George Russell was once again the fastest in qualifying.Image: keystone
George Russell of Mercedes continued his dominant form, setting the pace in sprint qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, March 13, 2026. The performance signals a potential continuation of Mercedes’ strong start to the Formula One season, though other teams are voicing concerns about the current regulations.
March 13, 2026, 1:20 PMMarch 13, 2026, 6:34 PM
Mercedes continued its impressive start to the new Formula One season, with George Russell claiming pole position in sprint qualifying, ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli. The gap to the rest of the field was significant. World Champion Lando Norris finished third, more than six-tenths of a second behind Russell – a massive margin in the world of motorsports.
The Mercedes cars clearly have a performance advantage over the competition. The German-based team, located in Brackley, England, appears to have quickly adapted to the recent rule changes. Some speculate this is due to a loophole the team has exploited.
Mercedes Denies Claims of Rule Exploitation
Reports suggest the eight-time Constructors’ Champion has found a way to increase the engine’s compression ratio to 18:1 while running. This could potentially add up to 15 horsepower. While 16:1 is the permitted limit, measurements are only taken when the engine is cold, and Mercedes is reportedly meeting the requirement under those conditions. The FIA, prompted by competitors, has since introduced a rule change requiring compression ratio measurements to be taken while the engine is warm, effective June 1.
What does compression ratio mean?
It’s the ratio of the total cylinder volume before compression to the remaining volume after compression. Simply put, the volume in the cylinder when the piston is at its highest point can be no more than 16 times the volume when the piston is at its lowest point.
Until then, Mercedes could continue its dominance, with seven of 24 races scheduled before the end of May, plus half of the six sprint races. Russell and Antonelli were unchallenged in the season opener in Australia, where Russell was nearly eight-tenths of a second faster than the first non-Mercedes driver in qualifying. While Charles Leclerc initially took the lead, Ferrari ultimately couldn’t match Mercedes’ pace. Currently, there’s no indication that Mercedes’ dominance will end before the rule change.
In Melbourne, Mercedes celebrated a one-two finish thanks to George Russell and Kimi Antonelli (l.).Image: keystone
And if Mercedes is to be believed, this change won’t have a major impact on performance. According to Auto Motor Sport, the team isn’t exceeding the prescribed limit and is taking the rule change in stride. Mercedes has reportedly found a way to prevent the compression ratio from decreasing in driving operation compared to the cold state, which is what happens with other teams. Those teams are operating in the range of 15:1 to 15.5:1, potentially allowing Mercedes to maintain its advantage.
Echoes of Brawn GP
This situation is reminiscent of Brawn GP, which dominated the beginning of its sole Formula One season in 2009, winning seven of the first eight races. This was due to the unique underbody with a so-called double diffuser, which increased downforce and cornering speed. Once the competition replicated it, Jenson Button’s lead in the championship was insurmountable.
Jenson Button’s Brawn car was significantly faster than the competition.Image: wikicommons
That may now be happening with Mercedes. The compression ratio will only be measured with the engine running starting next year. Then, the remaining teams can build their engines to exceed the 16:1 limit in the cold state and fall below the permitted limit when running. This doesn’t bode well for the excitement of the current season.
While drivers like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have criticized the new Formula One regulations, Russell, Antonelli, and their team are pleased with their performance. Mercedes isn’t entirely happy with the new regulations, but, particularly a rule regarding the start.
“Selfish and Absurd” Ferrari
The rule gave a disadvantage to drivers starting further ahead, as they weren’t allowed to recover as much energy in the first lap as those further back. There’s a limit to how much energy can be recovered per lap. In Australia, the measurement line was in the middle of the starting grid, meaning the front of the field had already crossed it before the start. The energy recovered during the warm-up lap counted towards the first lap of the race, while the cars further back didn’t have this count, as their meter reset when crossing the line.
The Ferraris have a strong start – in Melbourne, Charles Leclerc shot from fourth place to the lead.Image: keystone
Russell described it as a very strange rule. Many teams wanted to adjust it, but didn’t receive enough support. Russell said, “As you can imagine, some teams that had a good start didn’t want to change anything, which I think is a bit absurd.” Russell initially didn’t name the teams, referring to “selfish views” from some people. He later told Sky Sports, “Unfortunately, sometimes when you want to change something for the good of the sport, but a team has a competitive advantage, like Ferrari does at the moment with the start, that team doesn’t want to change it.”
