George Russell has put Mercedes on top in the first Formula 1 race of season 1 in China. He was led by teammate Kimi Antonelli in closing out the front row at the Shanghai International Circuit. Russell clocked 1:31.520 to earn his first career pole, finishing 0.289 seconds ahead of Antonelli.
Russell, who won the season opener in Australia, was fastest in every qualifying session and also led the only practice session earlier in the day. “The car has been amazing,” Russell said. “We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine is working well, and today was a real pleasure to drive.”
Antonelli was under investigation for blocking Lando Norris but was cleared after Norris told officials he was not in the push cycle. Norris will start third, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who raced in China last year.
Middle war
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified fifth, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who admitted Mercedes still had the edge. “In qualifying for some reason the Mercedes power unit gets a lot of lap time. In the race we are close, so I hope we can come back tomorrow,” said Leclerc.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was seventh but faces scrutiny for holding off Max Verstappen, who struggled to eighth. Haas team-mate Oliver Bearman impressed to finish ninth, while Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, more than two seconds off Russell’s pace.
Further back, Audi continued to show promise with Nico Hulkenberg in 11th and Gabriel Bortoleto 14th. Aston Martin’s woes continued, with Fernando Alonso finishing 19th and Lance Stroll 20th, while Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon qualified 17th and 18th.
Top 10 – Sprint Qualifying (Shanghai)
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:31.520
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.289
- Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.621
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.641
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.704
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1.008
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.368
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +1.734
- Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1,889
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +2,203
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