Mercedes set the pace in the only practice session ahead of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, looking comfortably quickest across the hour of running at the circuit.
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George Russell topped the timesheets, finishing the session quickest after posting his best lap on soft tyres on his second flying lap. He edged team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by just 0.120s, confirming Mercedes’ strong pace.
McLaren appeared improved compared with their form in Australia. Lando Norris recorded the third-fastest time, about half a second shy of Russell, while last year’s winner Oscar Piastri was fourth. The top four was dominated by Mercedes-powered cars, underlining the engine’s competitiveness on the Shanghai circuit.
Ferrari ran both cars with their new rotating rear wing and occupied the next two positions. Charles Leclerc lost time on his final timed lap after running wide at the exit of turn 16 and dropping into the gravel. His team mate Lewis Hamilton had a more eventful session.
Hamilton found himself narrowly avoiding contact with Norris early in the session when Norris dived down the inside at turn 16 as Hamilton prepared to start a lap. The stewards noted the incident but decided not to open an investigation. Shortly after, Hamilton suffered a snap under braking for turn six that caused heavy flat-spotting on his tyres. He completed several laps on the damaged mediums before switching early to softs.
Oliver Bearman was a positive note for Haas, setting the seventh-fastest time for the team, although he spun late in the session while moving aside for Lance Stroll at the exit of turn four.
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Max Verstappen struggled for pace in the Red Bull, ending the session 1.8 seconds off the leading time. Team mate Isack Hadjar was three tenths further back. Nico Hülkenberg in the Audi and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine completed the top ten, rounding out a mixed picture for the top teams.
Gasly’s team mate Franco Colapinto endured an eventful session. He spun at turn nine on his out-lap, and later his A526 stopped in the fast lane of the pit lane as he returned to the garage. Alpine mechanics hurried to attend to the car only for it to restart unexpectedly, allowing him to continue. He finished 15th overall, ahead of both Williams drivers.
Carlos Sainz Jnr had another disrupted session; Williams reported a “data issue” on his car, though he managed to complete a timed run on soft tyres later in the hour.
The two Aston Martins were more productive than they had been in Australia. However, Arvid Lindblad will face a disadvantage for the sprint qualifying session after completing only six laps when his Racing Bulls stopped at the turn 14 hairpin.
With concerns ongoing about the safety of standing starts in the new F1 cars—and only one opportunity to practise them this weekend—the FIA allowed each driver two practice starts at the end of the session. Those runs passed without any major reported issues, offering teams some reassurance ahead of the sprint and race.
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2026 Chinese Grand Prix first practice result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’32.741 | 29 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’32.861 | 0.120 | 30 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’33.296 | 0.555 | 29 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’33.472 | 0.731 | 28 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’33.599 | 0.858 | 28 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’34.129 | 1.388 | 26 |
| 7 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’34.426 | 1.685 | 28 |
| 8 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’34.541 | 1.800 | 24 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’34.639 | 1.898 | 27 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’34.676 | 1.935 | 28 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’34.773 | 2.032 | 29 |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’34.828 | 2.087 | 26 |
| 13 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’34.856 | 2.115 | 26 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’34.877 | 2.136 | 25 |
| 15 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’34.947 | 2.206 | 26 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’35.480 | 2.739 | 31 |
| 17 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’35.679 | 2.938 | 18 |
| 18 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’35.856 | 3.115 | 18 |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’36.057 | 3.316 | 25 |
| 20 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’37.224 | 4.483 | 20 |
| 21 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’37.896 | 5.155 | 6 |
| 22 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’39.200 | 6.459 | 13 |
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2026 Chinese Grand Prix
- What led Stroll to call his Aston Martin “the worst piece of s*** I’ve ever driven”
- Stats: Antonelli is 12th Formula 1 driver to score a ‘hat trick’ with his first win
- “Leclerc just backed Lewis up”: How Russell saw the fight between the Ferraris
- Verstappen reduced his pace unnecessarily due to communications error
- ‘Just an easy pass with Overtake’: Every radio message from Antonelli’s first F1 win
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