George Russell warns rivals ahead of China Sprint: “Our practice starts are the best yet”. George Russell expects Mercedes to maintain an advantage in the China GP Sprint.

George Russell does not believe Ferrari will be able to take the lead into Turn 1 in the China Sprint race.

China Sprint, Ferrari hopes for the start

The China Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying confirmed Mercedes’ clear superiority. George Russell—once again on pole ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli—was over six tenths faster than the rest of the field, leaving Lewis Hamilton frustrated. Hamilton was happy with his lap (“It was excellent”), but he finds himself fourth and far behind the W17.

Russell’s comments

Expect the unexpected. I don’t know what will happen. My practice starts have probably been the best of the season so far, and I think we’ve found some improvements, the Brit explained. Since Melbourne we’ve been working only on this aspect. We focused entirely on race starts. Thank goodness the two drivers close to me are both Mercedes-powered—I hope they won’t be as fast as the Ferraris. In the race, graining could be an issue. Last year it was an important factor; we’ll see what we can do.

The car gives fantastic feedback, it’s excellent, with an engine that performed very well. Today it was a real joy to drive, he added about his Mercedes. Melbourne was a bit more chaotic in the first laps than we wanted, but we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. It didn’t go too badly anyway…

George Russell’s confidence in the Mercedes launch system signals a major hurdle for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who were likely banking on the SF-26’s traditionally strong traction to make up ground early in the Sprint. If Mercedes has indeed resolved the “clutch bite” inconsistencies that occasionally plagued them in Australia, the W17’s superior power deployment on the long straights could make them untouchable once they clear the first complex of corners. For the Ferrari strategists, the focus may now shift from an aggressive Turn 1 attack to a game of thermal management, hoping that the graining George Russell mentioned will affect the Silver Arrows more severely than the balanced Ferrari chassis. In a season where Mercedes currently holds the high ground, the start in Shanghai will be the first major test of whether anyone can truly disrupt their rhythm.