In the Sprint tests in Shanghai, Russell set the best time, followed by Antonelli. Hamilton fourth and Leclerc sixth. Mystery about the new wing: it was only used in free practice and not in official tests
From Melbourne to Shanghai the music does not change. In Formula 1 2026 Mercedes are always dominant. After the one-two in Australia in the Sprint tests in China nothing has changed: best time for George Russell and second for Kimi Antonelli. With a gap of more than six tenths inflicted on the Mc Laren of reigning world champion Lando Norris. Fourth time for Lewis Hamilton who this time did better than his teammate Charles Leclerc, only sixth. The Ferraris did not have a positive day: the Maranello team tested the new wing, the “macarena”, in free practice. But then he didn’t use it in the official tests for the Sprint.
The Macarena Mystery
But why didn’t Ferrari use the new wing that was supposed to give it 8 km per hour on a straight line? Vasseur’s response is vague: “We used it in free practice and we decided not to use it again to have more mileage in the next tests, in order to make a final decision.” The words of the Maranello drivers were equally cryptic. Leclerc limited himself to a “I don’t think the new wing will change the picture of the situation.” Hamilton was quite clear about the reason for the “deinstallation” of the wing in Sprint qualifying: “I don’t know why we went backwe rushed things by bringing her here, but maybe it was a little premature. We will work to bring it again when it is ready.” But if the drivers don’t know, who knows? Yet Hamilton had said he was enthusiastic about the innovations that the team would bring to Shanghai, especially for the long straights that Ferrari could exploit with the new wing. But no. It’s not yet time for the macarena. And Ferrari isn’t dancing.
Hamilton happy, Leclerc not
Fourth place paid off happy Lewis Hamilton who at the end of the tests said: “I’m very satisfied, the team and the engineers did a fantastic job, because free practice was complicated. We lose too much on the straight, we have a lot of work to do, we have to push hard in Maranello to improve in terms of power” Hamilton then analyzed the comparison with his opponents: “We knew that Mercedes would be strong. In the corners we compete with them, but when you lack power on the straight it’s a problem.” Less cheerful Charles Leclerc: “A very frustrating session. I made a mistake on the first lap, on the second I was going well but I lost 4 tenths on the straight and we need to understand what happened. In the race we should be a little stronger than in qualifying, where Mercedes seems a step ahead. We hope to recover.”
Russell’s controversy against Ferrari
On this year’s news, in particular on departures, George Russell attacked Ferrari without naming it. “The FIA could intervene, I think it wants to, but it needs a qualified majority of the teams and at the moment it doesn’t have it. So you can imagine which team is against it“, implicitly referring to Ferrari and called this attitude “a bit silly”. “The FIA wanted to make our lives easier and eliminate this charging limit, but as often happens, some have selfish opinions and want to do what is best for them, it’s part of F1, we will adapt and now we know what we have to watch out for. We’ll get to grips with it and I think the starts will be much better here.”
