Chinese Grand Prix 2026: Antonelli takes pole
Andrea Kimi Antonelli took pole for Mercedes in Chinese Grand Prix 2026 qualifying, beating George Russell by 0.222s as Ferrari locked out row two.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli took pole position for Mercedes at the Chinese Grand Prix on 15 March 2026 with a 1:32.064 lap in Q3. George Russell qualified second for Mercedes, 0.222 seconds behind Antonelli at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton put Ferrari third with a 1:32.415 in Q3, and Charles Leclerc followed in fourth with a 1:32.428. Oscar Piastri qualified fifth for McLaren on a 1:32.550, while Lando Norris took sixth with a 1:32.608.
Pierre Gasly secured seventh for Alpine F1 Team with a 1:32.873 in Q3. Max Verstappen qualified eighth for Red Bull on a 1:33.002, with Isack Hadjar ninth on a 1:33.121 and Oliver Bearman 10th for Haas F1 Team on a 1:33.292.
Front row
Antonelli led every Mercedes benchmark in the final phase after posting 1:33.305 in Q1 and 1:32.443 in Q2 before his pole lap in Q3. Russell reached Q3 with a 1:33.262 in Q1 and a 1:32.523 in Q2 before setting 1:32.286 in the final session.
Grid
Ferrari filled the second row with Hamilton third and Leclerc fourth, separated by 0.013 seconds in Q3. McLaren took the third row through Piastri in fifth and Norris in sixth, while Verstappen started only eighth behind Gasly and ahead of Hadjar and Bearman.