Fri, Mar 13 · 07:30 UTC
Chinese Grand Prix 2026
Sprint Qualifying Results
Sprint Qualifying uses SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3 to set the starting grid for the Sprint.
2026-03-13T08:14:00Z
44 min
Times may change during the weekend.
Shanghai
Shanghai, China
Final result
Sprint weekend
Mercedes · 1:31.520
Mercedes · 1:31.809
McLaren · 1:32.141
Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George RussellRUS | Mercedes | 1:33.030 | 1:32.241 | 1:31.520 |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi AntonelliANT | Mercedes | 1:33.455 | 1:32.291 | 1:31.809 |
| 3 | 1 | Lando NorrisNOR | McLaren | 1:33.783 | 1:33.086 | 1:32.141 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis HamiltonHAM | Ferrari | 1:33.148 | 1:33.042 | 1:32.161 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar PiastriPIA | McLaren | 1:33.813 | 1:33.038 | 1:32.224 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles LeclercLEC | Ferrari | 1:33.194 | 1:32.602 | 1:32.528 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre GaslyGAS | Alpine F1 Team | 1:33.970 | 1:33.405 | 1:32.888 |
| 8 | 3 | Max VerstappenVER | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.170 | 1:33.564 | 1:33.254 |
| 9 | 87 | Oliver BearmanBEA | Haas F1 Team | 1:34.280 | 1:33.501 | 1:33.409 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack HadjarHAD | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.447 | 1:33.620 | 1:33.723 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico HülkenbergHUL | Audi | 1:33.997 | 1:33.635 | — |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban OconOCO | Haas F1 Team | 1:34.087 | 1:33.639 | — |
| 13 | 30 | Liam LawsonLAW | Racing Bulls | 1:34.110 | 1:33.714 | — |
| 14 | 5 | Gabriel BortoletoBOR | Audi | 1:34.291 | 1:33.774 | — |
| 15 | 41 | Arvid LindbladLIN | Racing Bulls | 1:34.495 | 1:34.048 | — |
| 16 | 43 | Franco ColapintoCOL | Alpine F1 Team | 1:34.592 | 1:34.327 | — |
| 17 | 55 | Carlos SainzSAI | Williams | 1:34.761 | — | — |
| 18 | 23 | Alexander AlbonALB | Williams | 1:35.305 | — | — |
| 19 | 14 | Fernando AlonsoALO | Aston Martin | 1:35.581 | — | — |
| 20 | 18 | Lance StrollSTR | Aston Martin | 1:36.151 | — | — |
| 21 | 77 | Valtteri BottasBOT | Cadillac F1 Team | 1:37.378 | — | — |
Sprint Qualifying Fastest Laps and Sector Pace
| Driver | Laps | Best lap | Best S1 | Best S2 | Best S3 | Top speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George RussellMercedes | 13 | 91.520s | 23.962s | 27.569s | 39.989s | 320 km/h |
| Andrea Kimi AntonelliMercedes | 13 | 91.809s | 23.966s | 27.558s | 40.213s | 318 km/h |
| Lando NorrisMcLaren | 13 | 92.141s | 23.961s | 27.616s | 40.549s | 314 km/h |
| Lewis HamiltonFerrari | 15 | 92.161s | 24.110s | 27.694s | 40.357s | 318 km/h |
| Oscar PiastriMcLaren | 13 | 92.224s | 23.913s | 27.793s | 40.518s | 313 km/h |
| Charles LeclercFerrari | 16 | 92.528s | 24.105s | 27.770s | 40.312s | 312 km/h |
| Pierre GaslyAlpine F1 Team | 15 | 92.888s | 24.293s | 27.840s | 40.703s | 322 km/h |
| Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing | 17 | 93.254s | 24.404s | 28.258s | 40.532s | 318 km/h |
| Oliver BearmanHaas F1 Team | 16 | 93.409s | 24.401s | 28.079s | 40.745s | 317 km/h |
| Isack HadjarRed Bull Racing | 15 | 93.620s | 24.478s | 28.236s | 40.493s | 321 km/h |
| Nico HülkenbergAudi | 14 | 93.635s | 24.629s | 28.261s | 40.635s | 321 km/h |
| Esteban OconHaas F1 Team | 13 | 93.639s | 24.553s | 28.141s | 40.902s | 312 km/h |
| Liam LawsonRacing Bulls | 13 | 93.714s | 24.645s | 28.293s | 40.757s | 320 km/h |
| Gabriel BortoletoAudi | 14 | 93.774s | 24.568s | 28.280s | 40.761s | 321 km/h |
| Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | 13 | 94.048s | 24.740s | 28.508s | 40.777s | 321 km/h |
| Franco ColapintoAlpine F1 Team | 12 | 94.327s | 24.681s | 28.661s | 40.946s | 321 km/h |
