George Russell delivered a strong performance to claim pole position for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, the second round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, setting the fastest lap during sprint qualifying in Shanghai, Idman.Biz reports.
The Mercedes driver topped the session with a lap of 1 minute 31.520 seconds at the Shanghai International Circuit, putting him at the front of the grid for Saturday’s sprint race. The result underlined Mercedes’ impressive pace at the start of the weekend.
Russell was followed by his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who finished second just 0.289 seconds behind, securing a front-row lockout for the team. McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the top three, 0.621 seconds off the fastest time.
Sprint qualifying is part of Formula 1’s revised weekend format used at selected Grands Prix during the season. The sprint race itself will take place on Saturday and offers additional championship points, while a separate qualifying session later the same day will determine the grid for Sunday’s main race.
The Chinese Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar in recent years and remains one of the most technically demanding circuits on the schedule, with Shanghai’s long straights and heavy braking zones often producing unpredictable results across the weekend.
