George Russell said his car felt “amazing” as he again led a Mercedes one-two in qualifying, this time for Saturday’s sprint race in China.
Just as they were at the season opener in Melbourne last weekend, where they locked out the front row of the grid before taking first and second in the race, Russell and Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli were utterly dominant.
Ferrari were expected to be Mercedes’ closest challengers in Shanghai, but after running their “Macarena” upside-down rear wing in practice on Friday morning, they decided to take it off their car for sprint qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton was eventually pipped to third on the grid by McLaren’s Lando Norris ahead of Saturday’s 19-lap dash to the chequered flag.
Norris was a massive 0.621 slower than Russell with Hamilton another 0.02 behind his fellow Briton. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri will line up fifth, with Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc sixth.
Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen was a gargantuan 1.734sec slower than Russell, highlighting the spread-out nature of the field in the early part of this new era.
Russell is sitting pretty – and could be for some time given his current advantage.
“The car has been feeling amazing,” he said afterwards. “We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car... today was a real joy to drive.”
Norris on his third
“Yeah, I am just happy with the result. P3 is as good as we can do for the time being. Pretty happy to beat both the Ferraris today because they seemed pretty quick. We certainly seemed to get a good amount out of it at the end. A good lap gave me a good position.”
He doesn’t think Mercedes will start as badly off the line as they did last weekend in Melbourne.
No word about Antonelli’s potential penalty
If he does drop three grid places, which is likely if Norris can be proved to have been on a fast lap, then it will be Norris starting alongside Russell on the front row with Hamilton third.
“The pace was strong, I just didn’t put the lap together at the end,” is Antonelli’s verdict about his SQ3 performance.
Session times for the rest of the weekend
Saturday, March 14
Sprint race – 3am
Qualifying – 7am
Sunday, March 15
Race – 7am
We will be here for live updates from all of those.
How much has the gap closed up?
Percentage wise the gap between Mercedes and the next best team was one per cent in Australian qualifying. In sprint qualifying today it was 0.68 per cent. A small amount of encouragement I guess, especially given that it was a McLaren and not a Ferrari this time.
A much better weekend from Norris (above) so far. He struggled to get to grips with things in Australia, though still managed to finish fifth.
Russell reacts to pole
What happened to Ferrari there?
Not sure. McLaren with a much-improved showing in third and fifth but still a large gap to Russell.
🏁RUSSELL TAKES POLE FOR THE CHINESE GP SPRINT
Dominant...
- RUS 1:31.520
- ANT +0.289
- NOR +0.621
- HAM +0.641
- PIA +0.704
- LEC +1.008
- GAS +1.368
- VER +1.734
- BEA +1.889
- HAD +2.203
SQ3 - Hadjar stays 10th...
It’s pole for Russell.
SQ3 - What can Ferrari and McLaren do here?
Not challenge the front row...
Gasly fifth ahead of Verstappen. Norris into third...
Piastri only fifth...
Over to Hadjar...
SQ3 - Antonelli not far off Russell after two sectors
Neither man has improved their previous sector one and two times. So it will take a good final sector for them both. Antonelli improves but only just.
Russell does not improve...
SQ3 - Slightly differing run plans
Russell, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen all have laps on the board. The McLarens, Gasly, Bearman and Hadjar are out on track now. How much of a difference will that make? It will be just one run for the second lot.
SQ3 - Will Mercedes increase their advantage in this session?
Hopefully not. It’s quite rubbish seeing the cars “super clip” at the end of the long straight.
Anyway, it’s a 1:31.880 from Antonelli but Russell beats that with a 1:31.520. That is 0.360sec faster. Verstappen is a mammoth 1.7sec slower than Russell, Leclerc 1.2sec behind...
Hamilton third, but at least within seven tenths of Russell. That hurt me to type that.
SQ3 begins!
10 drivers, eight minutes to set the top 10 for tomorrow’s sprint race.
A fine lap from Leclerc, then
But the gap between Mercedes and the rest of the field appears to be similar to qualifying in Australia.
This is why Antonelli is under investigation
🏁 SQ2 ends - Russell fastest (again)
- RUS 1:32.241
- ANT +0.050
- LEC +0.361
- PIA +0.797
- HAM +0.801
- NOR +0.845
- GAS +1.164
- BEA +1.260
- VER +1.323
- HAD +1.379
Drivers out: HUL, OCO, LAW, BOR, LIN, COL
SQ2 - Verstappen vulnerable?
He could be. But he should be fine. Lawson does not improve, stays 13th. Ocon stays 12th. Verstappen should be safe here. It’s up to the two Audis only, but neither of them are improving.
Verstappen is finding that Red Bull a handful here. He runs wide at the final corner.
