Mercedes found itself in a solid but not spectacular position after Sprint Qualifying at the F1 Chinese GP, with George Russell securing P5 and rookie Kimi Antonelli taking P7. Russell posted a best time of 1:31.169, while Antonelli trailed by just over half a second with a 1:31.738 as he struggled on softs.
Tyre warm up a difficulty in Qualifying
The team had looked competitive in practice, but when it came to Sprint Qualifying, they struggled to match the outright pace of the frontrunners. Tyre warm-up proved to be a key challenge, forcing both drivers to complete double out-laps on the medium compound, costing them valuable time. Despite this, both Russell and Antonelli made it into SQ3—an improvement on the previous round in Australia when the Italian was out in Q1.
George Russell in P5
Russell delivered a strong final lap to claim P5, though the unpredictable nature of the session made it difficult to extract maximum performance. “It was tricky to extract the maximum from the tyres across Sprint Qualifying; one moment in SQ2 we were outside the top 10 and the next we were second, even though both laps felt similar,” he explained. “That shows how small the gaps were out there today, but I think P5 is probably a fair result. I was pretty happy with my lap in SQ3 and it’s not a bad place to start.”
He also noted the unexpected shuffle in the pecking order, with multiple teams showing competitive form. “It was a surprise to see the McLarens struggle a little more in SQ3 and we have four different teams in the top five. We’ve definitely got the chance to move forward in the Sprint and challenge those ahead, so hopefully that is what we can do.”
Kimi Antonelli in P7
For Antonelli, the session was another valuable learning experience. The rookie impressed in SQ2 with a strong lap on mediums but struggled in SQ3 due to tyre warm-up issues on the soft, particularly in the first sector.
“On the soft compound though, I struggled in the first sector. The tyres were too cold, and I think we didn’t quite get the warm-up right on the out lap,” he admitted. Despite this, he saw the result as a step forward from Melbourne. “The upside is that it was a better Qualifying session than Melbourne and I continue to build my learning. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow now.”
Looking toward tomorrow’s Sprint
With Russell confident in Mercedes’ potential to challenge the cars ahead and Antonelli feeling comfortable in race trim—especially on the medium tyre—the team will be looking to capitalize on its starting positions in the Sprint race and gain crucial data for the weekend ahead.
