George Russell confirmed Mercedes’ excellent form by winning the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix. Despite constant pressure from the Ferraris and a safety car restart at the end of the event, the Briton perfectly mastered the 19 laps of this short race.
Read more «I thought it was over»: Charles Leclerc narrowly avoids disaster at the Shanghai sprint
Just one week after the opening of the 2026 F1 season, the championship was already offering its first sprint of the year at the Shanghai circuit. In this intense format, George Russell once again demonstrated the competitiveness of Mercedes by converting his pole position into victory.
The Briton started in the lead on a slightly reduced grid, with only 21 cars. At Williams, Alexander Albon’s car had been modified at the suspension level, which forced him to start from the pit lane.
Conditions were cool at the Shanghai circuit, with about 15°C in the air. The majority of drivers chose to start on medium tires, while a few different strategies were attempted in the pack, notably with soft or hard compounds.
Hamilton and Russell battle it out
At the start, George Russell managed to maintain the advantage, but Lewis Hamilton immediately proved threatening. The Ferrari driver closed in very quickly on the Mercedes and eventually briefly took the lead of the race at the end of an intense duel between the two Britons.
The start of the event was also enlivened by several incidents in the pack. Arvid Lindblad lost control of his car on the first lap, while a collision between Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar earned the Mercedes driver a ten-second penalty for an overly optimistic overtaking attempt.
Up front, the clash between Hamilton and Russell continued during the first laps. Thanks to the straight-line attack mode, Russell managed to regain the advantage before the Ferrari hit back in turn. Finally, on the sixth lap, the Mercedes took the lead for good and began to pull out a slight gap.
Internal duel at Ferrari
Behind Russell, the fight intensified between the two Ferraris. Charles Leclerc gradually closed in on his teammate before successfully taking second position after a few laps of pressure.
The two Scuderia drivers even briefly crossed swords, a situation that did not entirely reassure Leclerc. On the radio, the Monegasque suggested that taking so many risks between teammates might not have been necessary in such a short sprint.
Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli tried to limit the damage despite his penalty by fighting in the lead group.
Read more Max Verstappen stunned after Red Bull’s chaotic sprint
The safety car reshuffles the deck
The race took a new turn on the 13th lap when Nico Hülkenberg broke down on the main straight. Race control then deployed the safety car, triggering a series of pit stops.
George Russell pitted immediately for soft tires, a strategy followed by several teams. After these stops, Russell maintained the lead ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, the latter having benefited from a slight delay for Lewis Hamilton during his pit stop at Ferrari.
The neutralization also allowed Antonelli to serve his penalty during his stop.
Russell manages the restart perfectly
The race finally resumed for the last three laps, offering an intense final sprint. George Russell perfectly controlled the restart and left no chance for his pursuers.
Charles Leclerc never managed to get close enough to attempt an attack, while Lewis Hamilton took third place back from Lando Norris in the final kilometers.
Under the checkered flag, Russell thus won ahead of the two Ferraris, confirming Mercedes’ great form at the start of the season.
Behind this trio, Lando Norris finished fourth ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri. Liam Lawson secured a fine seventh place, while Oliver Bearman scored the final available point.
On the other hand, the sprint turned into a nightmare for Red Bull: neither car managed to break into the top 8, despite Max Verstappen’s climb back to ninth position.
Read more Isack Hadjar sets Antonelli straight: «He is overexcited when he has a rocket»
2026 F1 Chinese GP Sprint Classification:
