George Russell claims sprint victory at Chinese Grand Prix
14th March 2026Mercedes’ George Russell continues his dominant form as he claimed the sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of the Ferrari duo.
Feature image credit: Mercedes F1
Russell has extended his early championship lead as the British driver claimed the first sprint win of the season, his second career sprint victory, at the Chinese Grand Prix, held on the Shanghai International Circuit.
The British driver was accompanied by the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who finished second and third after the 19-lap race.
Russell did not manage to completely dominate the race as the Briton came under early pressure by Hamilton in the early laps, with the former teammates leapfrogging each other for the race victory.
The #44 Ferrari managed to jump Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at the start as the Italian fell down the order, like he did in Melbourne, falling to as low as eighth place. Antonelli was then slapped with a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Red Bull Racing’s Isack Hadjar at turn six.
Hamilton soon fell backwards, into the clutches of his teammate, Leclerc, as the seven-time world champion suffered wear on his medium compound tyres, which released Russell out into the lead.
The two Ferraris then locked themselves into a fight for second place, ultimately won by Leclerc.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg faced trouble halfway through the race as the German was forced to stop on the circuit, at turn one, and required the track marshals to come out and extract his car. It prompted the first safety car appearance of the season.
It provided an opportunity for most of the teams to pit for a fresh set of tyres, during which Antonelli served his penalty.
McLaren’s Lando Norris managed to jump Hamilton in the stop, slipping into third place, behind Russell and Leclerc. However, quickly after the safety car peeled back into the pit lane, Hamilton managed to regain third place at the end of the restart lap.
Following the conclusion of the sprint race, it means Russell now extends his championship lead to 33 points as Antonelli and Leclerc sit in second and third, respectively, tied on 22 points.
Qualifying is next on the schedule and is set to get underway at 3pm local time.
Who finished where?
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.674s
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +2.554s
- Lando Norris, McLaren +4.433s
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes +5.688s
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren +6.809s
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +10.9s
- Oliver Bearman, Haas +11.271s
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +11.619s
- Esteban Ocon, Haas +13.887s
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine +14.780s
- Carlos Sainz, Williams +15.753s
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi +15.858s
- Franco Colapinto, Alpine +16.393s
- Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing +16.430s
- Alexander Albon, Williams +20.014s
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +21.599s
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +21.971s
- Sergio Perez, Cadillac +28.241s
- Nico Hulkenberg, Audi – Did Not Finish
- Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac – Did Not Finish
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls – Did Not Finish
Read more Formula 1 here:
- 2026 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Race results
- F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GP to be cancelled, reports suggest
- George Russell controls Chinese GP sprint qualifying to pole
- 2026 Chinese Grand Prix: Sprint Qualifying results
- George Russell heads Antonelli at sole Chinese GP practice
- Chinese Grand Prix Preview: Mercedes look to continue dominant form in Shanghai
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
