Antonelli becomes youngest ever F1 pole-sitter after eventful quali for Russell

Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest ever pole-sitter as he beat George Russell in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton third.

Russell looked to be the favourite to claim yet another pole position, but “massive engine braking” saw him limp back to the pits in Q3 before he rejoined the action for one last-gasp effort. It, however, wasn’t enough to beat his teammate.

Charles Leclerc edges George Russell in Q1 as Mercedes hold back

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Q1 began with everyone in the paddock wondering if anyone could stop George Russell from clinching another pole position?

Valtteri Bottas led the field out, Cadillac having repaired his power unit after his Sprint problem. He got the timesheet rolling with a 1:36.968 lap. As its rivals laid down their opening gambits, Mercedes sat in the pits, biding its time.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took over at the front, the Australian putting in a 1:33.990, while Max Verstappen went third. After a “disaster” in the Sprint, Red Bull changed the set-up of his RB22 in the break before qualifying.

Russell and Kimi Antonelli emerged with nine minutes remaining, the teammates running used soft tyres. Antonelli hit the front and Russell immediately took P1 off his teammate. A 1:33.262 for the championship leader.

Lewis Hamilton, having set his opening time on used mediums, was down in 19th place in the drop zone. He swapped to softs and jumped to third place. Arvid Lindblad, down in 16th place, was told to box as Racing Bulls noted an “issue” with his car.

Out on new soft tyres, Charles Leclerc hit the front with a 1:33.127. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen found himself slipping towards the drop zone in 15th place. He jumped up to fourth with a last-gasp effort.

Leclerc finished Q1 ahead of Russell and Antonelli, who both only made one run and did so on used tyres.

Eliminated: Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez

More from the Chinese Grand Prix

Sergio Perez calls Formula 1 overtaking ‘very fake’ under 2026 rules

George Russell wins after epic Ferrari fight in Chinese Grand Prix Sprint

Russell’s P1 run ended by yellow flags

16 drivers remained in the fight in Q2 where the Mercedes drivers were the first out on track. Antonelli laid down the opening gambit, a 1:32.950. Russell again had the measure of his teammate, going four-tenths faster.

The Ferrari teammates split the Mercedes pairing, with Hamilton up to second ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen was up to fifth ahead of Oliver Bearman and Lando Norris. The latter was running used tyres, as too was Oscar Piastri. The McLaren drivers swapped to new tyres for their second runs.

Leclerc went P1, Hamilton remained P3, but the Mercedes teammates had yet to complete their flying laps. Antonelli hit the front with a 1:32.443, but Russell didn’t improve. Russell reported “major understeer” on his Mercedes, the driver saying he thought his front wing might be broken.

There was a late yellow flag following Gabriel Bortoleto running off into the gravel at the final corner.

Eliminated: Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto

Kimi Antonelli beats George Russell for historic pole in Shanghai

Mercedes changed Russell’s front wing in the build-up to Q3, with the Briton one of the first out. He ground to a halt, reporting “something’s not right” and “massive engine braking”. He got going but was stuck in first. “I cannot shift the gears, stuck in first,” he told Mercedes.

As he limped back to the pits, Antonelli went P1 with a 1:32.322. Leclerc and Hamilton lined up behind him, two moments of oversteering costing Hamilton. Piastri and Norris leapfrogged the Ferraris for second and third.

Russell remained in the Mercedes garage, the team power cycling his W17. The issue, though, remained. He sat in the pits as his rivals went out for their second attempt at pole position, finally leaving the pits with 2:06 on the clock.

Antonelli upped his pace to a 1:32.064, Hamilton and Leclerc improved to second and third, but they were both over three-tenths down. Only Russell remained as a challenger to Antonelli’s pole position.

Russell crossed the line two-tenths down on his teammate, with Antonelli becoming Formula 1’s youngest ever pole-sitter.

Chinese GP Qualifying Result

1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:32.064
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:32.286
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:32.415
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:32.428
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:32.550
6 Lando Norris McLaren 1:32.608
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:32.873
8 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:33.002
9 Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:33.121
10 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:33.292
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:33.354
12 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:33.357
13 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:33.538
14 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:33.765
15 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:33.784
16 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:33.965
17 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:34.317
18 Alex Albon Williams 1:34.772
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:35.203
20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:35.436
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:35.995
22 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:36.906

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying F1 results (Shanghai International Circuit)