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Kimi Antonelli became the youngest pole sitter in Formula One history by claiming the top spot for the Chinese Grand Prix with a superb lap in Shanghai. The teenager beat his Mercedes teammate George Russell into second after the Briton endured a technical problem in Q3 and had time to only set one quick lap.

Antonelli is the youngest driver to take pole at 19 years, six months and 17 days old beating Sebastian Vettel’s record, with the Italian holding his nerve under immense pressure to deliver in only his second season in F1. Lewis Hamilton was third with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth, both over three-10ths down on Antonelli. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were in fifth and sixth.

Russell did well to lock out the front row given his car had been stuck in first gear but he had already taken pole and then the win in the first of this season’s sprint races held on Saturday morning. He won the race after a feisty battle with Hamilton in the opening phase in what was a gripping contest as the pair repeatedly exchanged positions for the lead.

Mercedes’ second front row lockout, indicated that over the single lap the car is all but untouchable at this stage, even as they were pushed closer than in any other qualifying session this season.

Before the session had begun Hamilton had said he believed his former team were employing what they used to refer to as “party mode”, an ability to turn up the power over a single lap for qualifying. “I was in Mercedes for a long, long time,” said Hamilton. “I know how it works there and in qualifying they have another mode that they’re able to go to, bit like party mode back in the day. Once they get to Q2 they switch that on, and we don’t have that, whatever that is.”

Russell had been doubtless looking to use it having been so dominant across the weekend, however he came to a grinding halt on track as he he set out out on his opening lap in Q3. He could get the car back to the pits but his car clearly had a problem, stuck in first gear.

The weight fell on Antonelli to set the pace for Mercedes and he duly opened with a marker, taking provisional pole with a 1 minute 32.322-second lap. Leclerc and Hamilton could not match him as Mercedes had duly begun the party but Piastri and Norris did at least push him taking second and third just over two-10ths back.

Mercedes had worked furiously on Russell’s car and managed to get it out in the final dramatic moments for one shot at the pole. On his last run Antonelli improved to a 1min 32.064sec lap, Hamilton delivered an immense lap to go second three-10ths back as Russell delivered his only effort. He hurled his car at it but it was not quite enough on cold tyres and without an opening lap. He took second, two-tenths down on his teammate after a thrilling finale.

Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar eight and ninth for Red Bull, with Ollie Bearman in 10th for Haas. Earlier in the day Russell had won the opening sprint race of the season, with Leclerc second for Ferrari and Hamilton in third. The victory for Russell further cementing his position as favourite for the world championship and confirming that Mercedes will be remarkably hard to beat this season.

Norris was in fourth for McLaren and Antonelli in fifth for Mercedes.

Verstappen, who has struggled with his car all weekend, dismissing it as undriveable at one point, had a poor, slow start and could manage only ninth for Red Bull with his teammate Hadjar in 15th.

Russell had said that to be in the top three in turn one off the start would be a success, given how quick the Ferrari is off the line but the British driver did manage a good getaway, with the team focused on improving their starts after the Australian GP. Yet he was immediately faced by a fierce attack from Hamilton as the pair swapped places for the lead repeatedly.

While the Ferrari showed much improved race pace over its qualifying speed, the Mercedes once more demonstrated its superiority in optimising its energy management across a lap, with their cars able to maintain the least reduction in power in the last part of the long back straight and once more showing real pace coming out of the corners. Until a late safety car closed up the pack Russell had put five seconds on Leclerc, by then second, despite the Ferrari showing good form in Shanghai.

The race in Australia and the sprint in China showed similar characteristics in that once the Mercedes got away from a wheel-to-wheel fight it could swiftly open a lead.

Having taken a dominant victory at the first round in Australia, the win reinforces the advantage Mercedes hold over the rest of the field this season, with Russell’s second sprint victory after he took the first in Brazil in 2022.