F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026: Practice Results as Mercedes Set Daunting Sprint Benchmark

George Russell led teammate Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes 1-2 in the sole practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Silver Arrows head into sprint qualifying looking comfortable as Russell finished over half a second faster than Lando Norris' McLaren in third, setting a best time of 1:32.741s at the Shanghai International Circuit.

It was another session full of drama across the grid as F1's new regulations continue to cause headaches for drivers and teams, though Mercedes managed to escape any issues.

Trouble for many in rush for data

Understandably, there was a flurry of action immediately as drivers rushed out to gather data in the only practice of the weekend.

It didn't take long for the first issue, though, as Alpine's Franco Colapinto went for a spin at Turn 9 on his outlap. As was seen in Australia, it seemed to be excessive brake locking at the rear rather than driver error.

Around goes Lewis Hamilton! 🤯

A sizeable spin for the Ferrari early-on in FP1, heading into the run-off area at Turn 6 👇#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/9WT1sAuiKy
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 13, 2026

Lewis Hamilton had an eventful first five minutes as well, first colliding with Norris' McLaren at the final corner in a bizarre skirmish before spinning out at Turn 6, the rear brakes again to blame.

Gabriel Bortoleto made a mess of his first set of mediums of the weekend with a double front lock into the same corner before debris on the long back straight triggered a virtual safety car 10 minutes into the hour.

Antonelli had plenty of speed by that VSC halted his progress, as did a second just four minutes later as Arvid Lindblad ground to a halt on the inside of the T14 - the Racing Bulls rookie missing vital lap time.

🟡 VSC DEPLOYED 🟡

Arvid Lindblad pulls off to the side of the track at Turn 14! 😢#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/Sff3h9iHlM
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 13, 2026

After almost 40 minutes, Carlos Sainz still hadn't set a time for Williams, having returned to the garage after a single out lap. A 'data issue' was the cause of that extended stay in the pits for the Spaniard, who, like Lindblad, was losing critical time on track. He eventually returned to action 21 minutes before the end.

More drama for Colapinto came when he stopped in the fast lane of the pitlane with less than a quarter of the session left, with his mechanics forced to run up the lane to retrieve the Argentine.

But comically, he found a way to reset his A526 and drive past his mechanics, who quickly had to turn around and run back to service their driver.

It took until the final 10 minutes for soft tire running to begin and Mercedes again underlined its dominance through Russell and Antonelli.

Norris was half a second away for McLaren, with teammate Oscar Piastri fourth, ahead of Ferrari after troubles for both drivers. Charles Leclerc went wide and into the gravel at the final corner on what would have been his best lap.

Oliver Bearman was seventh ahead of Max Verstappen, while Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Chinese GP 2026, Practice — Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 - FP1 Results

Position / Driver / Team	Gap [s]
1. George Russell / Mercedes	1:32.741
2. Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes	+0.120
3. Lando Norris / McLaren	+0.555
4. Oscar Piastri / McLaren	+0.731
5. Charles Leclerc / Ferrari	+0.858
6. Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari	+1.388
7. Oliver Bearman / Haas	+1.685
8. Max Verstappen / Red Bull	+1.800
9. Nico Hulkenberg / Audi	+1.898
10. Pierre Gasly / Alpine	+1.935
11. Liam Lawson / Racing Bulls	+2.032
12. Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi	+2.087
13. Isack Hadjar / Red Bull	+2.115
14. Esteban Ocon / Haas	+2.136
15. Franco Colapinto / Alpine	+2.206
16. Alex Albon / Williams	+2.739
17. Carlos Sainz / Williams	+2.938
18. Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin	+3.115
19. Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac	+3.316
20. Lance Stroll / Aston Martin	+4.483
21. Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls	+5.155
22. Sergio Perez / Cadillac	+6.459