2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Full sprint results

George Russell won the first sprint race of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, to maintain his 100% record this season so far.

The Mercedes remains the car to beat at Shanghai, with George Russell claiming sprint pole on Friday afternoon before converting that to his second race victory of the campaign.

He engaged in a thrilling early tussle with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, with the pair trading the lead across several laps.

Russell made a decisive break on lap seven, while tyre troubles left Hamilton exposed to attack from Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.

A safety car on lap 14 of 19 due to a stoppage for Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg closed the field up, but Russell was able to get breathing space at the restart on lap 16 when Leclerc suffered wheelspin coming out of the Turn 14 hairpin.

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He held on to take the win by just over six tenths to maintain his championship lead, with Leclerc leading Hamilton in second and third.

Lando Norris was fourth in the leading McLaren, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the top five after serving a 10s time penalty at his pit stop for a lap one collision with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.

Oscar Piastri was sixth ahead of Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman, while Max Verstappen was ninth following a poor start.

Esteban Ocon completed the top 10.

Valtteri Bottas and Arvid Lindblad failed to make the finish alongside Hulkenberg.

2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Sprint results