F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Starting Grid

Kimi Antonelli will start the 2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix as the youngest polesitter in the sport's history after topping qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The Italian driver, who had taken pole for the Miami sprint last season, topped his first grand prix qualifying session on Saturday after taking advantage of mechanical gremlins for teammate George Russell.

British driver Russell had won the sprint earlier in the day before enduring a scare as he stopped out on track in Q3, though he was eventually able to coast back to the pits, reset his car and return to action to secure a second Silver Arrows front-row lockout of the year.

Chinese GP 2026, Qualifying, Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — Mercedes-Benz Media

Ferrari covers the second row with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Charles Leclerc, the latter struggling to find a rhythm around the Chinese circuit.

McLaren continues the two-by-two theme with Oscar Piastri ahead of Lando Norris, while Pierre Gasly put in a stellar performance to give Alpine some much-needed good news by taking seventh.

Red Bull struggled, however, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar eighth and ninth, the Dutch four-time world champion labelling his RB22 "undrivable."

Oliver Bearman was 10th for Haas, with Nico Hulkenberg for Audi and Alpine's Franco Colapinto only narrowly missing out on a Q3 spot.

Esteban Ocon is next up in the second Haas before Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, the latter recovering from a difficult start to the weekend.

Gabriel Bortoleto's chances of a higher grid position disappeared with a spin into the barriers at the final corner early in Q2, the Audi driver facing an uphill battle to add to his top 10 finish in Australia.

Williams' painful start to the campaign continued as Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon secured only 17th and 18th on the grid, ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.

Valtteri Bottas gave Cadillac a scalp of sorts by outqualifying Lance Stroll's AMR26, with Sergio Perez rounding out the 22-car grid.

The man with 104 pole positions, and the man who just scored his first 🥹🤝#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/avAPrQf1wB
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 14, 2026

Russell won the 19-lap sprint on Saturday after a ding-dong battle with former teammate Hamilton, which provides hope for an exciting full-length event on Sunday.

Tire graining on the left front was a huge factor even in the shorter race, as most drivers ran mediums, though Lawson on hard tires seemed to prove that the graining may not affect the white-walled tires so much.

With strategy a key talking point in Australia, focus will be placed on the pitwalls to ensure drivers are given the quickest route to the checkered flag.

F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 - Starting grid

Position	Driver / Team
1	Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes
2	George Russell / Mercedes
3	Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari
4	Charles Leclerc / Ferrari
5	Oscar Piastri / McLaren
6	Lando Norris / McLaren
7	Pierre Gasly / Alpine
8	Max Verstappen / Red Bull
9	Isack Hadjar / Red Bull
10	Oliver Bearman / Haas
11	Nico Hulkenberg / Audi
12	Franco Colapinto / Alpine
13	Esteban Ocon / Haas
14	Liam Lawson / Racing Bulls
15	Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls
16	Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi
17	Carlos Sainz / Williams
18	Alex Albon / Williams
19	Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin
20	Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac
21	Lance Stroll / Aston Martin
22	Sergio Perez / Cadillac