Chinese Grand Prix: George Russell claims sprint pole after Australia GP triumph

The British driver has led the Chinese Sprint Qualifying, claiming pole ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli

Chinese Grand Prix: George Russell claims sprint pole after Australia GP triumph
Chinese Grand Prix: George Russell claims sprint pole after Australia GP triumph

After bagging victory in the season opener last week, George Russell claimed a pole position for Saturday's sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The British driver was 0.289 seconds ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli and a significant 0.621 seconds clear of world champion Lando Norris.

Russell recorded a 1:31.520 on his first run in SQ3.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari, just 0.2 seconds slower than Norris, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri secured fifth position, ahead of Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was ranked in eighth place, 1.734 seconds off the pace and behind Pierre Gasly in Alpine.

Moreover, Haas' Oliver Bearman was ninth, and Isack Hadjar managed to be in the top ten.

Russell's pole was his second in six days after he took pole and won the season-opening race in Australia.

"The car has been feeling amazing," the Mercedes driver said. "We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine is performing really well, and today it was a real joy to drive."

Meanwhile, troubles for Williams and Aston Martin continue, as teams are dealing with overweight cars and the Honda engine's lack of performance, respectively.