Chinese GP: Russell leads Mercedes 1-2 in single practice session

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli comfortably led the way for Mercedes in the only practice session ahead of this afternoon’s Sprint qualifying in Shanghai.

The pit were over half a second clear of the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri while Charles Leclerc and Lewis were well adrift in P5 and P6 for Ferrari.

With the weekend hosting the first Srint format event of the 2026 Formula 1 season, there was as usual added emphasis placed on the 60-minute work-out and limited preparation time.

• Chinese Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

The session began with the entire field running the medium compound tyre, with Russell initially setting the benchmark at 1m34.169s for Mercedes.

The Briton’s effort placed him ahead of Leclerc and Piastri, while Antonelli slotted into fourth on 1m34.794s with Haas’ Oliver Bearman in fifth position with a 1m34.950s lap. No other driver broke the 1m35 barrier during this phase.

Mercedes Pulls Clear

The final 15 minutes were dedicated to qualifying simulations, and it was here that Mercedes’ advantage became clear.

Russell lowered the benchmark to 1m32.741s, with Antonelli just 0.12s behind on 1m32.861s. The pair were around seven tenths clear of the field.

Piastri emerged as Mercedes’ closest challenger with a 1m33.472s effort, followed by Leclerc and Lando Norris a further tenth apart. Hamilton, despite an earlier soft-tyre run, ended the session further adrift on 1m34.129s.

Midfield Battle and Quiet Red Bull Session

The session proved a subdued outing for Red Bull Racing, with Max Verstappen eighth and 1.8s off Russell’s pace, while team-mate Isack Hadjar finished 13th.

Bearman headed the midfield in seventh despite a late spin at Turn 4, two tenths ahead of Nico Hulkenberg for Audi F1 Team and Pierre Gasly of Alpine F1 Team, with Liam Lawson close behind for Racing Bulls.

Further back, Williams Racing trailed its midfield rivals but remained four tenths ahead of Aston Martin F1 Team, whose best laps came on the medium compound. Cadillac Formula One Team struggled further, with Valtteri Bottas finishing 3.3s off the pace.

Several interruptions punctuated the session. Franco Colapinto spun at Turn 9 on his out-lap and later briefly stopped in the pitlane before continuing.

Hamilton also experienced a moment after nearly colliding with Norris in the final corner before spinning at Turn 6 following a brake lock-up.

Elsewhere, Arvid Lindblad pulled over near Turn 14 with a technical issue early on and took no further part in the running.

Carlos Sainz lost the first 35 minutes due to a data problem at Williams, leaving him with limited mileage ahead of sprint qualifying. Unlike Lindblad and Sergio Perez at Cadillac, however, Sainz at least managed a brief run on the soft tyres before the session ended.

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