Alex Albon will start from the pit lane for the sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix, after Williams made changes to the set-up of the suspension on his FW48.
As per F1 regulations, this constitutes a breach of parc ferme, and he has been removed from the grid. As a result, those who were due to start behind him have moved up one slot, leaving just 21 cars to line up.
The Thai driver had qualified in P18, just behind team-mate Carlos Sainz. All those in front of the Spaniard will assume their expected starting slots.
Check out the full sprint grid at the Shanghai International Circuit below! More to follow...
NOTE: Grid remains provisional until officially confirmed by the FIA.
Full adjusted starting grid for 2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 2nd | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 3rd | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 4th | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 5th | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 6th | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 7th | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 8th | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 9th | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 10th | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 11th | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi |
| 12th | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 13th | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 14th | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 15th | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 16th | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 17th | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 18th | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 19th | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 20th | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| 21st | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
| PIT LANE | Alex Albon | Williams |
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