Mercedes continued its strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, with George Russell once again setting the pace in Shanghai during a sprint weekend that quickly confirmed the competitive trends seen in Melbourne.
Russell topped the only practice session of the weekend before leading Sprint Qualifying later in the day, reinforcing the impression that Mercedes currently holds the most complete package under Formula One’s new technical regulations.
The British driver’s benchmark lap of 1:32.741 in Free Practice One placed him narrowly ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, while McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third, more than half a second behind the leading Mercedes.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top six, though the Italian team already appeared to struggle with straight-line performance.
Mercedes Establish Early Benchmark in Shanghai Practice
The opening practice session at the Shanghai International Circuit quickly established the competitive order for the sprint weekend.
Mercedes immediately emerged as the team to beat, with Russell and Antonelli consistently topping the timing screens throughout the hour.
The session itself featured several interruptions. Both Lewis Hamilton and Alpine driver Franco Colapinto spun, while a brief Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad stopped on track with a technical issue.
None of the incidents disrupted Mercedes’ rhythm.
The two silver cars looked composed throughout their programme, confirming the early-season impression that Mercedes currently possesses the most balanced package under the new 2026 power-unit regulations.
By contrast, Red Bull struggled to match the pace. Max Verstappen finished only eighth in practice, 1.734 seconds behind Russell, even trailing the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.
Red Bull Admit Performance Deficit
During the FIA team principals’ press conference, Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies openly acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing the Milton Keynes outfit.
“The gap to Ferrari and Mercedes is substantial,” Mekies admitted.
“It’s probably half on the straight and half in the corners. It’s not one single area — it’s a 360-degree improvement that we need.”
Mekies also explained that the opening race in Melbourne had provided a steep learning experience for teams adapting to the new regulations.
“In the race we were all learning about how to deal with our energy,” he said, highlighting the difficulty of managing power-unit deployment across an entire race weekend.
Despite the early challenges, Mekies suggested Formula One may remain open to adjustments if necessary.
“If there is a need for adjustment, I think there will be all the willingness in the world across the grid to adjust for the benefit of the sport.”
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley pointed to another potential reason for Mercedes’ advantage: data.
“Mercedes have eight cars running their power unit,” Wheatley noted. “We only have two. They’re learning at a much faster rate.”
Russell Leads Sprint Qualifying as Mercedes Extend Advantage
Sprint Qualifying later confirmed the pattern already visible in practice.
George Russell once again led the session, finishing around three tenths of a second ahead of Antonelli, while Lando Norris joined the Mercedes pair in the top three.
Russell said the car felt far more manageable in Shanghai compared with the season opener in Melbourne.
“The car has been really great all day and the engine is performing more normally compared to Melbourne, when you had these big de-rates,” he explained.
“The focus since Melbourne has been about improving the starts.”
Norris appeared relieved after a quieter opening race in Australia.
“I’m happy with the result,” he said. “P3 is as good as we can do for the time being. I’m pretty happy to beat both Ferraris.”
Ferrari Struggle With Straight-Line Speed
Ferrari showed competitive pace through the corners but again struggled on Shanghai’s long straights.
Lewis Hamilton, who had earlier spun during practice, described the situation clearly after qualifying.
“Really pleased with the session,” Hamilton said. “P1 was tricky with the spin. The car feels great in the corners, but we are losing a lot of time on the straights. We have a lot of work to do to improve on power.”
The performance deficit suggests Ferrari may need further development to match Mercedes over a full race distance.
Red Bull Endure Difficult Session
The biggest surprise of the day came from Red Bull, whose struggles in Shanghai contrasted sharply with their performance in Australia.
After Isack Hadjar qualified third in Melbourne, both Red Bull drivers found themselves far from the leading pace.
Max Verstappen at least completed a full session after crashing in qualifying in Australia, finishing nearly half a second ahead of his team-mate — but still well outside the fight for the front rows.
The Dutch driver was blunt in his assessment.
“The whole day has been a disaster pace-wise,” Verstappen said.
“No grip, no balance. We’re losing massive amounts of time in the corners, and then because of that you start triggering other problems.”
Aston Martin and Cadillac Continue to Struggle
At the back of the field, there were few surprises.
Both Aston Martin and Cadillac again struggled to match the midfield pace, although for different reasons.
Fernando Alonso remained composed despite the team’s difficulties.
“We did the best we could and we are still far away from the others,” Alonso said. “We will try to improve tomorrow, complete as many laps as we can, and build our understanding of this package.”
His team-mate Lance Stroll offered a more direct assessment.
“We gathered important data so that’s a positive, but we are still battling the same issues we had in Melbourne,” he said.
“Ultimately we don’t want to be fighting for P19 and P20, so there’s lots for us to work on.”
Mercedes Appear Early Favourites in Shanghai
Inside the Shanghai media centre, the atmosphere remained cautious.
The early hope that Ferrari might challenge Mercedes this weekend appears to have faded after the dominant performance from the Silver Arrows in both practice and Sprint Qualifying.
While it remains early in the season, Mercedes’ pace advantage has already raised concerns among rival teams — and among fans who fear the championship battle could become predictable.
For now, the competitive picture in Shanghai appears clear.
Mercedes lead the field. Ferrari remain within reach but lack straight-line performance. McLaren show encouraging improvement. Red Bull appear unusually off the pace.
There is still hope that Ferrari’s traditionally strong race starts could provide excitement in the opening laps of the sprint race — before the competitive order settles.
Whether any team can challenge Mercedes this weekend remains the key question heading into the remainder of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
Read More
- Chinese Grand Prix Media Day — Fans Return as Technical Questions Continue
- Behind the Lens at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix — with Legendary Photographer John Toscano
- George Russell Wins 2026 Australian Grand Prix as Mercedes Secure Dominant 1-2
- Mercedes Lock Out Front Row as Russell Takes Pole at 2026 Australian Grand Prix
