2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Full starting grid for Sunday's race

Mercedes once again locks out the front row in Formula 1 2026, after Andrea Kimi Antonelli seized his first pole after team-mate George Russell hit problems. 

The Silver Arrows has been in command of the season so far, with Russell taking pole and the win in Australia, before adding sprint pole and victory to his scorecard on Saturday in China. 

But his golden run was ended in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon when he encountered numerous technical issues. 

This opened the door for Kimi Antonelli to fight for his first pole position, with the Italian becoming the youngest polesitter ever, taking the record Sebastian Vettel has held since 2008. 

Russell was able to recover to complete the front row in second, while Lewis Hamilton led the Ferraris in third ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc. 

Oscar Piastri was the leading McLaren in fifth ahead of reigning world champion Lando Norris, while Pierre Gasly made it into Q3 for Alpine and went seventh-quickest. 

Max Verstappen was a disappointing eighth after Red Bull made radical changes to his car after a tough sprint, while Isack Hadjar is ninth in the sister car. The top 10 was completed by Ollie Bearman for Haas. 

2026 Chinese Grand Prix starting grid