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Giles Richards’s race reportShare
But that’s about all that’s required from me. I’ll be back with you tomorrow to take you through all the action from the race, where the youngest pole sitter in F1 history will look to go coast-to-coast.
Be sure to check back in soon for Giles Richards’ full report.
Haha, Kimi’s father Marco Antonelli is on the broadcast. Positive but with a sting in the tail. “A bit lucky because George did only one push. But he did a good job.”
So it’ll be the Mercedes of Antonelli and Russell that will lock out the front row, followed by a second-row Ferrari lockout of Hamilton and Leclerc and a McLaren third-row papaya-out of Piastri and Norris.
Gasly in his Alpine moved up into P7, ahead of Verstappen, Hadjar, and Bearman.
Updated at 04.15 EDT
Receiving a big cheer from the crowd, Hamilton notes that his Ferrari has, slightly, closed the gap on Mercedes.
double quotation markIt was actually a really tough qualifying, a bit harder this one with the wind. Putting the laps together was challenging. I am really, really happy to be up here. We did some good work, the engineers did some good work over the break and we managed to get a little closer to [the Mercedes] so that’s a positive.
I’m sure we’ll have some fun [on Sunday], I’m looking forward to it.
Russell tells the broadcast what happened to him at the end of Q2 and start of Q3. Doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture.
double quotation markDefinitely damage limitation. In Q2 the front wing broke, and then in Q3 stopped out on track and then couldn’t change gear. On the last lap I had no battery, no tyre temp or anything. The team did a really good job.
Antonelli is speaking on the broadcast.
double quotation markWas a pretty clean session, so really happy. Of course George had an issue, so would have been cool to see him with two [laps]. I saw he had an issue, but I just tried to keep my focus and deliver a good lap.
ShareShareKimi Antonelli goes pole!
Russell’s flying lap isn’t enough!
19-year-old Antonelli will start the Shanghai grand prix from pole position – the youngest pole sitter in the history of F1 (not a sprint race), breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record.
He’s the first Italian to go pole since Giancarlo Fisichella went fastest while driving for Force India but at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.
Updated at 04.07 EDT
The only thing standing between Antonelli and becoming the youngest driver to ever go pole in F1 history is Russell’s flying lap.
Verstappen goes P7, pushing his teammate Hadjar down into P8.
Here comes Antonelli, setting a 1:32.064! Norris comes through and can’t improve from P3. Now Leclerc… he goes second! Now Hamilton goes P2! It’s all happening, with all eyes now on Russell’s one and only flying lap.
Norris has set a new fastest first sector as he looks to get his McLaren back onto the front row.
Russell is coming out, making his way out of the garage just as Antonelli begins another attempt at a flying lap.
Updated at 04.06 EDT
So Russell remains in the garage as the rest of the nine drivers in Q3 head back out to get at least one more flying lap in.
The top ten as it stands: Antonelli, Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hadjar, Bearman, Gasly, and Russell.
Every driver has now set a lap in Q3 bar Russell. All eyes on the Mercedes dugout to see if the Championship favourite will be able to get back out there.
Norris has powered around the circuit and moved up onto the front row… for all of a few seconds because Piastri comes through behind him and sets a new second-fastest lap!
Updated at 03.55 EDT
Russell has made it back to the pits and is now being pushed into the garage.
Hamilton, meanwhile, suffered oversteer on turn ten during his first flying lap of Q3, one that caused him to lose over half a second.
Updated at 03.52 EDT
An opportunity now for someone to steal a march on our Championship leader.
Antonelli comes through first with a 1:32.322, with Leclerc and Hamilton following through in second and third.
“I cannot shift gears,” Russell says on the radio. “I’m stuck in first.”
Russell has stopped! He’s on the radio saying he’s got no battery! The yellow flags are out but he’s able to get it going again. But can he set any kind of time or does he need to pull the pin.
Updated at 03.58 EDT
Q3 Begins
The shootout for pole is underway in Shanghai.