SQ2 - ⁉️Antonelli noted by the stewards
I would be surprised if it is not a penalty of some kind.
Hamilton into fourth but still 0.8sec off the pace. Nobody is really improving that much, though Piastri does slightly.
Antonelli improves. Stays econd but now only 0.05sec off Russell.
HUL, OCO, BOR, LAW, LIN, COL in the drop zone.
SQ2 - Top 10 as it stands
- RUS 1:32.241
- ANT +0.329
- LEC +0.361
- PIA +0.905
- NOR +0.322
- HAM +1.019
- VER +1.323
- GAS +1.330
- HAD +1.379
- HUL +1.394
SQ2 - Mercedes slot into first and second
Russell leading Antonelli by 0.329sec with Leclerc only 0.032sec behind Antonelli. Antonelli could be getting a penalty, though. He appeared to be right in the way of Norris as he started a flying lap. No word from the stewards on that yet.
SQ2 - Finally, some decent laps on the board
Leclerc fastest by a second from Verstappen then Gasly, Hadjar and Ocon close behind.
What can Hamilton do? He’s nowhere near his team-mate, 0.658sec off Leclerc. Where has that come from? Piastri and Norris slot into second and third but still a long way off Leclerc.
Here come the Mercedes cars...
SQ2 - Piastri and Norris begin their flying laps
Or do they? Nope. A double preparation lap for both of them, I assume. Hulkenberg, though, is on a flying lap. The Audi a fairly decent midfield car it seems. Yes, they have had a long run-up since taking over Sauber but they do have a new power unit of their own making and they are the only team running it. Bortoleto (below) also scored two points in Melbourne.
Hulkenberg actually doesn’t finish his flying lap at any great speed. Aborted.
SQ2 begins!
10 minutes, 16 drivers and six will be eliminated. As with SQ1, all drivers must complete their laps on medium compound tyres.
A bad day for Williams
Another one. Williams, Cadillac and Cadillac now almost confirmed as the three slowest teams.
🏁SQ1 ends - Russell fastest
- RUS 1:33.030
- HAM +0.118
- LEC +0.164
- ANT +0.425
- NOR +0.753
- PIA +0.783
- GAS +0.940
- HUL +0.967
- OCO +1.057
- LAW +1.080
- VER +1.140
- BEA +1.250
- BOR +1.261
- HAD +1.417
- LIN +1.465
- COL +1.562
Drivers out: SAI, ALB, ALO, STR, BOT, PER
SQ1 - Ocon moves into eighth
Lindblad in 13th by the way. He will have done well to make it into SQ2. It would be a good result. Leclerc stays third but improves to just 0.164sec off Russell.
Sainz crosses the line and stays 17th. He is out...
SQ1 - Top 10 and gaps
- RUS 1:33.030
- HAM +0.118
- LEC +0.393
- ANT +0.425
- NOR +0.753
- PIA +0.783
- HUL +0.967
- VER +1.151
- BEA +1.250
- LAW +1.370
Drivers in the drop zone: ALB, COL, STR, ALO, BOT, PER
SQ1 - A better lap from Hamilton
He is second once more and 0.118sec slower than Russell, with the fastest final two sectors.
SQ1 - Mercedes cars on good laps
That is not a surprise. Piastri just misses out on top spot, can Norris beat either of them? Yes, but only his team-mate and not Hamilton.
Antonelli goes 0.275sec faster than Hamilton and Russell goes 0.425sec faster than Antonelli. A big gap emerging now...
Verstappen improves to go seventh only but 1.1sec off Russell.
SQ1 - Top 10 so far
- HAM
- HUL
- LEC
- HAD
- VER
- LAW
- LIN
- STR
- BOT
These are the only drivers to set a lap time. Piastri on his first flying lap.
SQ1 - Hadjar on the board
He posts a 1:34.447. Verstappen cannot beat that, although he is only 0.053sec off. Bottas actually aborted his first flying lap or went intentionally for two preparation laps.
The Ferrari looks a bit of a handful. Leclerc goes fastest but Hamilton should beat that... he does, by more than half a second. He got a decent tow towards the end of the lap but that would not have made much of a difference.
SQ1 - 11 mins remain
Problems for Sergio Perez in the Cadillac. He has a fuel line issue and will not take part in this session. His team-mate Valtteri Bottas, though, will be the first driver to set a lap time.
🟢GREEN LIGHT - SQ1 begins
This is all a slightly shortened version of the main qualifying. Six drivers eliminated from the first two parts of qualifying (SQ1 and SQ2) and then 10 drivers in the final part (SQ3).
Work to do for Lindblad
He suffered a mechanical issue in FP1 severely limiting his track time, which is not what you want on a sprint weekend, especially early in your career on an unfamiliar circuit....
