Championship leader edges Antonelli while Norris and Hamilton line up on second row.

Championship leader George Russell claimed pole position on Friday for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, leading a Mercedes one two ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli.

Russell clocked a lap time of 1 minute 31.520 seconds around the 5.451 kilometre Shanghai International Circuit, finishing 0.289 seconds quicker than Antonelli. World champion Lando Norris was third, 0.621 seconds behind his fellow Briton.

Lewis Hamilton will start alongside Norris on the second row for Saturday morning’s 19 lap sprint race. The seven time world champion, who won the sprint in China last year, qualified fourth in his Ferrari, 0.641 seconds slower than Russell.

McLaren left their runs until late in the final qualifying session to complete their single flying laps, hoping to take advantage of the track when it was at its fastest.

The strategy worked as Norris moved ahead of both Ferraris, while teammate Oscar Piastri split them to take fifth place.

Charles Leclerc, who finished third in Melbourne last week, was sixth fastest.

Pierre Gasly placed his Alpine on the fourth row in seventh position.

Red Bull once again struggled for pace with their new in house power units replacing Honda as engine supplier this season, as the team continues adapting to the new era regulations.

Four time world champion Max Verstappen finished eighth, a massive 1.734 seconds behind Russell, while Isack Hadjar was tenth behind the Haas of Oliver Bearman.

Sergio Perez did not take part in the session because of a fuel issue with his Cadillac, the new team on the grid for the 2026 season.

Teams had only one practice session earlier on Friday to refine their setups in Shanghai, a circuit that differs greatly from Melbourne where last week’s opening race was held.

The Shanghai track features a long straight and several complex corners that require a different approach to battery deployment and energy harvesting in the new cars, which run on a 50 50 split between conventional and electrical power.

Russell also dominated practice, topping the timesheets on both medium and soft tyre compounds with a lap of 1 minute 32.741 seconds to lead another Mercedes one two.

Norris finished 0.555 seconds behind in third, followed by his teammate Piastri.

Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Hamilton were fifth and sixth respectively in practice.

Ferrari had tested an innovative flip rear wing earlier in the session, but the team decided not to use it during qualifying.