George Russell will start on pole for Saturday’s sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, carrying over his form from Australia.
Russell appears set to dominate the second round in Shanghai.
Mercedes Lock Out Front Row
Russell finished 0.289 seconds ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes locked out the front row for Saturday’s 19-lap dash.
Lando Norris will start third, 0.621 seconds slower than Russell.
Hamilton Fourth, Verstappen Struggles
Lewis Hamilton, who won the sprint race for Ferrari a year ago, qualified fourth.
Oscar Piastri will start fifth, followed by Charles Leclerc in sixth, a full second off the pace. Pierre Gasly qualified seventh.
Max Verstappen, who has expressed his disdain for the new regulations, finished eighth, 1.7 seconds down.
Mercedes’ form looks ominous heading into the sprint race.