George Russell says his Mercedes car is a "real joy to drive" after he claimed a dominant sprint pole at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Russell was 0.289 seconds clear of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who sealed the front row for Mercedes, while the Brit was a further 0.621secs ahead of world champion Lando Norris.

It is the second pole of the season for Russell, who is the favourite to claim the title this season, having also topped qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, which he won.

While Mercedes continue to lead the pack, Lewis Hamilton was only slightly behind Norris to finish fourth, while Oscar Piastri took fifth ahead of the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

Russell was thrilled to be out at the front of the pack again, noting how much enjoyment he is getting out of the new car.

"The car has been feeling amazing," Russell said.

"We knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine is performing really well, and it was a real joy to drive.

"The focus since Melbourne has been about improving the starts."

LOCKING OUT THE FRONT ROW FOR THE SPRINT pic.twitter.com/q5jtGUZty3

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 13, 2026

Max Verstappen's struggles went on, however, as he could only manage eighth place, 1.734secs off the pace set by Russell, and behind Pierre Gasly.

The Dutchman crashed out of qualifying in Melbourne before finishing sixth in the race, and he continues to be frustrated by Formula One's new regulations.

"The whole day has been a disaster pace-wise. No grip. That's the biggest problem – no grip, no balance," Verstappen said.

"Just losing massive amounts of time in the corners. Then, because of that, you start triggering other little problems, but the big problem for us is the cornering is completely out."

In another blow to Red Bull, Haas' Oliver Bearman beat Verstappen's team-mate Isack Hadjar to ninth in the final session.

Sprint Qualifying Top 10:

1. George Russell (Mercedes)

2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

3. Lando Norris (McLaren)

4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

9. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

10. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)