by F1 correspondent Michael Butterworth
SHANGHAI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- George Russell will start the first Formula 1 Sprint event of 2026 from pole position after beating teammate Kimi Antonelli in qualifying.
This year's new regulations place a strong emphasis on energy management and deployment, with power now split evenly between the cars' internal combustion engines and electric motors. The rules also increase the focus on harvesting energy through braking and lifting off the throttle.
Mercedes currently seems to understand the new regulations better than other teams, and Russell's best time of 1:31.520 was over 0.6s quicker than the nearest non-Mercedes runner.
"The car has been feeling amazing," said an effusive Russell, who won last weekend's season-opening race in Australia, and topped Shanghai's only practice session earlier on Friday.
"We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine is performing really well, and today it was a real joy to drive.
"I'm intrigued to know what the lap times are compared to last year because it felt very quick, really cool, and very different to Melbourne."
Mercedes' dominance was emphasized by Antonelli setting the second fastest time, though the Italian may be at risk of a three-place grid penalty after impeding Lando Norris earlier in the session.
World champion Norris ended the session third, two places ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton lining up between the McLarens in fourth.
Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc ended the session sixth, ahead of Pierre Gasly in an encouraging performance for Alpine.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen endured a frustrating afternoon and could only manage eighth, ahead of Haas' Ollie Bearman, and Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar in tenth.
Audi's Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on the top 10 as he attempts to get his season underway after failing to start the opener in Australia.
Bearman's teammate Esteban Ocon took 12th, ahead of Liam Lawson in the first of the Racing Bulls.
After their respective points finishes in Australia last weekend, Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Lawson's rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad endured a more difficult session, qualifying 14th and 15th.
Gasly's teammate Franco Colapinto settled for 16th, ahead of both Williams cars, whose difficult start to the season continued with Carlos Sainz edging Alex Albon.
Aston Martin also suffered an early exit as it continues to recover from a disrupted pre-season. Fernando Alonso qualified 19th, just ahead of teammate Lance Stroll.
Cadillac will start from the final row of the grid, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Sergio Perez, who was unable to take part in the session due to a fuel system issue that emerged during free practice. ■
