Race Notes: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

It’s only the second race of the 2026 Formula 1 season, and we’ve seen what could only be described as Absolute Cinema. Yes, the outcome still remains a Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari podium, but there are a lot of factors that are worth discussing from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.

One of the newest and youngest pole-sitters

While George Russell (Mercedes-AMG) took the crown for the Sprint and Sprint Qualifying, all eyes were on his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, as he took the top spot of qualifying and led the majority of the race to ultimately win it.

His performance was impressive as he also managed to hold off not only a charging Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in the early stages of the race, but also with all the mistakes that the young racer had made.

This makes him the second-youngest race winner, and also gave Mercedes-AMG their second 1-2.

Mercedes-AMG dominance, or is there a chance for Ferrari?

At the moment, the Silver Arrow’s performance also raises the question of just how fast Mercedes-AMG truly is, and if we’re in for a whole other season of trackside dominance. Apart from the grid start, which is Ferrari’s strongest aspect, we don’t know if they’re still sandbagging their true performance, but with how easy it was for them to pass the Ferraris for the top spots, only Toto Wolff and the team truly know.

However, Ferrari was able to put up one heck of a fight, and we also saw one of the best battles between the two Ferraris that both have described as “so much fun” and “one of the most enjoyable races”.

This shows that the new Ferrari under Lewis’ input in the car development has had a positive effect on the team, and that while Charles may have the edge, the current regulations suit Lewis’ style before the ground-effect era.

Teething issues… again

It’s a bit shocking to see last year’s championship-winning team (for both the drivers and constructors) just completely flounder. From a problematic Australian Grand Prix to not being able to participate at all during the race, McLaren has had nothing but a very sour experience. 

While Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both qualified P5 and P6, respectively, Piastri’s car was wheeled back to the garage a few minutes before the formation lap due to an electrical issue, and Lando’s car couldn’t leave the garage at all. The same happened to Alex Albon’s Williams, and Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi, as both did not start as well.

The Red Bull seems to have the same engine issues as the previous race, only this time it happened to the four-time world champion, Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, we also saw the two Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso also retire mid-race, but that was to be expected of these cars with huge power unit issues.

Surprisingly, both Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas managed to finish the race, even if they had a mid-race clash.

The pecking order has been shaken up as former midfielders are now finishing in the points places, such as the Haas of Oliver Bearman, the two Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, and we even saw Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) score points with early mistakes.

What’s next?

Up next is the Japanese Grand Prix happening this March 27 to 29, 1:00 pm, (Philippine Standard Time) at the famed Suzuka Circuit in Mie, Japan. This is also the target of Aston Martin and Honda to address most of their issues in hopes of actually finishing their home race. 

After this, the next race will happen on May 4, 2026, in Miami, Florida, as the next two races, the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, have both been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

^{Photos from Formula 1}