The first Sprint race in 2026 has ended with George Russell securing a hard-earned win ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Here are some of the highlights from the race.
- Russell vs. Hamilton
- The first lap brought all sorts of on-track battles, none more exciting than the one between past teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver had started P4 on the grid, but thanks to an excellent start was able to charge his way up past Russell and into first. However, across the first laps, the two swapped positions many times before Russell prevailed and secured P1 with his Mercedes.
- Verstappen Just Missing Out on Points
- Max Verstappen was already not happy with the car coming into the Sprint race, and the results did not bring satisfaction. The four-time World Champion was unable to make it into the points-scoring position, falling just short in ninth place. His teammate Isack Hadjar fared even worse, finishing down in fifteenth. Red Bull just doesn’t seem to have the pace to challenge their rivals at the top.
- Antonelli Losing Second Place
- Kimi Antonelli started the Sprint on the front row, in P2. However, once the lights went out, he drastically dropped down the order, and made small contact with Isack Hadjar. This incident earned him a ten-second time penalty, which eventually he got a chance to serve in the pits during a safety car period. Still, the penalty did not help him climb back up to the podium places, as he could only finish fifth after getting past Oscar Piastri in the McLaren.
- Positive Race of Lawson and Bearman
- Some midfield runners got a chance to impress today, and that was the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and the Haas of Ollie Bearman. The two decided not to pit during the safety car, and instead stayed out on older tires. This gamble helped them both remain in the points-scoring positions, even if it was only seventh and eighth. Ollie Bearman also managed to keep Max Verstappen behind him all the way up to the checkered flag, to protect his single Championship point he earned from the Sprint.
- McLaren Not Competitive Enough
- We’ve already covered Red Bull not being able to keep up, but McLaren is also marginally behind their rivals Mercedes and Ferrari. Lando Norris did manage to sneak into P3 in qualifying, however he lost that position pretty immediately at the start of the Sprint, with both Ferrari drivers overtaking him. The reigning World Champion did manage to stay in front of Kimi Antonelli after the pit stops, while his teammate Piastri did not. McLaren will definitely need to up their game in the development side of things if they want a chance of defending their Championship title.
