F1 Chinese Grand Prix LIVE: Piastri’s season start goes from bad to worse with both McLarens out of Chinese GP

Let’s go!

Pole-sitter Antonelli surges forward and Russell is right there with him, but so is Ferrari.

Remember, Ferrari’s 2026 engine has a smaller turbocharger than its rivals, meaning it spools up faster than larger turbochargers and has less turbo lag, allowing them to overtake quickly at the start of the race.

Lewis Hamilton has snatched the lead and is now leading this race.

Both Oscar Piastri’s and Lando Norris cars are still in the garage. It remains unclear if they can start this race ...

Piastri was previously out on the grid, but was wheeled off the grid. We do not know what the issue is yet.

Oscar Piastri and other drivers pre-race in Shanghai.Credit: Getty Images

At just 19 years old, Kimi Antonelli is one of the most impressive young drivers on the grid and will start today’s race on pole.

Yesterday, he became the youngest poles-sitter in the sport’s history. If he wins, will he break that record?

Kimi Antonelli finished second in the Aus GP.Credit: Getty Images

Surprisingly no, he’s actually too old. Max Verstappen takes that crown.

Verstappen won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix when he was 18 years old in his first race for Red Bull.

UPDATE: Lando Norris’ car is still in the garage and things don’t look great.

Oh dear, McLaren aren’t having a great fortnight.

Lando Norris.Credit: AP

The reigning world champion Lando Norris has not completed a warm-up lap after electronic issues with his car.

McLaren mechanics will try and fix this issue, but Norris will likely start from the pit lane, and not from sixth.

Sky Sports tried to get more information from McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, however they were blanked.

It’s lights out at 6pm so here’s a few facts and trivia points about the Chinse Grand Prix.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is a favourite in Shanghai.Credit: AP

• Track Length – 5.451km
• Lap record – 1m 32.238s, Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004
• Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton
• Most wins – Lewis Hamilton
• The circuit is designed to look like the Chinese symbol for ‘shang’, meaning upwards

After finishing sixth in Saturday’s sprint race, the Oscar Piastri said McLaren were hoping for a good start.

Oscar Piastri in Shanghai Credit: Getty Images

Currently, Mercedes are quickest on the grid, however Ferrari have notched impressive starts as well.

“We’ll do what we can to get a good start and keep on top of the tyres, as they were a key factor in the sprint,” Piastri said.

“Car pace will also be very important, so let’s see what we can unlock overnight to get some more points on the board.”

However, speaking at the driver’s parade on Sunday, Piastri seemed less optimistic.

“There’s no point in lying to ourselves; we’re a step behind,” he told Sky Sports F1 coverage.

“Yesterday, we got pretty close to optimising what we had, and we’re still half a second off.”

Kimi Antonelli will start the Chinese Grand Prix from pole position as the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history, breaking the record previously set by Sebastian Vettel.

It’s easy to forget Mercedes racer Kimi Antonelli is still only 19 years old.Credit: Getty Images

After winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last week in Melbourne, Mercedes driver George Russell will start in second.

The top 10 qualifiers are below:

1st: Kimi Antonelli

2nd: George Russell

3rd: Lewis Hamilton

4th: Charles Leclerc

5th: Oscar Piastri

6th: Lando Norris

7th: Pierre Gasly

8th: Max Verstappen

9th: Isack Hadjar

10th:Oliver Bearman

Formula 1 has confirmed the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri won the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2025Credit: AP

This cancellation leaves a five-week hole in the F1 calendar, following the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of the month.

Bahrain was scheduled for April 12 with the Saudi race in Jeddah on April 19.