George Russell Secures Sprint Pole in China

George Russell in action

George Russell beats teammate Kimi Antonelli to claim first career sprint pole in Shanghai, with Mercedes dominating the qualifying session.

Russell and Antonelli qualify 1-2, leaving rivals in their wake as they lead the sprint race grid...

George Russell secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, beating teammate Kimi Antonelli with a time of 1 minute, 31.520 seconds. This marks Russell's first career sprint pole, showcasing Mercedes' dominance in the current F1 season.

Russell led every phase of the session at the Shanghai circuit, with Antonelli 0.289 seconds behind in second place. McLaren's Lando Norris came in third, while Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five.

Lando Norris was third fastest in qualifying, but could potentially start on the front row if Kimi Antonelli gets a grid penalty for allegedly impeding Max Verstappen in Q2. McLaren boss Andrea Stella played down the possibility, saying Norris wasn't on a flying lap anyway.

Lewis Hamilton, who started the 100km sprint race on pole in China last year, qualified fourth fastest, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The sprint race on Saturday awards eight points to the winner, with the top eight drivers scoring.

The main grand prix is scheduled for Sunday, and Hamilton is looking to secure back-to-back Chinese Grand Prix Sprint victories, having won last year. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Lando Norris are also in contention, with Norris qualifying third. 

Mercedes W17 a 'real joy to drive', says Russell

“The ⁠car has been feeling amazing,” said Russell, winner of ‌the Australian season-opener last weekend. “We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine is performing really well, and today it was a real joy to drive.

“It felt really quick and that was pretty cool, very different to Melbourne.”

George Russell made it a hat-trick of British sprint pole-sitters in Shanghai, following Lando Norris in 2024 and Lewis Hamilton in 2025. Russell topped the day's sole practice session, beating teammate Kimi Antonelli, with Mercedes dominating the rest.

Russell's impressive performance continues his strong start to the 2026 season, after winning the Australian Grand Prix last weekend. Mercedes' W17 car is proving to be a joy to drive, with Russell praising its performance and engine power.

GEORGE RUSSELL SECURES SPRINT POLE IN SHANGHAI! 🥇

A very impressive effort from the Mercedes driver 👏#F1Sprint #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/IfZWZGPE1i

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 13, 2026

Pierre Gasly qualified seventh for Alpine, but is under investigation for allegedly impeding Max Verstappen in Q2. Verstappen ended up eighth, with Haas's Oliver Bearman taking ninth and Isack Hadjar completing the top 10 for Red Bull.

Lando Norris was pleased with his qualifying lap, saying he was happy with how it went. He's currently third on the grid, but could move up if Kimi Antonelli gets a penalty. McLaren's Oscar Piastri is sixth, just behind Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc acknowledged Mercedes' dominance, saying they're still a step ahead, especially in qualifying. Ferrari had removed their innovative 'Macarena' rear wing due to reliability concerns, which might have impacted their performance. Leclerc hinted that Ferrari's power unit is a weak point, saying they're “down on power” compared to Mercedes.

“P3 is as ‌good as we can do for the time being,” he said.

“I'm actually pretty happy to beat both the Ferraris today because they seemed pretty good the whole day. So I'm satisfied. Good position for tomorrow.”

The Sprint Grid is IN! 😎

It's a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of Norris, Hamilton and Piastri ⬇️#F1Sprint #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/5Va86ktxhD

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 13, 2026

Audi's strong form continued, with Nico Hulkenberg qualifying 11th and Gabriel Bortoleto 14th, showing promising pace. Meanwhile, newcomers Cadillac struggled, filling the bottom two positions, with Sergio Perez unable to participate due to a fuel system issue.

Aston Martin's struggles with their new Honda power unit continued, with Fernando Alonso 19th and Lance Stroll 20th. Williams' excess weight is still a concern, with Carlos Sainz 17th and Alex Albon 18th, leaving them at the back of the pack.