Chinese Grand Prix round-up: Mercedes keep a 1–2 as Russell holds P1 on 51

Round 2 of the 2026 season at Shanghai International Circuit reshaped Measure’s rankings without dislodging the top of the championship. George Russell still leads Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc best of the rest.

By Elena Marsh

What happened at the Chinese Grand Prix?

The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix weekend (March 15) at Shanghai International Circuit tightened the early-season picture at the front of the Measure standings: Mercedes remain in a clear 1–2 in the championship, and the supporting rankings saw significant swings for several drivers.

In the points narrative at the top, Russell added 26 in China (18 + 8 sprint) and Antonelli added 29 (25 + 4 sprint), keeping them nose-to-tail overall. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc banked 19 (12 + 7 sprint) and Lewis Hamilton 21 (15 + 6 sprint), ensuring the top four remains split between Mercedes and Ferrari. Oliver Bearman’s weekend (11: 10 + 1 sprint) lifts him into the championship top five.

Who leads the F1 2026 championship after the Chinese Grand Prix?

After China, the top three in the 2026 championship are: 1) George Russell (Mercedes) on 51 points, 2) Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) on 47, and 3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) on 34.

That puts Mercedes in control of the early title fight through two rounds, with Ferrari’s lead car in touch but needing momentum to close the gap. For the full table and movement snapshots, see Measure’s championship ranking deep-dive from Shanghai.

Who were the biggest movers?

The sharpest drops came in the Most overtakes ranking: Lando Norris (McLaren) fell 11 places to 13th on 7, and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) also fell 11 places to 14th on 7. In the Championship ranking itself, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) dropped 11 places to 22nd on 0.

There were big gains too. In Teammate head-to-head (race), Liam Lawson (RB F1 Team) jumped 10 places to 9th with a 1–1 record, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli rose nine places to 3rd, also at 1–1. Lawson also climbed nine places to 9th in Most top-10 finishes, on 1.

Want to go deeper? Measure’s weekend reads include: Most positions gained; Points from outside the top 10; Most top-10 finishes; Most overtakes; Teammate head-to-head (qualifying); and the post-China Championship ranking.

Before & after positions

In this article

• Championship ranking
• F1 drivers
• Most overtakes
• Most positions gained
• Most positions lost
• Most top-10 finishes

Every ranking from this round

• Championship ranking after China: Russell’s 51 points keeps Mercedes 1-2 ahead as Stroll tumbles to 22nd
• Most overtakes: Verstappen stays P1 on 19 as Bearman and Lawson close in after China
• Most positions gained: Verstappen still leads on +14 as Russell’s Shanghai result drops him to 10th
• Antonelli takes over the 2026 ‘Most positions lost’ lead as Verstappen’s Shanghai slide reshapes the top 10
• Antonelli edges Russell in 2026’s Most top-10 finishes after China as the reliability picture tightens
• Points from outside the top 10: Verstappen stays P1 on 8 as Shanghai reshuffles the chasers
• Bearman takes over Teammate head-to-head (race) lead after Shanghai as Haas intra-team gap hits 2–0
• Bearman takes over the Teammate head-to-head (qualifying) lead as Russell tumbles after Shanghai

What this means

Two rounds in, the headline is stability at the very top—Russell leads, Antonelli is close behind, and Mercedes hold the championship 1–2—paired with volatility across the supporting rankings. With sizeable week-to-week swings in categories like overtakes and teammate head-to-head, the next races should be especially revealing about whether early patterns (and sudden movers) settle into longer-term trends.