George Russell continues his strong start to the season: after his victory in Melbourne, the Mercedes Brit was also the fastest in the first free practice in Shanghai. It was a trouble-free session for the Silver Arrows, who are clearly positioning themselves as title contenders this year. Max Verstappen recorded only the eighth fastest time. View the results of the session below.
Read more Sprint Qualifying Chinese GP: Russell leads one-two for Mercedes, Verstappen P8
Read also: FP1 Chinese GP: Flying start for George Russell, eighth time for Max Verstappen
Read more Sprint qualifying results Chinese GP 2026
Results
- PosDriverTeamNationalityTime
- George Russell
Mercedes
1:32.741 - Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
+ 0.120 - Lando Norris
McLaren
+ 0.555 - Oscar Piastri
McLaren
+ 0.731 - Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
+ 0.858 - Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
+ 1.388 - Oliver Bearman
Haas
+ 1.685 - Max Verstappen
Red Bull
+ 1.800 - Nico Hülkenberg
Audi
+ 1.898 - Pierre Gasly
Alpine
+ 1.935 - Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
+ 2.032 - Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
+ 2.087 - Isack Hadjar
Red Bull
+ 2.115 - Esteban Ocon
Haas
+ 2.136 - Franco Colapinto
Alpine
+ 2.206 - Alexander Albon
Williams
+ 2.739 - Carlos Sainz Jr
Williams
+ 2.938 - Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
+ 3.115 - Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac
+ 3.316 - Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
+ 4.483 - Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
+ 5.155 - Sergio Pérez
Cadillac
+ 6.459
Read everything about the Chinese GP here