IT was a masterful Saturday in Shanghai for Mercedes after striking twice, first in the sprint race and later in qualifying with two different drivers.
Championship leader George Russell delivered the first blow, converting sprint pole into victory in the season’s first sprint race.
The British driver recovered from an early setback to beat the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc (+0.674s) and Lewis Hamilton (+2.554s).
READ: George Russell wins Australian GP in smashing start to F1 season
Like in Melbourne, Russell briefly lost the lead at the start. Hamilton surged from fourth on the grid and swept past him at Turn 9, but Russell methodically worked his way back and reclaimed the lead on Lap 5.
Behind them, Ferrari teammates Leclerc and Hamilton engaged in their own duel for second, with the Monegasque ultimately prevailing.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris brought his McLaren home fourth, followed by the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli in fifth. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri finished sixth.
A tight scrap for the final points position went to Liam Lawson, who edged Haas rookie Oliver Bearman for seventh.
Historic first pole for Kimi
Hours later, Mercedes celebrated again, but with their much younger sophomore driver taking the limelight.
Qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix saw Antonelli deliver a sensational lap of 1:32.064 to claim pole position.
The 19-year-old Italian became the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history, at 19 years, six months and 18 days, breaking the long-standing mark set by Sebastian Vettel nearly two decades ago.
Russell’s near-perfect weekend nearly unraveled in Q3 after front wing damage and a gear shift issue left Mercedes mechanics scrambling to repair his car.
He managed to get out for a final lap with less than two minutes remaining but ultimately fell 0.222 seconds short of Antonelli’s benchmark.
Ferrari locked out the second row with Hamilton ahead of Leclerc, while McLaren secured the third row with Piastri ahead of Norris.
Pierre Gasly will start seventh for Alpine, followed by the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, with Bearman completing the top 10.
The Chinese Grand Prix is set to begin Sunday at 3 p.m. (Manila time).
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