F1
Chinese GP – Sprint Qualifying: George Russell on pole again, Pierre Gasly 7th
© DPPI
While one might have expected to see closer gaps on a circuit very different from Melbourne, the Mercedes Benz maintain a significant advantage at the start of this Chinese weekend. George Russell left no doubt by securing his first pole position in sprint qualifying. The Briton once again outpaced his teammate Kimi Antonelli, as he did in Melbourne. Both men set their benchmark times on their first attempt, while Lando Norris, third, waited until the last moments to emerge from the woodwork on his only flying lap.
The reigning world champion came ahead of the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton on the gong, but number 44 can be satisfied with his performance on a track where he won in the Sprint last year. He finished ahead of Charles Leclerc by nearly four tenths, while the Monegasque driver abandoned the Macarena wing introduced this weekend. The two teammates of the Team are separated by the McLaren byOscar piastri, 5rd.
On the other hand, the day was much more complicated for the Red Bullwhich are very far from the mark. Max Verstappen, only 8th, complained about his car, in particular gear changes, a recurring problem among Austrians in recent years. "Can you check the car a second time? It's awful."he complained angrily on the radio.
For his part, Isack Hadjar had a strong session, matching his illustrious teammate in the early segments, before struggling in Q3. On his only attempt, the Frenchman conceded 2,2 seconds to George Russell: a huge gap that placed him 10th. The French team's satisfaction stemmed from... Pierre Gasly, brilliant 7th.
The pilot Alpine he largely dominated his teammate in SQ2, relegating Franco Colapinto, 15th, to nine tenths behind. Then, in SQ3, he managed to dominate the Red Bulls and the Haas Bearman, 9th, to give himself a chance to play for points. No SQ3 however for Esteban Ocon, 12th, once again beaten by his garage neighbor.
The sprint race will start at 4 a.m. Paris time on Saturday.
F1 – Chinese Grand Prix
The sprint qualifying rankings
-
Collector's item Renault 5 Turbo
11,90€ NEW -
7,90€ INDISPENSABLE -
Collector Ferrari Legendary Duos
11,90€ NEW
Read also
Yves-Henri RANDIER
13/03/2026 at 03:06 a.m.
It's interesting to note that the 2025 Sprint pole time was 1:30.849, less than a second faster than Russell's time. The gap with the times of the previous technical era seems to be narrowing, at least for the two Mercedes, which appear to be in a class of their own considering the gaps they've opened up to the rest of the grid (the two Red Bulls are 1.7 and 2.2 seconds behind respectively...).
Paul Lucas
13/03/2026 at 09:48 a.m.
Lando is back... His Majesty must be offended by his superb 4th place :):):) But what reason will he come up with???:):):)