Russell Tops Practice in China as Mercedes Shows Early 2026 Dominance

George Russell led a Mercedes one-two in the sole practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix, signaling the team's formidable single-lap pace continues from the season opener. Teammate Kimi Antonelli was just a tenth behind, while rivals McLaren and Ferrari trailed by significant margins, with Lewis Hamilton recovering from an early spin to finish sixth.

Why it matters:

Mercedes' commanding performance in Shanghai reinforces their status as the early benchmark in the 2026 season. After a dominant one-two finish in Australia, this practice result suggests their car's qualifying speed is a consistent strength, putting immediate pressure on rivals like Ferrari and McLaren to close the gap. For a team that has struggled in recent years, this strong start is a crucial confidence booster and sets the stage for a potential championship challenge.

The details:

• Russell's best time of 1:32.741s at the Shanghai International Circuit was 0.1 seconds faster than rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.
• The gap to the rest of the field was substantial, with McLaren's Lando Norris half a second back in third and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc nearly eight-tenths off the pace in fifth.
• Ferrari's Struggles: The Italian team, expected to be a challenger, lacked pace despite running its innovative rotating 'macarena' rear wing, which was not used in Australia.
• Hamilton's Eventful Session: The seven-time champion had a messy start, appearing to make light contact with Norris before spinning at Turn 6. The incident flat-spotted his tires, disrupting his run plan and leaving him 1.3 seconds off the lead pace.
• Further Down the Field: Max Verstappen was a distant eighth for Red Bull, over 1.8 seconds behind. Debutant Arvid Lindblad's session ended early with a technical issue, while Aston Martin and Williams continued to face significant performance and reliability problems.

What's next:

All eyes turn to Sprint Qualifying, where Mercedes will aim to convert their practice pace into a front-row lockout for Saturday's Sprint race.

• The session will be the first true test of whether Ferrari and McLaren can find a solution overnight to challenge the Silver Arrows over a single lap.
• Teams will also be analyzing long-run data from practice, though limited, to understand the race pace hierarchy for Sunday's Grand Prix, which may tell a different story from the one-lap speed shown today.