| Country | China |
|---|---|
| Grand prix | Chinese |
| Details ref | [1] |
| Previous round | 2026 Australian Grand Prix |
| Next round | 2026 Japanese Grand Prix |
| Date | 15 March |
| Year | 2026 |
| Official name | Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 |
| Race no | 2 |
| Season no | 22[a] |
| Location | Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai, China |
| Course | Permanent racing facility |
| Course | 5.451 km |
| Course | 3.387 mi |
| Distance laps | 56 |
| Distance | 305.066 km |
| Distance | 189.559 mi |
| Weather | Cloudy |
| Attendance | 230,000[2] |
| Pole driver | Kimi Antonelli |
| Pole country | ITA |
| Pole team | Mercedes |
| Pole time | 1:32.064 |
| Fast driver | Kimi Antonelli |
| Fast country | ITA |
| Fast team | Mercedes |
| Fast time | 1:35.275 |
| Fast lap | 52 |
| First driver | Kimi Antonelli |
| First country | ITA |
| First team | Mercedes |
| Second driver | George Russell |
| Second country | GBR |
| Second team | Mercedes |
| Third driver | Lewis Hamilton |
| Third country | GBR |
| Third team | Ferrari |
The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 15 March 2026 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. It was the second round of the 2026 Formula One World Championship and the first of six Grands Prix in the season to utilise the sprint format.
George Russell (Mercedes) converted pole position in the sprint to a victory. His teammate, 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, became the youngest Formula One polesitter, second-youngest Grand Prix winner and the first Italian to win a Grand Prix since Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix. Antonelli led a Mercedes 1–2 ahead of Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who achieved his maiden podium with Ferrari.
Background
The event was held at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai for the 19th time in the circuit's history, across the weekend of 13–15 March.[3] The Grand Prix was the second round of the 2026 Formula One World Championship and the 19th running of the Chinese Grand Prix.[4] It was also the first of six Grands Prix in the season to utilise the sprint format and the third time overall that the Chinese Grand Prix featured it.[5]
Championship standings before the race
Going into the event, George Russell led the Drivers' Championship with 25 points, 7 points ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli in second, and 10 ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in third. Mercedes entered this round as the leaders of the Constructors' Championship with 43 points, 16 from Ferrari and 33 from McLaren, who are second and third, respectively.[6]
Entrants
The drivers and teams were the same as published in the season entry list, with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[7] The Grand Prix marked the 1,000th entry for McLaren.[8]
Tyre choices
Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C2, C3, and C4 tyre compounds designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event.[9]
Practice
The only free practice session was held on 13 March 2026, at 11:30 local time (UTC+8), and was topped by George Russell (Mercedes), ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris (McLaren).[1][10]
Sprint qualifying
Sprint qualifying was held on 13 March 2026, at 15:30 local time (UTC+8), and determined the starting grid order for the sprint.[1]
Sprint qualifying report
As with regular qualifying, the sprint qualifying consisted of three sessions, with the six drivers with the slowest lap times being eliminated following each of the first two sessions. For the first two sessions, new medium tyres were mandated, while the third and final session allowed teams to use any set of soft tyres.[11]
During the twelve-minute long first session (SQ1), Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alexander Albon (both Williams) were eliminated, alongside Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll (both Aston Martin), and Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez (both Cadillac), the latter of whom did not set a time during the session.[11][12][13] The second session (SQ2), which lasted for ten minutes, saw the eliminations of Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto (both Audi), Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad (both Racing Bulls), Esteban Ocon (Haas), and Franco Colapinto (Alpine).[11][12][13]
The third session (SQ3) lasted for eight minutes, and determined the final order of the remaining ten drivers. George Russell (Mercedes) took pole position ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli, while Lando Norris (McLaren) finished third. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) finished in fourth and fifth, respectively. Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen, Oliver Bearman, and Isack Hadjar completed the rest of the top ten.[11][12][13]
Sprint qualifying classification
Notes
- – Alexander Albon qualified 18th, but was required to start the sprint from the pit lane as his car was modified under parc fermé conditions.[15]
- – Sergio Pérez failed to set a time during sprint qualifying. He was permitted to race in the sprint at the stewards' discretion.[15]
Sprint
The sprint was held on 14 March 2026, at 11:00 local time (UTC+8), and was run for 19 laps.[1]
Sprint classification
Notes
- – Sergio Pérez received a five-second time penalty for a safety car infringement. The penalty made no difference as he was classified in the last position.[16]
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on 14 March 2026, at 15:00 local time (UTC+8), and determined the starting grid order for the main race.[1] Kimi Antonelli took pole position, at 19 years old, he become the youngest Formula One polesitter, beating the record set at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix by Sebastian Vettel, who was 21.[18]
Qualifying classification
Notes
- – Alexander Albon qualified 18th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane as his car was modified under parc fermé conditions.[20]
Race
The race was held on 15 March 2026, at 15:00 local time (UTC+8), and was run for 56 laps.[1]
Race report
Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Alexander Albon all failed to make the race start. Norris and Piastri both suffered power unit problems. Bortoleto and Albon failed to start the race due to hydraulic problems.[21]
Starting from pole position, Antonelli took his maiden Grand Prix win, early Championship leader George Russell, finished second. It was the first win for an Italian driver in the series since Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix. With his win, Antonelli also became the second-youngest Formula One winner and the youngest driver to secure a hat trick. Lewis Hamilton took his first podium in a full Grand Prix for Ferrari after duelling with teammate Charles Leclerc for a podium place for much of the race.[22]
Race classification
Notes
- – Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Gabriel Bortoleto and Alexander Albon did not start the race due to issues. Their places on the grid were left vacant.[23]
Championship standings after the race
- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos. | Driver | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 51 | |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | 47 | |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 34 | |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 33 | |
| 2 | 5 | Oliver Bearman | 17 |
| Source:[25] | |||
- Constructors' Championship standings
| Pos. | Constructor | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 98 | |
| 2 | Ferrari | 67 | |
| 3 | McLaren-Mercedes | 18 | |
| 1 | 4 | Haas-Ferrari | 17 |
| 1 | 5 | Red Bull Racing-Red Bull Ford | 12 |
| Source:[25] | |||
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
References
- ^ "Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – F1 Race". Formula1.com. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "Fans' passion drives China F1 growth". Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ "Shanghai". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "China". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "Formula 1 and FIA announce 2026 Sprint Calendar". Formula 1. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Australia 2026 – Championship". Stats F1. 8 March 2026. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ Shetty, Nish; Selley, Matthew; Lamy, Pedro; Honghai, Zheng (13 March 2026). "2026 Chinese Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "The journey to 1,000 Grands Prix". McLaren
- ^ "The first Sprint of the season in Shanghai". Pirelli. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ "China FP1 Results". Formula1.com. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Russell clinches pole position in China Sprint Qualifying ahead of Antonelli". Formula 1. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Vinel, Ben. "F1 Chinese GP: George Russell takes sprint pole in Mercedes 1-2". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix - Sprint Qualifying results". Racingnews365.com. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – Sprint Qualifying". Formula 1. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – Sprint grid". Formula 1. 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – Sprint". Formula 1. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "China 2026 - Sprint". StatsF1. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ "Statistics Drivers - Pole positions - By age". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – Starting grid". Formula 1. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "McLaren launches Mercedes investigation after double Chinese GP disaster". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ^ "Antonelli beats Russell for maiden F1 victory in China as Hamilton takes first GP podium for Ferrari". Formula1.com. March 15, 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2026 – Race result". Formula1.com. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "China 2026 – Result". Stats F1. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "China 2026 – Championship". StatsF1.com. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April". Formula One. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.