Kimi Antonelli achieved his first win in Formula 1 with a beautiful and mature drive in the Mercedes to score a top result in the Chinese Grand Prix, leading home a Silver Arrows 1-2 with the former Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton taking a podium for Ferrari.
Having becoming the youngest driver to start on pole position, Antonelli withstood the pressure from the Ferraris to finish in first place. Kimi only briefly lost P1 at the start when Hamilton jumped on both Mercedes from P3 with a quick getaway.
Re-taking the lead before the end of the second lap, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver was never headed again, retaining first after his only pit stop under the single safety car early in proceedings.
Despite a nervous moment after running deep at the Turn 14 hairpin with four laps to the chequered flag, Antonelli finished 5.5 seconds clear of George Russell to become the second youngest winner of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Russell, who had won the sprint race, fought back to second position having found himself behind the battling Ferraris at the mid-point of the race after struggling for grip on the safety car restart, George maintains his lead in the drivers’ championship.
Hamilton took his first podium for Ferrari at the same venue where he claimed his only victory last season in the China sprint twelve months ago.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth, 28 seconds up from the Haas of Ollie Bearman. Involved in an early battle with his teammate Esteban Ocon and the Alpines, Bearman was able to clear Colapinto.
Gasly was sixth for Alpine, picking up a position when Max Verstappen retired with a power unit issue, which moved Liam Lawson up to seventh after the Racing Bull driver also batted away an assault from Isack Hadjar.
Hadjar had locked up his wheels at Turn 13 while battling against Bearman and had to stop at the end of the first lap, but recovered to collect his first points at Red Bull.
Carlos Sainz picked up the first points for Williams with ninth, keeping Colapinto at bay and yet picking up his first point for Alpine.
Colapinto pitted later into the race and came out ahead of the similarly late-stopping Ocon. The two made contact as Colapinto took a wider approach into Turn 3, and Ocon attempted to dive down the inside as the Alpine turned in. Ocon immediately accepted the blame for the incident, and also picked up a 10-second penalty for causing a collision.
Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad missed out on the top ten, as Valtteri Bottas was classified ahead of Ocon and Sergio Perez to record Cadillac’s highest finish so far.
Both Aston Martins retired from the race, as Fernando Alonso called it a day after losing feeling in his hands due to the uncontrollable vibrations in his AMR26.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were unable to start with unrelated powertrain issues, with Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto also unable to take their positions on the grid.
So congratulations to Andrea Kimi Antonelli in achieving a top result in the sport with his first pole position followed by race victory in the Mercedes. It was a well deserved victory and hopefully the first of many for Kimi. Kudos!
Chinese Grand Prix, race results:
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:33:15.607
2 George Russell Mercedes +5.515s
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +25.267s
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +28.894s
5 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari +57.268s
6 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes +59.647s
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls-Ford +80.588s
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull-Ford +87.247s
9 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes +1 lap
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes +1 lap
11 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1 lap
12 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford +1 lap
13 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari +1 lap
14 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari +1 lap
15 Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari +1 lap
Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford DNF
Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda DNF
Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes DNS
Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes DNS
Gabriel Bortoleto Audi DNS
Alex Albon Williams-Mercedes DNS
Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, beating Mercedes team mate George Russell as Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton claimed his first Grand Prix podium for the Scuderia after a thrilling intra-team battle.
Having become the youngest Grand Prix polesitter on Saturday, Antonelli was only briefly headed at the start of Sunday’s race in Shanghai, losing the lead to Hamilton who got the jump on both Mercedes from P3.
Re-taking the lead before the end of the second lap, the 19-year-old Italian was never headed again, retaining first after his only pit stop under the sole Safety Car period early in proceedings.
Despite a nervous moment after running deep at the Turn 14 hairpin with four laps remaining, Antonelli finished 5.5 seconds clear of Russell to become the second youngest winner of a Grand Prix.
Russell, who had won Saturday’s Sprint, fought back to second having found himself behind the squabbling Ferraris at the mid-point of the race after struggling for grip on the Safety Car restart, the Briton still in the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton took his first rostrum for Ferrari in a Grand Prix at the same venue where he claimed his only victory last season in the China Sprint 12 months ago.
The seven-time World Champion had to fight team mate Charles Leclerc hard for the position, the pair running side-by-side at several points throughout the race as the Monegasque finished fourth.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-beats-russell-for-maiden-f1-victory-in-china-as-hamilton-takes.5aJsWCPiRhp2euZctEwEYA
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to make the start of F1’s Chinese GP after their McLarens were struck by pre-race technical issues.
McLaren was scrambling to get both Norris and Piastri at the start, as world champion Norris couldn’t make it out of the pitlane in time for the pre-race procedure due to electronics problems.
