Ferrari emerged as Mercedes’ closest challengers during Sprint Qualifying at the 2026 F1 Chinese GP, showing strong pace throughout the session in Shanghai. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton consistently ran near the front as the field fought for positions behind the dominant Silver Arrows. Both drivers briefly threatened the top of the timing sheets during the earlier stages, but ultimately lacked the final step needed to challenge for Sprint pole.
Leclerc frustrated after problems cost him time in SQ3
Leclerc described the Sprint Qualifying at the 2026 Chinese GP as a frustrating session after several issues disrupted his attempts to challenge further up the order. The Ferrari driver explained that a problem with a switch on the steering wheel first compromised his run, before another issue on his final SQ3 lap cost him significant time on the back straight. Losing around half a second at that moment prevented him from extracting the full potential of the car, something the team will now analyse ahead of the Sprint.
“Yeah, very frustrating session. I mean, first the toggle, then unfortunately when I had a good lap, I lost half a second in the back straight for whatever reason on the second lap in SQ3, so we’ll analyse that and try to understand what has gone wrong.”
Leclerc expects tighter fight with Mercedes in the race after missing pace in first Sprint Qualifying of 2026
Looking ahead to the remainder of the weekend, Leclerc suggested Ferrari’s overall picture had not changed despite the difficult Sprint Qualifying session at the 2026 F1 Chinese GP. The Monegasque driver expects the team to be more competitive in race conditions, where he believes Ferrari runs closer to Mercedes than over a single lap.
He also explained that the team evaluated a new rear wing during the sole practice session but ultimately chose not to run it in Sprint Qualifying.
While Mercedes appeared to gain a notable advantage in qualifying trim, Leclerc remains hopeful Ferrari can challenge more closely during the Sprint race.
“Yeah, I mean, it doesn’t really change the picture from where we are. I think in the race we should be relatively a bit stronger than where we were now in qualifying. However, Mercedes seems to be still a step ahead.
“In qualifying, for some reason, the Mercedes power unit finds a lot of lap time. We don’t quite find that amount of lap time just yet in qualifying, but in the race we are closer, so I’m still hopeful we can come back tomorrow.”
Hamilton praises Ferrari recovery but notes power disadvantage during Sprint Qualifying at 2026 F1 Chinese GP
Hamilton struck a more positive tone after Sprint Qualifying at the 2026 F1 Chinese GP, praising Ferrari’s turnaround following a difficult FP1 that included a spin.
The seven-time World Champion said the car felt strong throughout the session and competitive through the corners. However, he pointed to a clear deficit on the straights, suggesting Ferrari is losing significant lap time due to a power disadvantage compared to Mercedes.
Hamilton added that the team in Maranello must push hard to close that gap, noting that Mercedes appears to have gained an early edge in power unit development once again.
“Yeah. Really pleased with the session. My team did a really great job. My engineers did a fantastic job to turn the car around because in FP1 was a tricky session with that spin. And the car generally felt great. I think we’re losing. I think it is on the straights. It’s a lot of time to be losing. So yeah, we have a lot of work to do.
“We really have to push so hard at the back in Maranello to improve on power. It was something that I think we were conscious of last year that we thought that Mercedes started earlier than us or the rest, which they did last time as well. So they’ve done a fantastic job and we’ve got to step up.
“We’ve got to push to be able to close that gap. I think car-wise, the car feels great. I think we can compete with them through corners. But when you’re down on power, it’s just the way it is.”
Ferrari revert to Melbourne-spec rear wing after FP1
Hamilton also shed some light on Ferrari’s decision to remove the new rear wing after running it in FP1. The Briton explained that the update had been brought to the circuit earlier than originally planned, with the team rushing to have it available for the weekend.
With only two versions of the component available, Ferrari ultimately decided it was introduced slightly too early and reverted to the specification used in Melbourne for Sprint Qualifying.
Despite that, Hamilton said the car still felt strong and the team will look to reintroduce the upgrade once it is fully ready.
“I don’t really know why we went back on it. I think we rushed it to get it here, and it was not supposed to be on the cards until I think it was like race four or five or something like that. So they did a great job to rush it here. We only had two of them, and it was maybe a little bit premature. So we took it off. The car was still great, and we’ll work to try and bring it back when it’s ready.”
