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George Russell, dominating pole in sprint qualifying in China

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Pole position for George Russell in the Mercedes in Shanghai’s Sprint qualifying. The British driver stopped the clock in 1.31.520, winning the pole start ahead of teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, second at 289 thousandths. The Italian, however, is under investigation for obstructing Lando Norris in the middle phase of the session and risks a grid penalty. The reigning world champion finished in fourth position, 0.621 from compatriot Russell, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari (+0.641).

Andrea GussoniMercedes: surprising words from George Russell on Max Verstappen

Mercedes: surprising words of George Russell on Max Verstappen
Rumors of a transfer of the Dutch driver to the German team continue to circulate and George Russell was questioned on the matter

"It's normal that there are ongoing negotiations with drivers such as Verstappen", the British driver said in surprise
"Mercedes wants to get back to the top, and to do so it must make sure it has the best drivers, the best engineers, the best team"

"So it’s normal a contact with Max, but I’m not worried"

"What should I be worried about, given how I’m performing?"
"There are two places in every Formula 1 team"
Toto Wolff has meanwhile thrown water on the fire on the issue: "There will be no surprises in 2026"
"That of the 2026 driver lineup is a decision that affects not only the team, but also the drivers themselves, who need to know their situation"
"This means that in Spa we will know which team we want to compete with in 2026"
"The direction we are taking is to continue working with George and Kimi"

"Obviously we can’t ignore Max and his plans for the future, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises"

Between them are Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. For the Monegasque, the gap to pole was 1 second and 8 thousandths. An excellent performance for Pierre Gasly, who opens the fourth row in the Alpine. Next to him will start a disappointed Max Verstappen, far from the top with a delay of 1.734. Rounding out the top ten are Oliver Bearman in the Haas-Ferrari and Isack Hadjar in the other Red Bull. From the inside of the sixth row will start Nico Hülkenberg in the faster of the two Audis, flanked by the Haas-Ferrari of Esteban Ocon. On the seventh row are Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Gabriel Bortoleto in the other Audi. The eighth row, on the other hand, consists of rookies Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls) and Franco Colapinto in the Alpine.

In the lower part of the grid dominates the game of pairs between the teams most in trouble in this start of the World Championship. Williams all on the ninth row with Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon, struggling with a slow and heavy single-seater despite the Mercedes power unit. Behind them are the two Aston Martin Hondas of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, who seem unable to improve on last week’s result in Melbourne. Finally, from the 11th and final row will start the two Cadillac MAC-26s of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez. The Mexican did not even take part in qualifying due to a technical problem.

This is the starting grid for the sprint race:

1 George Russell (Mercedes)
2 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3 Lando Norris (McLaren)
4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8 Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
9 Oliver Bearman (Haas F1 Team)
10 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing)
11 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)-
12 Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team)-
13 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) –
14 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) –
15 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) –
16 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) –
17 Carlos Sainz (Williams) –
18 Alexander Albon (Williams) –
19 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) –
20 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) –
21 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) –
22 Sergio Perez (Cadillac) –

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