| Carlos SainzWilliams | 6 | 94.761s | 24.801s | 28.785s | 41.168s | 325 km/h |
| Alexander AlbonWilliams | 6 | 95.305s | 24.828s | 28.949s | 41.447s | 325 km/h |
| Fernando AlonsoAston Martin | 5 | 95.581s | 25.123s | 28.884s | 41.574s | 306 km/h |
| Lance StrollAston Martin | 7 | 96.151s | 25.151s | 29.040s | 41.838s | 310 km/h |
| Valtteri BottasCadillac F1 Team | 8 | 97.378s | 25.110s | 29.014s | 43.111s | 290 km/h |
Sprint Qualifying Stints
| Driver | Stint | Tyre | Laps | Start age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Albon | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–6 | 0 laps |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 3 | SOFT | 9–13 | 0 laps |
| Arvid Lindblad | 2 | MEDIUM | 8–13 | 0 laps |
| Carlos Sainz | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–6 | 0 laps |
| Charles Leclerc | 4 | SOFT | 12–16 | 0 laps |
| Esteban Ocon | 2 | MEDIUM | 8–13 | 0 laps |
| Fernando Alonso | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–5 | 0 laps |
| Franco Colapinto | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–6 | 0 laps |
| Franco Colapinto | 2 | MEDIUM | 7–12 | 0 laps |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 2 | MEDIUM | 9–14 | 0 laps |
| George Russell | 3 | SOFT | 9–13 | 0 laps |
| Isack Hadjar | 3 | SOFT | 13–15 | 0 laps |
| Lance Stroll | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–7 | 0 laps |
| Lando Norris | 3 | SOFT | 11–13 | 0 laps |
| Lewis Hamilton | 3 | SOFT | 11–15 | 0 laps |
| Liam Lawson | 2 | MEDIUM | 8–13 | 0 laps |
| Max Verstappen | 3 | SOFT | 13–17 | 0 laps |
| Nico Hülkenberg | 2 | MEDIUM | 9–14 | 0 laps |
| Oliver Bearman | 3 | SOFT | 14–16 | 7 laps |
| Oscar Piastri | 3 | SOFT | 11–13 | 0 laps |
| Pierre Gasly | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–6 | 0 laps |
| Pierre Gasly | 2 | MEDIUM | 7–12 | 0 laps |
| Pierre Gasly | 3 | SOFT | 13–15 | 0 laps |
| Valtteri Bottas | 1 | MEDIUM | 1–8 | 0 laps |
Sprint Qualifying Pit Stops
| Driver | Lap | Stop | Pit lane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valtteri Bottas | 1 | — | — |
| Isack Hadjar | 1 | — | — |
| Max Verstappen | 1 | — | — |
| Nico Hülkenberg | 1 | — | — |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 1 | — | — |
| Esteban Ocon | 1 | — | — |
| Oliver Bearman | 1 | — | — |
| Lance Stroll | 1 | — | — |
| Liam Lawson | 1 | — | — |
| Arvid Lindblad | 1 | — | — |
| Charles Leclerc | 1 | — | — |
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 | — | — |
| Oscar Piastri | 1 | — | — |
| Lando Norris | 1 | — | — |
| Pierre Gasly | 1 | — | — |
| Franco Colapinto | 1 | — | — |
| Carlos Sainz | 1 | — | — |
| Alexander Albon | 1 | — | — |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1 | — | — |
| George Russell | 1 | — | — |
| Fernando Alonso | 1 | — | — |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 4 | — | 713.100s |
| George Russell | 4 | — | 727.500s |
| Oscar Piastri | 5 | — | 619.400s |
| Lando Norris | 5 | — | 622.000s |
| Lewis Hamilton | 6 | — | 603.500s |
| Pierre Gasly | 7 | — | 333.700s |
| Franco Colapinto | 7 | — | 340.700s |
| Oliver Bearman | 8 | — | 363.600s |
| Isack Hadjar | 8 | — | 417.200s |
| Max Verstappen | 8 | — | 424.700s |
| Arvid Lindblad | 8 | — | 396.300s |
| Liam Lawson | 8 | — | 407.600s |
| Esteban Ocon | 8 | — | 420.300s |
| Charles Leclerc | 8 | — | 407.300s |
| Nico Hülkenberg | 9 | — | 270.000s |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 9 | — | 271.400s |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 9 | — | 367.100s |
| George Russell | 9 | — | 355.200s |
| Charles Leclerc | 11 | — | 156.100s |
| Lewis Hamilton | 11 | — | 409.100s |
| Lando Norris | 11 | — | 639.500s |
| Oscar Piastri | 11 | — | 649.500s |
| Charles Leclerc | 12 | — | 371.500s |
| Max Verstappen | 13 | — | 439.300s |
| Pierre Gasly | 13 | — | 590.800s |
| Isack Hadjar | 13 | — | 726.600s |
