George Russell continued his winning form from Australia, securing a dominant pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Having already established himself as a championship contender by winning Formula 1’s season-opening event, Russell now looks poised to control the second round in Shanghai.
The British driver ended the session 0.289 seconds ahead of his team-mate Kimi Antonelli, as Mercedes impressively claimed the entire front row for Saturday’s 19-lap dash to the finish line.
Starting behind the formidable Silver Arrows will be world champion Lando Norris, though he was 0.621 seconds slower than Russell.
Lewis Hamilton, who won the sprint race for Ferrari a year ago – a rare high point in an otherwise challenging first season in red – will at least be competitive again after qualifying in fourth.
Hamilton will find himself in a McLaren sandwich, with Oscar Piastri starting fifth on the grid. Charles Leclerc lines up in sixth, a full second off the leading pace, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly achieved a commendable seventh.
Max Verstappen has previously expressed his strong disapproval of the new regulations, and his recent showing is unlikely to alleviate those negative sentiments. He finished eighth here, a notable 1.7 seconds adrift of the fastest time.