As the F1’s race around Shanghai, it’s also good news for China at the Women’s Asian Cup.
After being taken to extra-time by Taiwan, defending champions China have found the two goals they’ll need to set up a semi-final meeting with Australia next week: Ziqin Shao – one of my favourite players of the tournament – netting in the 94th minute and an own-goal from Chen Ying-Hui then sealing the game in the 118.
FT | China seal their spot in the Semi Finals! 🇨🇳
After being pushed to the limit, the defending champions advance to the #WAC2026 Semis in a gritty 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei
Watch the highlights from #CHNvTPE on Paramount+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/FQsGCU9t5U
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) March 14, 2026
Updated at 03.50 EDT
We say goodbye to six more drivers at the end of Q2, with Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Ocon, Lawson, Lindblad and Bortoleto all dropping out.
Ohh, hello, Russell is on the radio complaining about ‘major understeer’
There’s a yellow flag on the final lap! Bortoleto has gone off!
That means that Lindblad’s last flying attempt at a flying lap is going to get wiped out.
Gasly, meanwhile, goes fifth-fastest. Colapinto comes through next… and like Hulkenberg he can’t overhaul Hadjar! The Red Bull driver survives.
Updated at 03.42 EDT
Now the tenth-fastest, Hadjar has started a flying lap, with Hulkenberg looking to overhaul him and send him packing in the place of his Audi.
Up the other end, Antonelli has flown through for a new fastest time.
On his new set of soft tyres, Piastri has moved up to sixth and should be safe for Q3.
Leclerc sets a new fastest time and while Hamilton remains down in third and the conclusion of his fastest lap, there’s less than a tenth-of-a-second between Leclerc, Russell, and Hamilton.
Updated at 03.42 EDT
With fewer than five minutes remaining, Russell has set the fastest time of Q2, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, Antonelli, and Verstappen.
Down the other end, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Colapinto, Lawson, Lindblad, and Bortoleto are in the elimination zone.
Bearman is getting a lot of pace out of his Haas, recording the sixth-fastest time in Q2 to now.
Piastri puts a new set of soft tyres on and heads back out there, with the Australian, currently with the tenth-fastest time and on the elimination bubble, now likely to put plenty of space between him and that relegation zone.
Every driver has now set a time and the elimination zone reads Hulkenberg, Ocon, Colapinto, Lawson, Lindblad, and Bortoleto.
Verstappen comes around with the fifth fastest time, clearing Norris, Hadjar, and Piastri’s first attempts. Hulkenberg then comes around with the, so far, slowest lap of Q2.
The two Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc complete their first flying laps of Q2 and while they’re quicker than Antonelli’s Mercedes, they’re not faster than Russell’s.
Antonelli comes around with a 1:32.950, only for Russell to follow through with a lap nearly half a second quicker.
Antonelli gets an early flying lap started.
ShareQ2 Begins
Our remaining 16 cars are back out there for Q2.
Updated at 03.29 EDT
We have lost our first six drivers at the end of Q1: the Williams of Sainz and Albon, the Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll, and the Cadillacs of Bottas and Perez all dropping out. Bottas, however, did go faster than Stroll – something of a milestone for the brand new constructor.
We know the Williams car is overweight and Albon’s message on the radio is short and sweet: “Terrible.”
Updated at 03.26 EDT
Sainz has escaped the bottom six, as has Lindblad. Ooops, now Sainz is back in the bottom six. Unlucky.
Verstappen, meanwhile, has gone fourth fastest.
Updated at 03.22 EDT
Nope, the Red Bulls have both put soft tyres on to guarantee their safety. Verstappen has begun his first flying lap but the broadcast isn’t too keen on it thus far, saying his car looks uncomfortable to drive.
Hadjar and Verstappen have set the 14th and 15th fastest times on their mediums – now the only drivers on the grid rolling around on mediums – in Q1 but both are on out laps