| Oliver Bearman | 14 | — | 621.700s |
Sprint Qualifying Weather
Flags and Session Messages
GREEN LIGHT - PIT EXIT OPEN
SESSION STARTED
CAR 18 (STR) TIME 1:38.378 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 9 LAP 3 15:33:33
CAR 5 (BOR) TIME 1:38.344 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 16 LAP 6 15:39:17
CAR 87 (BEA) TIME 1:35.160 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 16 LAP 7 15:41:31
SESSION FINISHED
CHEQUERED FLAG
FIRST CAR TO TAKE THE FLAG - CAR 10 (GAS)
DOUBLE YELLOW IN TRACK SECTOR 11
DOUBLE YELLOW IN TRACK SECTOR 19
FIA STEWARDS: SQ1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 18 (STR), 44 (HAM), 30 (LAW), 41 (LIN), 55 (SAI) AND 23 (ALB) NOTED - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 11
FIA STEWARDS: SQ1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 18 (STR), 44 (HAM), 30 (LAW), 41 (LIN), 55 (SAI) AND 23 (ALB) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE SESSION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 19
GREEN LIGHT - PIT EXIT OPEN
SESSION STARTED
TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 12 (ANT) AND 1 (NOR) NOTED - IMPEDING
CAR 3 (VER) TIME 1:37.553 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 16 LAP 12 15:57:12
TURN 14 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 10 (GAS) AND 3 (VER) NOTED - IMPEDING
CHEQUERED FLAG
SESSION FINISHED
FIA STEWARDS: TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 12 (ANT) AND 1 (NOR) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE SESSION - IMPEDING
FIRST CAR TO TAKE THE FLAG - CAR 43 (COL)
DOUBLE YELLOW IN TRACK SECTOR 11
DOUBLE YELLOW IN TRACK SECTOR 19
FIA STEWARDS: SQ2 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 12 (ANT), 5 (BOR) AND 63 (RUS) NOTED - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
FIA STEWARDS: SQ2 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 12 (ANT), 5 (BOR) AND 63 (RUS) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE SESSION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 11
CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 19
FIA STEWARDS: TURN 14 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 10 (GAS) AND 3 (VER) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE SESSION - IMPEDING
SESSION STARTED
GREEN LIGHT - PIT EXIT OPEN
CHEQUERED FLAG
SESSION FINISHED
FIRST CAR TO TAKE THE FLAG - CAR 44 (HAM)
FIA STEWARDS: SQ3 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 44 (HAM) NOTED - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
FIA STEWARDS: SQ3 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 44 (HAM) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE SESSION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
FIA STEWARDS: SQ1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 18 (STR), 44 (HAM), 30 (LAW), 41 (LIN), 55 (SAI) AND 23 (ALB) NO FURTHER ACTION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
FIA STEWARDS: SQ2 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 12 (ANT), 5 (BOR) AND 63 (RUS) NO FURTHER ACTION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
FIA STEWARDS: SQ3 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 44 (HAM) NO FURTHER ACTION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS - MAXIMUM DELTA TIME
DOUBLE YELLOW IN TRACK SECTOR 19
DOUBLE YELLOW IN TRACK SECTOR 11
CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 19
About Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying
What happens in Sprint Qualifying?
Sprint Qualifying uses SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3 to set the starting grid for the Sprint.
Where is the session held?
At Shanghai in Shanghai, China, during Round 2 of the 2026 season. It is listed as a permanent circuit.
What comes next?
Use the session tabs above to follow the weekend in order, from the first practice run through to the Grand Prix.