Mercedes dominates Shanghai
Kimi Antonelli scored a maiden F1 victory in Shanghai as Mercedes locked out a dominant 1‑2 with George Russell second and Lewis Hamilton third for Ferrari — Mercedes controlled qualifying, the sprint and the main race [](https://espn.com/f1/story/_/id/48173394/chinese-grand-prix-2026-f1-live-latest-updates-commentary-shanghai-kimi-antonelli-george-russell-lewis-hamilton). Russell had already won the sprint, and Mercedes’ upgrades are being viewed as early‑season title‑favorite proof after another controlled weekend in China .
Antonelli’s pole lap of [1:32.064 coffeecornermotorsport.com] made him the youngest-ever Grand Prix polesitter in F1 history, a record confirmed by the sport’s official report. [formula1.com] The race fastest lap was a 1:35.275 set by Antonelli on lap [52 fia.com], and he crossed the line 5.515 seconds clear after 56 laps (305.066 km) of racing. [total-motorsport.com] George Russell still tops the drivers’ standings on 51 points with Antonelli now four points adrift on 47, while Mercedes lead the constructors’ table on 98 to Ferrari’s 67. [si.com] Mercedes arrived in Shanghai running a raft of W17 updates — revised sidepods, brake ducts, front-wing endplates, floor and mirror mounts — changes traced back to late pre‑season testing. [racetrackmasters.com] McLaren suffered a double blow as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both recorded as non-starters on Sunday due to electrical issues, costing the team valuable points. [gpfans.com] Red Bull’s weekend ended in retirement for Max Verstappen after the team instructed him to stop with ten laps remaining, a further sign of the reliability problems that left the reigning champions off the podium. [gpfans.com] The championship now heads to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix on March 27–29, 2026, with the Suzuka race scheduled over 53 laps on Sunday, March 29. [formula1.com]
