George Russell, Mercedes, Shanghai International Circuit, 2026

George Russell has taken provisional pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race for Mercedes ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris.

Row 11. (63) George Russell 1’31.520
Mercedes W17
2. (12) Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1’31.809
Mercedes W17
Row 23. (1) Lando Norris 1’32.141
McLaren-Mercedes MCL40
4. (44) Lewis Hamilton 1’32.161
Ferrari SF-26
Row 35. (81) Oscar Piastri 1’32.224
McLaren-Mercedes MCL40
6. (16) Charles Leclerc 1’32.528
Ferrari SF-26
Row 47. (10) Pierre Gasly 1’32.888
Alpine-Mercedes A526
8. (3) Max Verstappen 1’33.254
Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford RB22
Row 59. (87) Oliver Bearman 1’33.409
Haas-Ferrari VF-26
10. (6) Isack Hadjar 1’33.723
Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford RB22
Row 611. (27) Nico Hulkenberg 1’33.635
Audi R26
12. (31) Esteban Ocon 1’33.639
Haas-Ferrari VF-26
Row 713. (30) Liam Lawson 1’33.714
Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford 03
14. (5) Gabriel Bortoleto 1’33.774
Audi R26
Row 815. (41) Arvid Lindblad 1’34.048
Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford 03
16. (43) Franco Colapinto 1’34.327
Alpine-Mercedes A526
Row 917. (55) Carlos Sainz Jnr 1’34.761
Williams-Mercedes FW48
18. (23) Alexander Albon 1’35.305
Williams-Mercedes FW48
Row 1019. (14) Fernando Alonso 1’35.581
Aston Martin-Honda AMR26
20. (18) Lance Stroll 1’36.151
Aston Martin-Honda AMR26
Row 1121. (77) Valtteri Bottas 1’37.378
Cadillac-Ferrari MAC-26
22. (11) Sergio Perez No time
Cadillac-Ferrari MAC-26

Sprint race qualifying results

P.DriverTeamQ1Q2 (v Q1)Q3 (v Q2)
1George RussellMercedes1’33.0301’32.241 (-0.789s)1’31.520 (-0.721s)
2Andrea Kimi AntonelliMercedes1’33.4551’32.291 (-1.164s)1’31.809 (-0.482s)
3Lando NorrisMcLaren1’33.7831’33.086 (-0.697s)1’32.141 (-0.945s)
4Lewis HamiltonFerrari1’33.1481’33.042 (-0.106s)1’32.161 (-0.881s)
5Oscar PiastriMcLaren1’33.8131’33.038 (-0.775s)1’32.224 (-0.814s)
6Charles LeclercFerrari1’33.1941’32.602 (-0.592s)1’32.528 (-0.074s)
7Pierre GaslyAlpine1’33.9701’33.405 (-0.565s)1’32.888 (-0.517s)
8Max VerstappenRed Bull1’34.1701’33.564 (-0.606s)1’33.254 (-0.310s)
9Oliver BearmanHaas1’34.2801’33.501 (-0.779s)1’33.409 (-0.092s)
10Isack HadjarRed Bull1’34.4471’33.620 (-0.827s)1’33.723 (+0.103s)
11Nico HulkenbergAudi1’33.9971’33.635 (-0.362s)Missed by 0.015s
12Esteban OconHaas1’34.0871’33.639 (-0.448s)Missed by 0.019s
13Liam LawsonRacing Bulls1’34.1101’33.714 (-0.396s)Missed by 0.094s
14Gabriel BortoletoAudi1’34.2911’33.774 (-0.517s)Missed by 0.154s
15Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls1’34.4951’34.048 (-0.447s)Missed by 0.428s
16Franco ColapintoAlpine1’34.5921’34.327 (-0.265s)Missed by 0.707s
17Carlos Sainz JnrWilliams1’34.761Missed by 0.169s
18Alexander AlbonWilliams1’35.305Missed by 0.713s
19Fernando AlonsoAston Martin1’35.581Missed by 0.989s
20Lance StrollAston Martin1’36.151Missed by 1.559s
21Valtteri BottasCadillac1’37.378Missed by 2.786s
22Sergio PerezCadillac

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Investigations

Gasly: Cleared of impeding Verstappen
Antonelli: Cleared of impeding Norris

Published by

Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine