The Mercedes driver withstood an entertaining yo-yo battle in the opening laps at the Shanghai International Circuit from the fast-starting Ferraris to bring his car home 0.6 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc.
The result marked Russell’s second career Sprint victory and extended his lead in the drivers’ championship.
Lewis Hamilton delivered a spirited performance to secure his first podium finish of any kind since winning the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint 12 months ago, finishing third.
The Ferrari driver held off reigning world champion Lando Norris and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who came home fourth and fifth respectively.
Antonelli endured a difficult start to the race, dropping from second on the grid to seventh before colliding with the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar on the opening lap. The incident resulted in a 10-second penalty for the Italian.
A late Safety Car period allowed Antonelli to serve the penalty during a pit stop, after which he recovered to hold off Oscar Piastri.
The Australian briefly overtook Antonelli on the Safety Car restart but did so before the restart line and was ordered to give the position back, eventually finishing sixth to score his first points of the 2026 season.
Out front, Russell avoided trouble and managed the pressure from Ferrari to seal victory and extend his championship lead.
More to come
