2026 Chinese GP Sprint: Fastest Lap & Pace Gaps
Every car frozen on the finish line, with each gap to Charles Leclerc’s fastest lap shown to scale in real metres. Sprint at Shanghai, round 2.
Open the interactive 3D Gap Visualizer →Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Sprint: what happened
Charles Leclerc set the fastest lap for the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Sprint with a 1:34.753 for Ferrari at Shanghai. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was 0.007s behind, and at racing speed that is 0.59 m of track between them as they crossed the line.
Lewis Hamilton completed the top three for Ferrari, 0.173s off Charles Leclerc. Across the whole classified order the field spread out to 379.5 m, from Charles Leclerc to Valtteri Bottas.
The closest call of the session was between Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli: 0.007s apart, about 0.59 m at speed.
| # | Driver | Team | Lap time | Gap | Behind (to scale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:34.753 | Fastest | — |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:34.760 | +0.007 | 0.59 m |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:34.926 | +0.173 | 14.6 m |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:35.101 | +0.348 | 29.3 m |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:35.635 | +0.882 | 74.2 m |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35.708 | +0.955 | 80.4 m |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.774 | +1.021 | 85.9 m |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:36.912 | +2.159 | 181.7 m |
| 9 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:37.278 | +2.525 | 212.5 m |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:37.363 | +2.610 | 219.7 m |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:37.374 | +2.621 | 220.6 m |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:37.800 | +3.047 | 256.5 m |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:37.882 | +3.129 | 263.4 m |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:37.913 | +3.160 | 266.0 m |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:38.027 | +3.274 | 275.6 m |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:38.158 | +3.405 | 286.6 m |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:38.349 | +3.596 | 302.7 m |
| 18 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:38.475 | +3.722 | 313.3 m |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:38.487 | +3.734 | 314.3 m |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:38.532 | +3.779 | 318.1 m |
| 21 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:38.862 | +4.109 | 345.8 m |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:39.262 | +4.509 | 379.5 m |
How big is the gap, really?
Charles Leclerc set the sprint fastest lap at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:34.753. On the timesheet the field looks bunched into tenths, but at racing speed those tenths stretch out: from fastest lap to Valtteri Bottas the field covers 379.5 m. Open the 3D visualizer to see it to scale, car by car.
Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Sprint: your questions
- Who set the fastest lap at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) set the fastest lap at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 sprint with a 1:34.753 at Shanghai.
- What was the fastest lap at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- The fastest lap of the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 sprint was a 1:34.753, set by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) at Shanghai.
- How close was sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- Charles Leclerc beat Kimi Antonelli to fastest lap by 0.007s. At racing speed that margin is 0.59 m of track. Across the whole field, from fastest lap to Valtteri Bottas in P22, the spread is 4.509s or 379.5 m.
- How far behind was Kimi Antonelli at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) had the 2nd-fastest lap in sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:34.760, 0.007s behind Charles Leclerc's fastest lap. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 0.59 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lewis Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) had the 3rd-fastest lap in sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:34.926, 0.173s behind Charles Leclerc's fastest lap. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 14.6 m of track behind.
- How far behind was George Russell at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell (Mercedes) had the 4th-fastest lap in sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:35.101, 0.348s behind Charles Leclerc's fastest lap. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 29.3 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Oscar Piastri at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) had the 5th-fastest lap in sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:35.635, 0.882s behind Charles Leclerc's fastest lap. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 74.2 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lando Norris at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026?
- Lando Norris (McLaren) had the 6th-fastest lap in sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:35.708, 0.955s behind Charles Leclerc's fastest lap. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 80.4 m of track behind.
- How much is a tenth of a second in metres at Shanghai?
- On this lap a tenth of a second is worth roughly 8.4 m of track. That is why Kimi Antonelli's 0.007s at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 puts 0.59 m between the cars on the finish line.