08:04
36/56
"I've got no power. I came out of the last corner and there was no power"
Hamilton fires out a nervy radio message
Start of the F1 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
F1 Chinese GP as it happened
Lap-by-lap coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Antonelli leads Mercedes 1-2 for maiden F1 win
- Both McLarens did not start
- Verstappen forced out with tech issues
- Stroll stoppage brings out safety car on lap 10
- Bortoleto, Albon non-starters with hydraulics issue
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues this weekend with the 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli won out in qualifying, taking pole position after his Mercedes team-mate George Russell suffered a reliability issue when exiting the pits in Q3. However, Russell was able to return to the action, and put his Mercedes second on the grid.
Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc start on the second row, and will hope to replicate their starts so far this term to jump into an early lead.
Continuing the two-by-two theme, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris complete the third row for McLaren. Pierre Gasly is seventh for Alpine, followed by Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, with Ollie Bearman rounding out the top 10 for Haas.
The race takes place under somewhat of a cloud, after F1 finally confirmed it will not race in either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia in April. This means that there will be a five-week break following the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March, to the Miami Grand Prix in May. Given the proximity to the current conflict in Iran, there remain questions over future events, including the Azerbaijan, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi weekends.
Aston Martin is aiming to run the Chinese Grand Prix as a regular race this weekend, as opposed to how it ran the Australian race as a glorified test session, with multiple prolonged stops in the garage for both its drivers.
2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Saturday schedule
Grand Prix - 7:00am - 9:00am GMT
15 Mar 2026
08:04
35/56 - Alonso OUT
Fernando Alonso joins team-mate Stroll on the sidelines after retiring his Aston Martin - just 16 drivers left in this race
08:03
35/56
Ocon holds his hands up and says 'that's my fault...'
08:02
33/56 - yellow flags
Colapinto and Ocon have turned around, at Turn 2.
The Frenchman was trying to get by Colapinto as the Alpine driver exited the pit lane.
Colapinto runs a bit wide at Turn 2, Ocon dives for the inside but the pair meet on the apex - both drivers are spun around.
They both get going again, but it's a delay and damage that could ruin both their chances at points - gutting for Colapinto, who has been having his best showing yet as an Alpine driver today
07:59
33/56
Ferrari pitches Plan C... anyone want a crack at what that means?
07:58
32/56
Russell in second place puts the spotlight on the Briton to see if he can tap into his evident pace now he is finally in clear.
The gap between Antonelli and Russell is eight seconds
07:56
30/56 - Top 10 at half way point
- Antonelli
- Russell
- Leclerc
- Hamilton
- Bearman
- Verstappen
- Gasly
- Colapinto
- Hulkenberg
- Lawson
07:55
29/56
Mercedes is back 1-2 as Russell passes Leclerc on the run to Turn 14 - he is 7.5secs behind leader and team-mate Antonelli
07:54
29/56
"Man, they're just fast in all the right places..."
Russell lavishes some frustrated praise on Ferrari
07:53
29/56
Russell turns his attention to Leclerc having passed Hamilton
He looks down the outside of Turn 14 but can't find a way through
Meanwhile, Antonelli is making hay while the sun shines - he is seven seconds clear up front
07:52
28/56 - Yellow flags
Lindlbad is facing the wrong way at Turn 14, bringing out yellow flags - but he is on his way again, back to green
Replays show he did it all on his own - those old tyres are going to feel rotten by now
07:51
27/56
Russell takes advantage of the inter-team side-by-side action ahead of him to dispatch of Hamilton for third on the run to Turn 14
07:51
27/56
Hamilton bites back with a pass on Leclerc into Turn 14, but Leclerc blasts past at the start of lap 27
Hamilton isn't giving up without a fight and the pair go side-by-side through Turns 1, 2 and 3
Leclerc holds on, but Hamilton is still determined to get his man - he briefly squeaks through at Turn 9 but Leclerc has the power to get him on the exit
07:49
26/56
The battles for second have given Antonelli plenty of breathing room out front - he is now five seconds up the road and things are starting to look on for a maiden F1 win
07:48
Lando Norris talks DNS
"Just frustrating, the guys tried hard to get everything sorted or find a solution, but we were unable to. Disappointing. My first non start in F1"
When did you find out? "An hour or so before going out, I was just warming up and getting ready to go drive, then found out.
What is the problem? "I don't know yet, they know it is an issue they can't fix for now. They are looking into it"
07:47
24/56
Leclerc gets the run on Hamilton on the run to Turn 14 and slips through on his team-mate
The pair go side by side the following lap at Turn 2, but Leclerc holds position
07:45
24/56
The battle for second is heating up - Leclerc and Russell have now caught Hamilton, who has slipped two seconds behind a very comfortable looking Antonelli
07:44
23/56
Gasly wants Verstappen for reporting for moving under braking and forcing him wide as he came past at Turn 2.
For now, Verstappen has continued his progress up to sixth ahead of Colapinto, while a rattled Gasly is down to tenth behind Hulkenberg
Update: Stewards deem no further action on Verstappen, Gasly
07:42
21/56
Bearman finally levers Colapinto out of the way - top job by the Argentine for defending so hard on old tyres for so long
Great performance by the Haas driver though, he is up to fifth place
07:41
21/56
Things are getting closer at the front - though Antonelli is holding that advantage over Hamilton, both Leclerc with Russell in tow are steadily hauling themselves back onto the rear-wing of the Ferrari in second
07:39
20/56
It's all getting very busy in the fight for fifth as Colapinto fights tooth and nail to hold onto the position from a pair of marauding Haas'
Despite being baulked by the Alpine into Turn 14, Bearman gets his move done on Ocon for sixth.
Verstappen, meanwhile, is duking it out with Gasly right behind in their battle for eighth - the Dutchman gets the nod with a firm move into Turn 1
07:39
Aston Martin says Stroll had a suspected issue with the battery of his Honda power unit.
07:38
19/56
Hamilton declares he 'needs more power' in his quest to hunt down Antonelli ahead of him - the gap between the pair is fairly static at one second
07:37
19/56
Bearman is doing a mighty job as he hunts down Colapinto and Ocon in fifth and sixth on their ageing tyres.
Don't forget, the Briton was off the track and outside the points on lap one after a fracas with Hadjar
07:36
18/56
- Antonelli
- Hamilton
- Leclerc
- Russell
- Colapinto (not stopped)
- Ocon (not stopped)
- Bearman
- Gasly
- Verstappen
- Lindblad (not stopped)