China Sprint Qualifying: Russell fastest as Mercedes impress again

George Russell stamped his authority on the 2025 Formula 1 season once again, storming to sprint pole position at the Heineken Chinese Grand Prix on Friday at the Shanghai International Circuit . It was a performance that reinforced what the opening round in Australia had already suggested: Mercedes is the team to beat in this bold new era of Formula 1.

Friday's sole practice session painted a familiar picture, with Russell and Mercedes setting the pace early. Ferrari arrived with a headline-grabbing technical innovation: a rotating rear wing, quickly nicknamed the "Macarena" or "flip-flop" for the way it inverts to boost straight-line speed. Charles Leclerc clocked the fifth fastest practice time, while Lewis Hamilton was sixth , though his session was interrupted by a spin and a minor tyre brush with Lando Norris.

Despite the eye-catching aerodynamic experiment, Ferrari could not close the gap to the Silver Arrows under practice conditions.

When it mattered, Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli delivered a masterclass, locking out the front row with no rival team coming close. Norris was third for McLaren , a substantial 0.621 seconds off the pace, a sizable margin by F1 standards. Hamilton salvaged fourth for Ferrari, with Oscar Piastri rounding out the top five .

Max Verstappen, increasingly vocal about his frustrations with the new-generation cars , could only manage eighth a quiet session that underlined Red Bull's current struggles to find pace from a car he has openly criticised.

At the back, Cadillac endured a difficult afternoon. Valtteri Bottas ended the session last overall, while Sergio Perez was unable to set a time after a fuel system fault ended his day before it began.

Mercedes head into Saturday's sprint race with momentum firmly on their side.