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Mercedes Dominate Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying with George Russell on Pole

Posted : 13 March 2026

George Russell secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, leading a dominant one-two for Mercedes with team-mate Kimi Antonelli in second. Russell’s lap was 0.289 seconds quicker than Antonelli and a significant 0.621 seconds ahead of the first non-Mercedes driver, world champion Lando Norris in the McLaren.

 Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, narrowly behind Norris, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top six. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could only manage eighth place, more than 1.7 seconds off the pace, trailing behind Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

Russell’s performance mirrored his pole in Melbourne earlier this season, demonstrating the continued strength of the Mercedes package. “The car has been really great all day,” Russell said, noting improvements in engine performance compared to Australia and focusing on refining race starts.

Ferrari’s Leclerc acknowledged that Mercedes find extra lap time in qualifying, but expects the cars to be more competitive in race conditions, recalling his ability to take the lead from fourth on the grid in Australia.

Red Bull struggled significantly in Shanghai, with Verstappen describing the session as “a disaster pace-wise” due to grip and balance issues, despite being slightly ahead of his teammate Isack Hadjar. At the back of the grid, Williams and Aston Martin continued to face difficulties. Carlos Sainz’s Williams was 17th fastest, while team-mate Alex Albon made an error on his second lap.

Fernando Alonso placed Aston Martin 19th, highlighting the limitations of their Honda engine, though the team has managed to resolve pre-season reliability issues by isolating the batteries from engine vibrations.

Despite the challenges, both Mercedes drivers showcased their dominance, setting the stage for a highly anticipated sprint race. Teams like Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Williams will need to focus on strategy and reliability if they are to challenge the front-running Mercedes duo over the weekend.

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