Lewis Hamilton has suggested Mercedes have extra power in their engine which they do not show until Qualifying as the Silver Arrows locked out the front row at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who drove with Mercedes for 12 seasons, qualified third behind Kimi Antonelli and George Russell but was still 0.351s behind the new youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history.
Mercedes have locked out the front row in the three Qualifying sessions so far this season, with Hamilton’s three tenths margin to Antonelli on Saturday being the closest a non-Mercedes has got to pole.
After the Sprint, in Shanghai, where Hamilton was third behind winner Russell and team-mate Charles Leclerc, the seven-time world champion referred to his time at Mercedes when they turned up the engine for Q3 and often took pole position.
Since 2020, F1 regulations have stated teams must run the same engine mode during qualifying and the race. However, the new 2026 rules may offer the possibility of different solutions around battery deployment due to extra reliance on electrical output.
“I was with Mercedes for a long, long time, so I know how it works there,” said Hamilton.
“In qualifying they have another mode that they’re able to go to, a bit like a ‘party mode’ back in the day, and once they get to Q2 they switch that on, and we don’t have that. So, whatever that is.
“Then in the race they obviously don’t have that mode, so they still obviously have an advantage overall. We’ve got to figure out what that is, but there’s something more they’re able to extract, particularly in Q2.
“You see in Q1 we’re not that far away, and then all of a sudden it’s like a huge step. A tenth in Q1 behind, I think it was, and then all of a sudden it’s seven tenths or another half a second. It’s a big step.”
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George Russell thinks Ferrari are in the fight against Mercedes after battling with Lewis Hamilton in the Chinese GP Sprint
Similarly to the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari were much closer over a race stint as Hamilton and Leclerc took the fight to Russell in Saturday’s Sprint in Shanghai.
Hamilton and Russell fought hard in the early stages, swapping the lead five times in the opening five laps, before the stronger tyre degradation enabled Russell to pull away before a mid-race Safety Car.
Hamilton says Ferrari made changes to their car after the Sprint which got them closer to Mercedes for Qualifying, but is unsure whether Mercedes showed their true pace.
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Lewis Hamilton leads Sprint after thrilling start at the Chinese GP
“Whether they have more energy or more crank power, we don’t know. It’s impossible to know, but they’re just very quick when it comes to qualifying particularly,” he said.
“But we are working to improve in that region, and then in the race it gets a little bit closer. I don’t know why, but I’m grateful that it is a little bit closer in the race. It’s not close enough.
“Definitely feeling thirsty on power when we’re behind them. It’s really, really hard to keep up and you could tell they just have more grunt, they’re just pulling for longer. That’s why I died this morning [in the Sprint]. I was just trying to make it up through the corners, but it just wasn’t making any difference, so just killing my tyres.”
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Highlights of the Sprint from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix
Leclerc: I’m struggling a lot on this track
Throughout last year, Leclerc led Hamilton for the majority of this season but the latter has been much happier with the new 2026 car, which has moved away from the ground effect cars he struggled to extract the maximum from.
Hamilton has outpaced Leclerc in both Qualifyings in Shanghai, with Leclerc set to start Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix from fourth.
“There wasn’t much more for us, for me. I’m struggling a lot on this track for this season, it’s always been the case,” he said.
“It’s not that I’m not trying, because I’m putting a lot of effort into it, but I just struggle coming into qualifying.
“On top of that, these cars have to be driven a bit differently in qualifying and so there’s some work going on to try and optimise everything which will put us closer to Mercedes eventually. But pretty satisfied on a track I struggle with in general.”
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Charles Leclerc complained about Lewis Hamilton over the team radio as Ferrari’s nearly touch in Sprint at the Chinese GP
Sky Sports F1‘s Jacques Villeneuve believes the long corners at the Shanghai International Circuit does not suit the style of Leclerc, while Hamilton has refound some “positive energy” in the early phase of this season.
“Every driver has tracks where for some reason you are super quick. Even when the car is not good, he manages to drive it fast,” said the 1997 F1 world champion.
“This is an understeery track in general. We know Charles doesn’t like understeer that much, so maybe he has to over set-up his car to compensate for that understeer and that puts it in a bad area.”
Sky Sports F1’s Chinese GP schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments caught on the onboard cameras at the Chinese Grand Prix
Sunday March 15
2.35am: F1 Academy Race 2*
5.30am: Chinese GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
7am: THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
9am: Chinese GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
10am: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Shanghai for the first Sprint weekend of the 2026 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
