Its race week once again as the Formula One circus heads to China to tackle the Shanghai International Circuit. The Chinese Grand Prix also marks the first Sprint Race weekend of the season meaning drivers will have just one practice session to get up to speed compared to the usual three.
All five British drivers had a superb start to the 2026 Formula One season. We had a British winner in Mercedes driver George Russell and all five British drivers finished in the points.
But enough about last week, let’s focus on what each of the drivers should be expecting to achieve this weekend.
George Russell: Add more points to his tally while Mercedes have the upper hand
Russell drove a classy race in Australia and fended off pressure from both Ferrari’s and his teammate Kimi Antonelli to take victory. With Mercedes looking like they have one of, if not the best, package out of the whole field, Russell needs to keep claiming podium finishes or better. In a new set of regulations teams are constantly going to be developing their cars so Mercedes might not stay on top for long. As we know, there are some fierce competitors waiting in the wings in the likes of Ferrari, Verstappen and Mclaren who will be just as eager to fight for the world championship.
I think that Mercedes will be strong at Shanghai and Russell should be aiming for one of the top two spots on the podium this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton: Show the true pace of the Ferrari
Hamilton was unlucky in Australia, his race eventually coming undone after a poor strategy call from the Ferrari pitwall. However, the Ferrari did have good pace and stuck with the Mercedes of Russell for a fair portion of the race. Hamilton is the most successful driver ever at the Chinese Grand Prix, claiming six grand prix wins and a sprint race win last year.
Hamilton will be hoping to use his experience to help him dial into the track in the single practice session this weekend. From there, he will surely be hoping for a top five at the minimum however we assume the field will be tight!
Lando Norris: Bounce back after a siightly underwhelming first weekend
Reigning world champion Lando Norris had a difficult opening weekend in his 2026 title defence. The 26 year olds weekend didn’t get off to a great start as he missed some practice on Friday and then qualified in sixth place, behind teammate Piastri.
Norris managed to climb one spot to finish fifth in the race. However there should be concern for Mclaren as Norris only finished three seconds ahead of Max Verstappen who started in 20th place.
Mclaren and Lando Norris need to bounce back at the Chinese Grand Prix if they are to have any hope of defending the constructors and drivers world titles this year.
Oliver Bearman: Continue to lead Haas to points finishes
Ollie Bearman had a brilliant Australian Grand Prix weekend, scoring valuable points for Haas. Bearman qualified in 12th position just behind his teammate Esteban Ocon but stormed through the field to cross the line ‘best of the rest’ in seventh position. To achieve a result like that in race one of the year shows Haas have taken some great steps forward and they have a very good package to build upon this year.
Bearman will need to stay consistent at Shanghai as Audi and Racing Bulls will be there to pick up the scraps if he doesn’t. Bearman finished eighth place in China last year so all signs point towards some points for Bearman and Haas this weekend.
Arvid Lindblad: Have an incident free weekend and get in the fight for points
Rookie sensation Arvid Lindblad had a dream debut weekend in Formula One for the Racing Bulls team. The 18 year old scored points on debut, settling for eighth place after a tense battle with Ollie Bearman.
Whilst people may be expecting Lindblad to score more points this weekend, it’s even more important that he stays out of trouble and continues to build momentum in his Formula One career. Lindblad is going to have a lot of competition from Audi, Haas and maybe Alpine if he wants to score more points this season. And you have to imagine that all of those teams are going to be fighting over a maximum of eighth and potentially seventh place. Lindblad is going to have to be at the top of his game to achieve continuous points finishes
How do you think the British drivers will do this weekend? Leave your predictions in the comments!
Image Credit: F1
