continues to whiz over the little wet patch, which is under a bridge over the circuit.

    All this waiting about. It's like elimination qualifying all over again.

  14. Tom Clarkson
    BBC Radio 5 live commentator

    "This molly-coddling of Formula 1 drivers drives me mad! F1 is meant to be wet and dry, let the drivers get out there and deal with it!"

  16. The bump didn't help, but Rio Haryanto was on the same set of tyres and went over the same patch without bother.   

    Pascal Wehrlein's Manor has long since shifted from the track but now there's a road cleaner on the track attempting to dry out that patch of water.

  17. Felipe Massa on team radio: "There is a bump there. So, he clearly lost it on the bump. DRS should be closed."

  18. Mark Gallagher
    BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analyst

    "The bump probably contributed but it was a bump on top of being a wet track. It absolutely was to do with the track being wet."

  20. Very unfortunate for Pascal Wehlrein. Almost all the track is dry expect for a couple of patches on the straights. 

    Qualifying is still red flagged as Wehrlein's Manor is dealt with. It has been pushed to a trackside exit where marshals are struggling a tad to get it shifted.