Chinese GP FP1 results: Mercedes dominates as Ferrari trails McLaren in Shanghai. Chinese GP 2026 FP1 results from Shanghai.

Chinese GP 2026 – FP1 results

At the Shanghai International Circuit, the first and only free practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend has taken place. Below is the detailed classification and a summary of the FP1 session.

FP1 report from Shanghai

Anyone who expected a dramatically different competitive picture with the debut of the new generation of Formula 1 cars on a permanent and highly technical circuit such as Shanghai has, for the moment, been left disappointed. In fact, the indications that emerged during the Australian Grand Prix weekend appear not only to be confirmed but even emphasized by the first free practice session of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.

The session ended exactly as the Australian weekend had concluded: with George Russell once again on top of the timesheets. The British driver appears determined to dismantle the competition, although Andrea Kimi Antonelli has managed to stay at least within striking distance. Meanwhile, Toto Wolff could once again be seen smiling from the Mercedes garage while watching his drivers dominate proceedings.

The gap imposed by the two Silver Arrows on the rest of the field—despite the usual uncertainties associated with free practice sessions—remains significant. Somewhat surprisingly, the closest challenger is Lando Norris in the McLaren, who is half a second behind Russell. Norris is followed by teammate Oscar Piastri, who is just under two tenths further back.

Immediately behind the two McLarens come the Ferraris, which used the session to test the highly anticipated new movable rear wing, nicknamed the “Macarena.” Charles Leclerc finished fifth, eight tenths behind Russell, while Lewis Hamilton ended the session in sixth place, more than 1.3 seconds away from the Mercedes driver at the top.

However, Ferrari’s session was not particularly smooth, especially compared with Mercedes’ almost flawless run. Charles Leclerc, running on Soft tyres, failed to convincingly improve on the lap time he had previously set on the Medium compound. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, had a more eventful session: first he was involved in a minor contact with Lando Norris, and later he spun during his very first lap on the Medium tyres. The spin caused flat spots on the tyres, forcing him to switch to Soft tyres earlier than planned and effectively bringing forward his qualifying simulation on a track that was still quite dirty.

It was also a difficult start to the weekend for Red Bull. Max Verstappen finished only eighth, even behind Oliver Bearman’s Haas, and was 1.8 seconds off the pace set by Russell. Isack Hadjar struggled even more, ending the session in 13th place, more than two seconds behind the benchmark time.

As for the Red Bull Ford power units, there were technical issues for Arvid Lindblad, who had to park his Racing Bulls car at the side of the track after less than fifteen minutes of running. This early setback could make the remainder of his Chinese Grand Prix weekend significantly more challenging.

Weekend schedule

Formula 1 returns to the track on Saturday morning with sprint qualifying at 8:30 Italian time, which will determine the starting grid for the Sprint Race. The Sprint itself is scheduled for the night between Friday and Saturday at 4:00.

The traditional qualifying session for the Grand Prix will instead take place tomorrow morning at 8:00.

Finally, on Sunday 15 March, fans will once again have an early wake-up call to follow the Chinese Grand Prix live. The race, which represents the second round of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, will start at 8:00 in the morning. Here you can find the complete weekend timetable with full television coverage details.