UPDATE: Qualifying for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix took place shortly after the Spring Race. Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli became the youngest F1 pole-sitter ever after beating teammate George Russell to the front of the grid.
Today's Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix saw Mercedes' George Russell pick up his second win of the 2026 Formula 1 season, after he successfully held off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to earn victory in Shanghai.
Russell started the race on pole, but an impressive start from Ferrari saw Hamilton surge from fourth to first by the end of the opening lap. There was another back-and-forth battle, but the 7-time World Champion could hold Russell off for long and eventually slipped to third place behind Leclerc.
The Mercedes driver had a near five-second lead before a late Safety Car set the stage for a three-lap race to the finish between the three leaders.
Kimi Antonelli could only manage fifth after being given a 10-second time penalty for hitting Red Bull's Isack Hadjar during the first lap. The Sprint was disastrous for Red Bull as a whole, with Max Verstappen finishing outside the points for the first time in one of the shortened races, in ninth (thanks to a disastrous start, courtesy of a drained battery).
Reigning World Champion Lando Norris had to settle for fourth as his McLaren didn't have the pace to keep up with the frontrunners.
"I hope it was a fun race to watch. Usually, the Sprint is pretty boring. I had everything under control, then there was a Safety Car, so pretty happy with the win," Russell said after the race. "Lewis did an amazing job in the early laps, he caught me off guard. He has 20 years of experience, so I still have a little bit to learn there!"
Here are the full results from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint race:
1) George Russell, Mercedes - 1:23.06.801
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari - +0.674
3) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari - +2.554
4) Lando Norris, McLaren - +4.433
5) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes - +5.688
6) Oscar Piastri, McLaren - +6.809
7) Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls - +10.900
8) Oliver Bearman, Haas - +11.271
9) Max Verstappen, Red Bull - +11.619
10) Esteban Ocon, Haas - +13.887
11) Pierre Gasly, Alpine - +14.780
12) Carlos Sainz, Williams - +15.753
13) Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi - +15.858
14) Franco Colapinto, Alpine - +16.393
15) Isack Hadjar, Red Bull - +16.430
16) Alex Albon, Williams - +20.014
17) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin - +21.599
18) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin - +21.971
19) Sergio Perez, Cadillac - +28.241
Nico Hulkenberg, Audi - DNF
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac - DNF
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls - DNF