- Antonelli delivers a landmark qualifying performance in Shanghai.
- Technical trouble tests Mercedes as rivals close in during a tense session.
- The grid takes shape for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix after a dramatic fight for pole.
Under clear skies at the Shanghai International Circuit, Kimi Antonelli delivered the lap that placed his name in Formula 1 history. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver secured the first Grand Prix pole position of his career on Saturday during qualifying for the Chinese GP.
Antonelli’s performance made him the youngest driver ever to top a Grand Prix qualifying classification. He controlled every stage of the session and set the benchmark in the decisive Q3 run. His teammate George Russell recovered from major technical problems to take second place.
Russell’s car suffered a front wing issue in Q2. A gear-shifting fault then left him stranded on track at the start of Q3. Despite those setbacks, he returned for one final lap and secured the front-row start.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Lewis Hamilton finished third for Ferrari, with teammate Charles Leclerc fourth.
As it happened in the Chinese GP qualifying
Q1: Leclerc sets the early pace, Red Bull shows signs of life
The opening phase of qualifying brought an early change in form compared with Friday’s running. Leclerc led the segment with a lap of 1:33.175. He edged Russell by 0.087 seconds, while Antonelli sat close behind in third.
Max Verstappen placed fourth and looked far stronger than he did during Sprint Qualifying, where he finished eighth. Red Bull also saw Isack Hadjar reach Q2 in ninth.
Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed with seventh for Audi. Franco Colapinto also moved through in tenth.
Trouble struck several experienced drivers. Both Williams cars fell out early, with Alex Albon calling the session “terrible” over team radio.
Eliminated in Q1:
- Carlos Sainz
- Alex Albon
- Fernando Alonso
- Valtteri Bottas
- Lance Stroll
- Sergio Perez
Q2: Antonelli edges ahead, Hulkenberg heartbroken by 0.002s
The midfield battle tightened in Q2. Nico Hulkenberg missed Q3 by just 0.002 seconds. It was an even smaller gap than the one that knocked him out of Sprint Qualifying the day before.
Colapinto also came close. He fell only 0.005 seconds short of the top ten cut.
Drama unfolded at Mercedes during the session. Russell reported a front wing problem and complained of heavy understeer. The team replaced the wing and sent him out again for a final run.
Antonelli led Q2 with a lap of 1:32.443. Leclerc finished second, just 0.043 seconds behind. Russell placed third, with Hamilton fourth and Lando Norris fifth.
Late in the segment, Bortoleto spun at the final corner and stopped in the gravel. The incident disrupted several drivers, including Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson.
Eliminated in Q2:
- Nico Hulkenberg
- Franco Colapinto
- Esteban Ocon
- Liam Lawson
- Arvid Lindblad
- Gabriel Bortoleto
Q3: Russell stopped on track, Antonelli makes history
Q3 opened with immediate tension. Russell stopped on his out-lap and reported that his car was stuck in first gear. The Mercedes crew worked quickly while Russell slowly returned the car to the garage.
The team sent him back out for one final attempt. Russell later said the effort showed the determination of everyone in the garage.
While Russell struggled, Antonelli seized the moment. His first push lap set a 1:32.322, a time no rival could beat.
Leclerc briefly moved into second place, three tenths behind. Hamilton placed third after a small oversteer moment in the final sector.
Russell eventually completed his flying lap. He set personal best sectors but finished 0.289 seconds behind Antonelli. The effort still secured second place.
Behind them, Hamilton held third and Leclerc fourth. Oscar Piastri beat Norris for fifth, while Pierre Gasly finished seventh ahead of Verstappen.
The top three drivers speak
Antonelli reacted calmly to the biggest moment of his young career. He said the session felt smooth from start to finish.
“It was a pretty clean session, so really happy,” Antonelli said. “Of course, George had an issue, so it would have been cool to see him with two sets. I saw he had an issue, but I just tried to keep my focus and deliver a good lap.”
Russell described his result as damage control after a difficult qualifying. He praised the team for fixing the car quickly enough to attempt a final run.
“In Q2, the front wing broke, and then in Q3, stopped out on track and then couldn’t change gear,” Russell said. “On the last lap, I had no battery, no tyre temp or anything. The team did a really good job.”
Hamilton sounded optimistic about Ferrari’s progress this season. The seven-time champion said the team had reduced the gap to Mercedes compared with earlier races.
“It was actually a really tough Qualifying, a bit harder this one with the wind,” Hamilton said. “Putting the laps together was challenging. I am really, really happy to be up here. We did some good work, the engineers did some good work over the break, and we managed to get a little closer to [Mercedes], so that’s a positive. I’m sure we’ll have some fun [in the race], I’m looking forward to it.”
Final qualifying classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32.064 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.222 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.351 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.364 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.486 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.544 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.809 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.938 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.057 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.228 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | Eliminated Q2 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | Eliminated Q2 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | Eliminated Q2 |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Eliminated Q2 |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | Eliminated Q2 |
| 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | Eliminated Q2 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | Eliminated Q1 |
| 18 | Alex Albon | Williams | Eliminated Q1 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Eliminated Q1 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | Eliminated Q1 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Eliminated Q1 |
| 22 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | Eliminated Q1 |
2026 Chinese Grand Prix: Weekend schedule (local Shanghai time, CST)
| Session | Day | Local time (CST) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | Friday, March 13 | 11:30 | Completed |
| Sprint Qualifying | Friday, March 13 | 15:30 | Completed |
| F1 Sprint | Saturday, March 14 | 11:00 | Completed |
| Qualifying | Saturday, March 14 | 15:00 | Completed |
| Chinese Grand Prix | Sunday, March 15 | 15:00 | Upcoming |
Antonelli now leads the field to the grid for Sunday’s race in Shanghai. Mercedes holds the front row, but Ferrari sits close behind with two cars ready to challenge when the lights go out.
