George Russell of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team won the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday, continuing his dominant start to the new Formula One season.
The British driver, who opened the campaign with victory at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, secured the 19-lap sprint win in Shanghai, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari and his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Russell and Hamilton were locked in a close battle during the opening laps, exchanging the lead several times in an intense duel. However, Russell gradually pulled away as the race progressed, while Hamilton dropped back after the early exchanges.
“Lewis did an amazing job in the early laps,” Russell said after the race. “He caught me off guard — 20 years of experience. So I've still got a bit to learn.”
The sprint race briefly came under the safety car during the middle phase before racing resumed for the final three laps. Russell maintained his lead after the restart to seal the win and reinforce Mercedes’ early-season advantage.
“It was pretty fun in the end,” Russell added. “A lot of strategy in play and overtakes. It's not easy. I hope it was fun race to watch. Usually the sprint races are pretty boring.”
Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari at the start of last season, acknowledged Mercedes’ pace advantage during the race.
“That speed on the straight is just a little bit too much at the moment,” Hamilton said. “I think I put up a good fight.”
The Shanghai crowd greeted Hamilton with loud applause when he began his on-track interview with a greeting in Chinese, saying “Ni hao”.
Behind the leading trio, Lando Norris of McLaren finished fourth, while Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli placed fifth.
The race also highlighted the challenges drivers face with Formula One’s sweeping technical changes introduced this season. The revised regulations include major engine and chassis updates, featuring a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric power.
Several drivers have struggled to adapt to the balance between deploying power and conserving energy under the new system.
Among them was four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who finished ninth, more than 11 seconds behind Russell.
“Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” Verstappen said. “We just need to get our stuff together.”
Qualifying for Sunday’s full Grand Prix was scheduled later on Saturday.
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