Russell stays unbeaten with dramatic sprint win in Shanghai

George Russell continued his perfect start to the 2026 Formula 1 season by taking victory in an entertaining sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, holding off strong pressure from Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The Mercedes driver kept the lead at the start, although team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s slow getaway immediately caused problems for Mercedes. Hamilton reacted quickly, passing Antonelli and then overtaking Lando Norris before launching an early challenge on Russell.

Russell and Hamilton exchanged the lead several times during the opening laps, with Russell repeatedly using his speed on the back straight while Hamilton fought back into Turn 1. By lap five, Russell finally broke clear as Hamilton began to struggle for pace.

Leclerc soon moved past his Ferrari team-mate and briefly complained over the radio after a close battle between the pair. While Russell built a gap at the front, Antonelli recovered from dropping down the order despite receiving a 10-second penalty for contact with Isack Hadjar on the opening lap.

A late safety car, caused by Nico Hulkenberg retiring his Audi, brought the field back together and triggered a wave of pit stops. Ferrari’s double-stack stop dropped Hamilton behind Norris, but he quickly regained fourth after the restart and later finished third behind Russell and Leclerc.

Antonelli recovered to fifth after McLaren instructed Oscar Piastri to give a position back following the restart. Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman claimed the final points positions, narrowly staying ahead of Max Verstappen, who charged through the field after a poor start but ran out of laps.

Top 10 Results

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) +10.900s

Ollie Bearman (Haas) +11.271s

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +11.619s

Esteban Ocon (Haas) +13.887s

Image Credit: Cristiano Barni Instagram

Image Credit: Cristiano Barni