Race 2 of the 2026 Formula 1 season took place in China, and what a race it was. It was intense, surprising, action-packed, and most importantly, historical.
Personally, I enjoyed this race a lot, and I’m so excited to review the race with you. I can’t say anymore about the race right now, I’ll spoil it, and this race is too exciting to spoil.
That’s enough yap. Visors on, lights out, let’s break it down.
Chinese Grand Prix
Free Practice 1 (FP1) saw Russell setting the fastest lap time of the session, with Antonelli coming in P2. Norris was the third fastest, claiming 3rd Position (P3) for the conclusion of FP1.
But that wasn’t the only bit of action from the first session. Norris and Hamilton had some contact with each other, and that was followed by a spin from Hamilton.
Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman had spins of their very own, and later Colapinto idled in the pit lane. Led by mechanical issues with his car, Lindblad had his share of struggles.
The next session was Sprint Qualifying, where Russell claimed the sprint pole position, with Antonelli in P2 and Norris in P3.
On the other hand, Sainz had a surprising exit in the first Sprint Qualifying session (SQ1), leaving him unable to continue in the rest of qualifying. The car Williams had been running seemed to have performed well in the prior sessions, so Sainz being slower than expected left the team questioning what had happened. That concluded the Friday action, so the next bit of action came around on Saturday.
The Sprint Race started the day off, and Antonelli wasn’t able to get a good start. This saw Norris take over P2, with Hamilton coming up to P3.
Russell was able to hold his position in P1 to get the race going. A little bit into the race, Hamilton and Russell started battling for P1, with both drivers going back and forth between P1 and P2.
The rookie, Lindblad, had a spin on track, ending his race. Although little information is available about what caused the spin, Lindblad himself was confused about why he spun out.
Some time into the race, Antonelli caused a collision and was given a 10-second penalty. Nico Hulkenberg had to stop on the track, causing a yellow flag and the deployment of the safety car. The drivers headed to the pits for fresh tires during the safety car period. The yellow flag was replaced with the green flag once the issue on the track was resolved, allowing the race to resume.
The race ended, and Russell continued his stellar performance by claiming P1. Ferrari saw both drivers finish on the podium, with the team 2-3 at the end of the sprint.
Race Qualifying got started. Q1 saw the Williams pair, along with the two Cadillacs and the two Aston Martins, making an exit from qualifying.
During Q2, Gabriel Bortoleto brought out the yellow flag after going off the track, ending his qualifying session. Along with Bortoleto,
Hulkenberg wasn’t able to advance to Q3, as were the two Racing Bulls, Colapinto, and Esteban Ocon.
Q3 finally got started, and this session started with Russell having a temporary stall on track. He was able to sort out the issue and continued the session.
This session concluded with Antonelli claiming his first-ever pole after starting his F1 career during the 2025 season. Antonelli took the title of the youngest pole sitter in Formula 1 history. Russell came in P2, with Hamilton in P3, which closed out the top three.
After the McLarens’ being unable to make it to the grid, the Chinese Grand Prix got underway. Hamilton was able to take over P1 off of the start. A little into lap 1, Hadjar had a spin and left him to take last place.
Lance Stroll had another mechanical issue, leaving him off the track and bringing out the safety car. Stroll retired from the race and the session continued. Later, Colapinto and Ocon had some contact. Both drivers were able to gather themselves and continue the race.
This race saw seven DNFs, which included Verstappen, Bortoleto, Albon, the Aston Martin pair, and the McLaren pair. It might not seem significant, but the fact that there are 22 drivers this season, 7 DNFs, and 15 drivers actually finishing is a little concerning.
To end the race, Kimi Antonelli earned his first win in Formula 1, and was able to make this accomplishment after becoming the youngest pole sitter in the sport’s history. His teammate, Russell, came in P2, with Hamilton coming in P3.
Takeaways
I know I mentioned it in my Australian Grand Prix review, but I do want to note the Aston Martin issue again. During this race, Alonso had to take his hands off the wheel while on a straight at one point. The onboard shows him shaking out his hands before he had to steer the car for a turn. This is still completely related to the issue with both of the drivers mentioned before, where it feels like the car is sending electric shocks. During my search into the issue, I found a side-by-side onboard comparison of the Aston Martin and the Williams. In the onboard clip, it appears Aston Martin is experiencing a major vibration issue with its power unit. What’s even more concerning is that the cameras used for onboards stabilize the recording, so it’s highly likely that the car’s vibrations are even worse in person. Hopefully, the team can resolve the issues moving forward. If this is causing the drivers to have to take their hands off the wheel at 200mph just so that they don’t feel the pain, this issue can result in fatalities within this team.
McLaren is also still experiencing reliability issues. In Australia, they had their fair share of issues, and this race was no different. Neither one of their drivers could make it to the grid this race, with Norris not even able to make it out of the garage before the formation lap. The McLaren engineers had to push Piastri back to the garage after getting him to the grid. This can’t possibly be acceptable, especially for the reigning Constructors’ champions. I understand it’s early in the season, and that the regulations are still being figured out across the teams, but McLaren is on a pedestal this season by winning both of the 2025 championship titles. They need to figure this out, and they need to do it soon. They have a reputation to uphold; they’re going to be stuck where they were before the 2023 season.
Now that I got that out of the way, I want to acknowledge this historic win by Kimi Antonelli. I said it earlier, but not only did Antonelli earn the title of the youngest pole sitter in F1 history, but he also earned his first win as an F1 sophomore, at just 19 years old. That’s an insane stat to have, and it just proves that he’s an amazing talent, especially after the doubts he received last season. This season is going to be incredible for the young talent, and I can’t wait to see what happens.
That’s enough from me for today. I’ll be back to review the Japanese Grand Prix.
Stay strapped in and keep your head down; the season is still just getting started.
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