Mercedes celebrates

Russell wins China Sprint, no points for Max

George Russell won the Sprint in China.(Bild: AFP/JADE GAO)

George Russell further extended his lead in the Formula 1 World Championship with a sprint victory in China. The Mercedes driver triumphed on Saturday ahead of the two Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen finished ninth, outside the points.

Mercedes also demonstrated its strong form in the Sprint at the Shanghai International Circuit. Despite several lead changes, it was Russell who crossed the finish line first in the Sprint. 

The result:

Praise for Hamilton
“It was quite a bit of fun in the end,” Russell said, analyzing the first of six sprints this year. The championship favorite praised his compatriot Hamilton after several mutual overtaking maneuvers in the opening laps. “He did a very good job. He has 20 years of experience; I still have a bit to learn,” the 28-year-old emphasized. Ferrari must also be taken into account in the Grand Prix. “They’re closer in the race. So we still need to improve a bit.”

Lewis Hamilton (left) and George Russell (right)(Bild: AP/Andy Wong)

Hamilton, who secured his only victory of last year in the 2025 China Sprint, spoke of a “close battle” and thanked his team for the competitive car. Leclerc was “quite satisfied” with the race. “Our race pace is better than in qualifying,” said the Monegasque driver, who started the race from sixth place.

Russell ahead of the two Ferraris(Bild: EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES)

As was the case at the season opener in Australia, marking the start of the new Formula 1 era, Ferrari dominated the early stages. Hamilton, who started from fourth position, took the lead from Russell on the first lap and subsequently engaged in several duels with the championship leader. Antonelli and Verstappen, however, fell far behind from their starting positions of second and eighth. After an action-packed start, Russell pulled away from the Ferraris after 6 of 19 laps. Behind him, Antonelli—who received a ten-second penalty following a collision of his own making with Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull—caught up to the battling Scuderia duo.

By lap 13, the Mercedes one-two lead had been restored, but Nico Hülkenberg’s broken-down Audi triggered a safety car phase immediately afterward. Antonelli served his penalty during a pit stop and dropped to seventh place; Russell, as well as the Ferrari and McLaren drivers, also changed their tires. At the restart, Russell pulled away from his pursuers without any trouble. Antonelli, in the Mercedes that continued to set the pace, was still playing damage control in fifth place.

“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong”
While the two Scuderia drivers were once again able to keep pace with the Brit, the sprint was disappointing for Red Bull. With ninth (Verstappen) and 15th (Hadjar) places, the Austrian team fell short of expectations. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” Verstappen said, frustrated. Hadjar, meanwhile, drove with a damaged car after the collision with Antonelli.

The schedule continues at 8 a.m. with qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix. As always, you can follow the action live on sportkrone.at.