Shanghai: Championship leader George Russell secured pole position for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, leading an impressive one-two for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ahead of rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell delivered a commanding lap of 1 minute 31.520 seconds around the Shanghai International Circuit, the 5.451-kilometre track that hosts the Chinese round of the Formula One championship. His time placed him 0.289 seconds clear of Antonelli, while defending world champion Lando Norris finished third, 0.621 seconds behind Russell.
Norris will start Saturday morning’s 19-lap sprint race from the second row alongside Lewis Hamilton, who qualified fourth for Scuderia Ferrari. Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One world champion, posted a lap 0.641 seconds slower than Russell. The British driver was also the winner of the sprint event in China last year.
Russell expressed strong confidence in the Mercedes package after the session, noting that the car has been competitive since the opening race of the season. He credited both the overall balance of the car and the strong engine performance for helping him secure the top spot on the grid.
“We knew after Melbourne that we had a really good car,” Russell said, referring to his victory at the Australian Grand Prix that opened the season. “The engine’s performing really well, and today it was a real joy to drive.”
Antonelli, the 19-year-old Italian, admitted he still had time to find on his final lap despite the strong result, saying he had not fully maximized his run on the soft tires.
Meanwhile, the McLaren drivers timed their runs carefully in the final qualifying session, waiting until late to attempt a single flying lap when track conditions were at their best. The strategy worked well for Norris, who managed to beat both Ferraris. His teammate Oscar Piastri finished fifth, splitting the two Ferrari drivers on the timesheets.
