At the Chinese track, Mercedes, McLaren, and Alpine demonstrated strong competitiveness, with Williams remaining the only team struggling.
The first two sessions of the Chinese Grand Prix offered clear indications. Sprint Qualifying once again confirmed Mercedes’ supremacy. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished first and second, with Antonelli’s position confirmed after the stewards’ decision not to penalize him. In third place, a strong Lando Norris finished ahead of both Ferrari cars, separated by the other MCL40, driven by Oscar Piastri.
Shanghai also delivered positive results for teams equipped with the German power unit after some difficulties seen in Melbourne. Mercedes dominated, McLaren challenged Ferrari, and Alpine proved the strongest of the midfield. Only Williams found itself struggling among the Mercedes-powered customer teams.
China Sprint Qualifying: unfinished setups favor Mercedes
It’s not the first time Mercedes has achieved strong results with an unfinished setup. During the Australian GP, Antonelli managed to place immediately behind Russell in both qualifying and the race. The Italian driver finished second despite his car being recalibrated after repairs made on Saturday following an incident during FP3.
The Sprint format of the Chinese Grand Prix puts teams in a similar situation. A single practice session is insufficient for teams to optimize car setups. All teams and drivers faced setups far from perfect during Sprint Qualifying—a challenge that only very strong cars can mask. In this scenario, all Mercedes-powered cars performed better than in Australia, with the exception of Williams, who struggled significantly.
Indeed, the two Mercedes cars dominated, with Russell delivering over six tenths of a second advantage over Norris in third. Oscar Piastri took fifth, struggling more than his teammate on Chinese soil so far. Alpine, with Pierre Gasly, achieved a strong seventh-place finish, while teammate Franco Colapinto ended up sixteenth, still adjusting to the new regulations. Overall, the A526 appears to be a car with a solid base that can grow and become competitive, aided by its strong power unit. Among Mercedes customer teams, only Williams failed to achieve good results, though the problems faced by the team are unrelated to the German power unit.
Chinese GP: can Ferrari turn the tables?
The Sprint could be the saving grace for the Scuderia. With just 19 laps, there is the opportunity to push both tires and the Power Unit from start to finish. These are the ingredients for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc: recover positions at the start and defend as needed if the SF-26 doesn’t have a strong pace, securing a solid finish.
The opportunity is far from hidden, but the Ferraris have faced significant difficulties so far in finding the right setup. Moreover, the so-called “Macarena wing” did not provide the extra boost everyone expected. Defending against Mercedes-powered cars on the 1.2-kilometer main straight will be very challenging, though hopefully not impossible.
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