Lewis Hamilton tipped to win F1 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career peaked with his victory in the sprint race at last year’s Chinese Grand Prix. Could he repeat the trick in the main event in F1 2026?

The PlanetF1.com team have submitted their predictions for this weekend’s race in Shanghai…

Lewis Hamilton to win, George Russell drops to fourth

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By Michelle Foster

I’d feel rather stupid betting against George Russell after his Australian Grand Prix performance.

He was in a league of his own in qualifying, 0.8s clear of the fastest non-Mercedes car, but he wasn’t in the race.

There Ferrari came to the fore and were it not for (another) botched strategy from the Scuderia’s pit wall, Charles Leclerc and even Lewis Hamilton could’ve run him close.

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And then there’s Max Verstappen. P20 to P6 and without any battery off the line. The Red Bull-Ford engine isn’t the most reliable, as poor Isack Hadjar found out, but when it works, it works well.

I reckon it will be a four-way fight for the win in Shanghai and every one of the four has something in his favour: Russell, pace; Leclerc, starts; Hamilton, Shanghai record; Max, well he’s Max.

But there are other variables to consider. Shanghai is the first Sprint of the season, which means the teams have one solitary practice in which to set-up their cars.

Last year Hamilton won the Sprint only for Ferrari to fumble its set-up for the grand prix. It showed how quickly a team can go from hero to zero on a Sprint weekend.

And then there’s the big one, rain is forecast for Sunday’s grand prix. Aside from Ferrari and Red Bull on Day 2 of the pre-season shakedown, none of the drivers have run their all-new cars in the wet.

With just four days to resolve any Melbourne issues before hitting the track again, China should see the Melbourne stars shine once again.

But I predict in a different order: Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell.

Lewis Hamilton to finally end Ferrari podium hoodoo

By Henry Valantine

If last weekend showed anything, it’s that – in race trim at least – Ferrari appears the nearest challenger to Mercedes.

Now, Shanghai is a very different circuit to Melbourne in profile, and much of the second sector will be spent trying to keep the battery full for the 1km back straight, but Lewis Hamilton may be in a position to capitalise.

As Michelle mentioned, his excellent record in Shanghai speaks for itself. Yes, even after the off in his rookie season which proved so pivotal in the 2007 title race.

It’s a circuit which requires braking bravery, patience (and neck strength) through the high-speed sweeps and good top speed, all of which Ferrari appeared to show at Albert Park.

Should the Scuderia keep Mercedes as honest as it did over the weekend, I can see Hamilton finally collecting his first race podium with Ferrari.

Aston Martin will suffer a DNS

By Oliver Harden

Inevitably, reliability has proven to be an issue in the early stages of F1’s new era.

Two drivers, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll, failed to record a lap in qualifying in Australia in addition to Max Verstappen crashing out in Q1.

Then we had Nico Hulkenberg failing to start the race despite, unlike poor old Oscar Piastri, managing to make it round to the grid.

This is very much DNS season, when the risk of little gremlins emerging within touching distance of the race start is as high as it has been for years.

Expect more drivers to have their hearts broken Hulk-style in the weeks and months to come.

So where might disaster strike next?

It brings no joy to name Aston Martin-Honda as the obvious candidate.

In truth, in light of the team’s disastrous start to 2026, it would probably be a greater surprise if Aston Martin managed to make it through the season without a DNS at some stage.

There is plenty of misery to go around in 2026. This week will be Aston’s turn.

Mercedes underscores F1 2026 potential

By Mat Coch

It wasn’t dominant but it was comfortable in Melbourne. George Russell claimed the win we all expected him to, though he was made to work harder for it than perhaps might have been expected.

Kimi Antonelli was also a strong performer but Charles Leclerc was just close enough at the flag to show that it wasn’t a walk in the park.

But that was the result of three hours of track running over Friday and Saturday, a luxury no teams are afforded this weekend.

Instead, those who have a strong understanding of energy management will rise to the top, and so we will likely see Mercedes pull clear of the pack.

That power unit has been reliable, Mercedes has plenty of data on it (which it has tended to keep to itself, if James Vowles and Andrea Stella are to be believed), giving it a good foundation for the weekend.

Ferrari is in much the same boat, but hasn’t been as impressive through pre-season testing, or in Australia, suggesting it will be a strong second.

Energy management will be critical. In the hierarchy of car setup, it is one of the most critical elements – far more so than wing levels. Those who get that right, coupled with getting the tyres working (and looking after them) will rise to the top.

And for that, it’s fair to suggest that George Russell will once again emerge victorious. Though I wouldn’t be completely floored if Lando Norris makes the podium.

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