Just over five minutes to go
Predictions? If nobody can challenge Mercedes this season (early days to say that yet) it would be good to see Antonelli keep Russell honest.
How big was Mercedes’ gap in qualifying in Australia?
Enormous. More than 0.7sec separated Russell, on pole, and the next-fastest non-Mercedes car of Isack Hadjar. In percentage terms you can see the gaps, throughout the field, below.
For reference, the gap between the top four teams last season was 0.62 per cent throughout the whole season. One per cent was roughly the gap between the top four teams. Will this gap stay as large in China? Hard to say. I would expect it to come down but perhaps not by a great deal.
Looks like Ferrari are ditching their rear wing
Well, not totally. That would be madness. But the one that rotates backwards (see below).
They used it in FP1 but, for whatever reason, appear to be taking it off both cars. I wonder if that is the last we will see of it? I doubt it.
Current constructor standings
Eight teams scored at least a point in the first race. It might be a while before we can expect Aston Martin or Cadillac to get on the board.
Drivers matter less than ever under F1’s dangerous new rules
The opening race of Formula One’s new era was certainly exciting, with numerous changes of lead in the opening laps as cars charged forward or dropped backward rapidly. The cars are also better looking and more responsive. They are smaller, lighter and more nimble.
We should reserve fuller judgment until after at least another five or six races as teams and drivers get to grips with the demands and complexities of these new regulations, which create so much reliance on electrical power and how that is generated and deployed.
I do, though, have several concerns after watching the Australian Grand Prix.
The problem is that the new regulations lessens the element of driver skill in qualifying and racing. The driver is – aside from using boost and overtake modes – not selecting when to harvest the energy and when to deploy it; it is programmed into the software.
The boost (which allows maximum power) and overtake mode (which allows extra but not full power when a driver is within one second of the car ahead) are too powerful. The speed differential is too great between cars vying for position. This is what contributed to the yo-yoing lead on Sunday.
Current driver standings after one round
Watch: Norris and Hamilton come together in FP1
Only slight contact, but still. Not what you want. Looks like some debris flew off, too. Not sure off which car.
I’d hoped the days of six-second gaps in FP1 were gone...
A regulations change as large as these and a new team always put it back on the cards, though. Perez’s time in FP1 was only just within the 107 per cent cut off that a team needs to qualify for the race. Doesn’t seem like Perez had a smooth session, though, and his Cadillac team-mate Valtteri Bottas (below) was nearly three seconds faster. I don’t think we will have any issue with Cadillac qualifying for this race.
Times after FP1
- RUS 1:32.741
- ANT +0.120
- NOR +0.555
- PIA +0.731
- LEC +0.858
- HAM +1.388
- BEA +1.685
- VER +1.800
- HUL +1.898
- GAS +1.935
- LAW +2.032
- BOR +2.087
- HAD +2.115
- OCO +2.136
- COL +2.206
- ALB +2.739
- SAI +2.938
- ALO +3.115
- BOT +3.316
- STR +4.483
- LIN +5.155
- PER +6.459
FP1 report: Mercedes top again
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli annihilated the opposition in the one and only practice session ahead of Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, suggesting Mercedes will be as dominant here in Shanghai as they were in Melbourne last weekend.
There is now no time for teams to refine their setups before the first competitive session of the weekend, qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race, which takes place at 7.30am UK time.
Russell pipped team-mate Antonelli by 0.120sec in cool, sunny conditions in Shanghai on Friday morning. But the championship leader was a massive 0.545sec clear of the first driver not in a Mercedes, McLaren’s Lando Norris.
McLaren’s Oscr Piastri and then Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were next fastest, with Ferrari’s much-anticipated “Macarena” rear wing, which flips upside-down, not immediately flipping the script.
Lewis Hamilton was sixth fastest in the second Ferrari, 1.388sec off the pace, although the seven-time world champion did set his time earlier in the session on older tyres after an early spin wrecked his set of medium tyres.
Elsewhere, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was down in eighth place, a massive 1.8secs off the pace of Mercedes, and behind the Haas of Briton Oliver Bearman.
It remains to be seen whether anyone can challenge Mercedes this weekend, although the start to both the sprint race and Sunday’s main grand prix could offer opportunities.
Last week’s start in Melbourne was chaotic with some drivers depleting their battery reserves on their formation laps – Alpine’s Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided crashing into Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson as a result.
In the wake of safety fears voiced by drivers, the FIA allowed extra practice starts at the end of Friday’s FP1 session, although F1’s governing body stopped short of altering the formation lap recharge limit which had been highlighted as a problem by Russell.
On Thursday, Russell called Ferrari “selfish” for blocking the proposed change due to the fact they currently have the best start of any team.