The second round of the season already brings the first Sprint Race of the Formula 1 campaign. In China, the 2026 cars make their debut in a race weekend shaped by the mini-race format. The live coverage opened immediately with the news that Ferrari had decided to abandon the so-called “Macarena” rear wing, confirming the indications that had already emerged during Free Practice 1.
Mercedes holds a significant advantage and takes full advantage of it, completing only a limited number of laps while fully aware that it has the pace required to secure the top positions. The front row will therefore be occupied by George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Behind them, the grid features an alternating pattern between McLaren and Ferrari drivers.
No penalties have been applied. Sergio Perez, driving for Cadillac, will still be allowed to line up on the grid even though he failed to set a lap time within the 107 percent threshold.
Provisional starting grid for the 2026 Chinese GP Sprint (04:00 CET)
The starting grid therefore directly reflects the action seen on track. The first Sprint Race of the Formula 1 season will get underway in Shanghai tomorrow, March 14, at 04:00 CET.
Why do we describe it as a provisional grid? Because team engineers could still identify technical issues on their cars before tomorrow’s race. If it becomes necessary to replace a component that is subject to regulatory restrictions, the FIA would be forced to apply a grid penalty to the driver of that car, dropping them several positions.
P.S.: On our website you can always find the updated classifications at the end of every session.
Leave a Reply