03:34
Another thing to look at this weekend is the Ferrari rear wing, with the Scuderia running its Macerena wing that flips 180 degrees.
Hamilton took pole and won the China sprint race last year
F1 Chinese GP Friday practice and sprint qualifying as it happened
Live text coverage of Friday practice and sprint qualifying at the 2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Russell fastest in both SQ1 and SQ2
- Cadillacs, Astons and Williams out of SQ1
- Lindblad retired from practice after smoke flowed from his cockpit
- First sprint weekend of the 2026 season
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues this weekend with the Chinese Grand Prix, which marks the first of six sprint events this year.
F1's new era began just a few days ago at the Australian Grand Prix, as the series' radical new cars split opinion among drivers and fans.
Mercedes led the field across the weekend, with George Russell topping all three qualifying segments, before leading home a team 1-2 ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Russell leads the drivers' standings coming into this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, while Mercedes came away with full points in the constructors' championship in Australia.
This weekend's Chinese Grand Prix will see the teams' understanding of their new cars tested to the absolute limit, with the sprint format meaning they will have just one practice session to get on top of things before launching straight into sprint qualifying.
The Chinese Grand Prix is also set to offer a different view of what the new cars might be capable of, with the maximum allowed 9MJ of battery recharge allowed.
This, coupled with the layout of the track, sees F1 go from one of its most energy-hungry tracks to one of its least.
Most of the grid is expecting Mercedes to still hold an advantage in China, though Ferrari will be hoping to keep the pressure on after a tight early tussle in Australia between Russell and Charles Leclerc.
Red Bull also never got a chance to show off its potential, with Isack Hadjar retiring with a mechanical issue after qualifying third, while Max Verstappen was forced to come from the back of the grid to sixth after he crashed in Q1.
McLaren will be keen to put Australia behind it, after Oscar Piastri crashed on the sighting lap and Lando Norris finished a distant fifth, 50 seconds from Russell in first.
Aston Martin's problems were a major talking point in Australia, but there looks to be no immediate end in sight to these as it remains limited on batteries.
2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Friday schedule
Practice - 3:30am-4:30am GMT
Sprint qualifying - 7:30am-8:14am GMT
13 Mar 2026
03:34
Another thing to look at this weekend is the Ferrari rear wing, with the Scuderia running its Macerena wing that flips 180 degrees.
03:33
Not a great start for Colapinto, who spins and faces the wrong way at Turn 9. A quick spin back around and he's on the move once more. That was a very odd one, as his car rotated on him in a very strange snap. It was quite similar, albeit slower, to Verstappen's qualifying crash last weekend.
03:30
Green flag for practice
The green light shows at the end of the pit lane, and we are go for first/only/final practice at the Chinese Grand Prix!
03:29
Given its struggles last weekend, the Aston Martin garage will be worth more than a passing glance across the hour. Although both Stroll and Alonso managed more laps than expected last Sunday in Australia, spares remain limited and mileage too may not be high - but with just the one practice session, it needs to be.
03:25
Temperatures are cool at 12C ambient and 13.5C track, with minimal wind. The risk of rain is 0%, so there should be no need to worry about the intermediate or wet tyres.
03:23
F1 Chinese GP LIVE: First sprint of 2026 begins with sole practice
Good morning and welcome to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix and the opening Sprint weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season. With just one hour to learn the new cars on an entirely different style of track to Albert Park, this could be a chaotic session.