F1 drivers are concerned about the big difference in start speeds with the new cars. But not all the teams agree on solving the issue

Formula One championship leader George Russell put Mercedes on pole position for the first sprint race of the season ​in China on Friday in a front-row lockout with teammate Kimi Antonelli.

TL;DR: Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels to watch select F1 races live. Watch the Chinese GP for free with the Prime Video app. The new F1 season started in the way most fans expected.

It's a jungle” in Formula 1. The four-time F1 world champion isn't a fan of the new 2026 technical regulations, despite working his way up from No. 20 on the grid to place sixth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last weekend.

For over a year, the new Cadillac Formula 1 team has had a countdown clock in its headquarters at Silverstone, England, clicking down to the Australian Grand Prix, the opening round of 2026. Last weekend, in Melbourne, the clock had been relocated to its pit garage.

There are no mandatory pit stops in a sprint race and only the top eight finishers score points The new era of Formula 1 is under way and the Chinese Grand Prix will host the first of six sprint events for the 2026 season.

Cadillac is undertaking aggressive development of its MAC-26, with Sergio Perez hoping the effort will yield points by the summer break