George Russell continued his spectacular start to the Formula 1 season by winning the Chinese Grand Prix sprint at the Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday to extend his lead in the championship to 11 points.
The Mercedes driver, who started on pole, held off a spirited challenge from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to win the 19-lap race, adding to his victory of the season.opening Australian Grand Prix last weekend.
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RUSSELL AND HAMILTON TRADE BLOWS EARLY
It was anything but straightforward in the opening laps. Russell was overtaken by Hamilton on the first lap, with the former team-mates using the new electrically powered Boost and Overtake modes to swap positions over the opening seven laps. Hamilton twice overtook Russell into the first corner of the circuit, but each time the Mercedes driver regained the lead on the long back straight.
The battle continued until Hamilton’s tires faded, allowing Russell to pull away. Leclerc, Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate, was also caught in the early scrap at the front.
“There’s a lot going on, but it’s pretty fun, and it definitely feels more like a kart race of the past,” Russell said. “I can never remember Formula 1 being like this, where you have three or four cars fighting for the same position.
Hamilton, making his first appearance in China as a Ferrari driver, received a rousing reception from the crowd when he opened a post-race interview with “Ni hao”. The seven-time world champion acknowledged the speed advantage Russell held and said the Mercedes’ speed on the straights proved too much to handle.
SAFETY CAR SHAKES UP THE RACE
The race took a dramatic turn on lap 14 when Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi stopped on track and triggered a safety car period. The leaders pitted for new tires Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes he is also serving a 10-second penalty for a first-lap collision with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.
When the race restarted with three laps to go, Russell eased away with authority. Leclerc suffered wheel spin on track and eventually finished 0.674 seconds behind Russell, with the Ferrari pair sharing a two-car top three finish for the first time since the 2024 Abu Dhabi finale.
Russell took eight points for the win and now leads the championship with 33 points, with Antonelli and Leclerc separated by 22 and Hamilton 18.
Norris finished fourth behind McLaren, but was honest about his problems, admitting that Ferrari and Mercedes simply work the tires better. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had a race to remember, finishing ninth for Red Bull and more than 11 seconds behind Russell.
“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” he said. “We need to get our things together.
THE GREAT REGULATION DEBATE
The new regulations led to lighter and smaller cars, with a minimum weight reduced to 768 kg from last year’s 800 kg and a shorter and narrower chassis. While Russell is enjoying the spectacle the new rules have brought, not everyone shares his enthusiasm.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz said the new power-assisted overtaking was “not in the DNA of the sport”, adding that anything that allowed such moves could be called artificial.
Qualifying for Sunday’s main event followed later in the day, with Mercedes widely considered favorites to continue their strong form.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
14 March 2026 10:56 IST
