Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Lando Norris believes the race start presents a key opportunity to challenge Mercedes during the Sprint race at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix after qualifying third in Shanghai.
Mercedes secured a front-row lockout for the Sprint with George Russell taking pole position ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Norris will line up on the second row alongside Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
The reigning world champion finished more than half a second behind Russell’s fastest lap but expressed satisfaction with the result, particularly after finishing ahead of both Ferrari drivers. The McLaren driver said the team extracted the maximum performance available from the car during the session.
“I’m just happy with the result,” Norris said.
“I’m not seeing what I lost or gained. P3 is as good as we can do for the time being.”
“I’m pretty happy to beat both Ferraris. They seemed pretty good all day, so I’m satisfied. It’s a good position for tomorrow.”
Norris also suggested the Shanghai circuit characteristics allowed teams to extract more consistent performance from their power units compared to the season opener in Australia.
“Things have been better this weekend because the track is a lot simpler from a power unit side of things,” he explained.
“Everyone falls in line a bit more, and we seemed to get a good amount out of it at the end. It was a good lap and it puts me in a good position.”
Looking ahead to the Sprint race start, Norris identified the opening moments of the race as the most realistic chance to challenge the Mercedes drivers.
At the Australian Grand Prix, Russell lost positions off the line after Charles Leclerc surged from fourth on the grid to take the lead into the first corner.
“I don’t expect them to get bad starts,” Norris added.
“For years they’ve been one of the best starters.”
“It’s an opportunity for sure. They know what they did wrong last weekend in Melbourne.”
“They’ll probably be fine tomorrow, but you never know. It’s a good opportunity — the easiest place to overtake is off the line. We’ll see what we can do.”
With Norris starting directly behind the Mercedes pair, the opening lap of the Sprint race could play a decisive role in determining whether McLaren can challenge the current momentum of the Brackley-based team during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
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Jadwal lengkap Formula 1 GP China 2026 di Shanghai termasuk waktu Sprint Race yang dipimpin George Russell dari pole position.
Lando Norris melihat peluang menyalip Mercedes di start Sprint Race GP China 2026 setelah start dari posisi ketiga di Shanghai.
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