Less than 10 minutes before the start of the formation lap, McLaren also had to wheel Piastri back to the garage with an undisclosed problem, and it failed to send either driver back out for a pitlane start.
It’s the second consecutive pre-race drama for McLaren after Oscar Piastri crashed out of his home race in Melbourne on the reconnaissance laps to the grid.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also hit trouble after he had already made it onto the starting grid. The Brazilian’s car was pushed back to the garage by his mechanics some 15 minutes before the start of the race and didn’t make the start either.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lando-norris-hit-by-technical-issue-ahead-of-f1-chinese-gp/10805380/
Technical issues took both McLaren cars out of Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix before it even started, to Lando Norris’ and Oscar Piastri’s dismay.
Struck by an electronics issue, reigning world champion Norris failed to make it out of the garage for the Shanghai race, while team-mate Piastri had to be wheeled back into the pitlane from the grid, because of what the Australian described as “an electrical issue on the power unit”.
“I don’t know how long it’s been going on for, honestly,” Norris commented when asked to describe the timeline of events. “Sometimes it’s better just to leave them to crack on with things, but I found out probably 20 minutes before I was meant to go out the garage. But I think they’ve been working at things for a little while already. Some electrical issue with the power unit, and therefore can’t even start it.
“So, yeah, a shame. My first non-start in F1, which is sad. And even worse, that it’s a double do-not-start with Oscar as well. So, yeah, not the best day for us.”
Norris still climbed aboard the car, leading to speculation he might actually be able to partake in the race.
“They were trying to [fix the car], so you never knew,” he explained. “We even stayed in for the first couple of laps, just in case there was a red or something, and luck turned our way. But it didn’t, it was just, we’d rather be ready to go in case something magically appeared and started working. But not today.”
Meanwhile, Piastri’s issue manifested at the worst possible time. “It was all fine on the way to the grid,” he revealed. “I think similar, an electrical issue on the power unit, which I think was the same for Lando, but it’s not the same electrical issue. So, yeah, that is obviously disappointing, but it is what it is.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclaren-drivers-explain-what-led-to-double-dns-at-f1-chinese-gp/10805407/
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was left “speechless” as he broke down in tears after claiming his maiden Formula 1 win at the Chinese Grand Prix, and recounted a hair-raising off-track excursion towards the end of the race.
Fresh from being F1’s youngest-ever grand prix polesitter, Antonelli emerged victorious from a long battle between Mercedes and Ferrari at the Shanghai International Circuit, reclaiming his lead after an early challenge from the fast-starting Ferraris.
Mercedes’ true pace advantage emerged towards the latter half of the race on worn tyres and Antonelli was able to cruise to a win while team-mate Russell first had to dispatch Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Antonelli brought his car home five seconds ahead of Russell to claim his maiden grand prix win and was overcome with emotion after the finish.
“I’m speechless. I’m about to cry to be honest but thank you so much to my team because they helped me to achieve this dream,” the 19-year-old said before breaking down in tears. “I’m super happy. I said yesterday I really wanted to bring Italy back on top and we did today.”
Antonelli survived a late scare when he locked his tyres at the hairpin and went straight on, costing him several seconds on Russell. The Italian had been pushing on old tyres before that, with his lock-up a reminder to dial things down and just bring the car home, as his race engineer suggested.
“I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack towards the end with a flat spot,” Antonelli acknowledged. “But it was a good race. It was not an easy start and probably I covered a bit too much on the inside and gave too much room to the Ferrari. But at the end the pace was good, and we managed to bring it home.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of the season now. I always focus race by race and then we’ll see where we end up at the end of the year.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/kimi-antonelli-fights-tears-after-maiden-f1-win-i-gave-myself-a-heart-attack-at-the-end/10805453/
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has admitted to having been “a bit scared” as his drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, battled throughout Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton briefly led the race on lap one before being overtaken by polesitter Kimi Antonelli; the Ferraris fought George Russell for second place in the first few laps and then over 15 laps following the safety car intervention, with the Mercedes man comfortably outpacing them in the second half of the race.
Hamilton and Leclerc were left to battle it out for the third spot on the podium, which they did for most of the race – hence a suboptimal pace relative to Russell late on – with F1’s new power unit rules providing entertaining racing due to energy management.
The seven-time world champion eventually took a decisive advantage on lap 40 and increased the gap to 3.6 seconds under the chequered flag.
“I really enjoyed it. I’m not sure if you ask the team they will reply the same, but I really enjoyed it,” Leclerc commented.
He’s not wrong in the scuffle potentially being hair-raising for the team. “I have to be honest, sometimes you are a bit scared,” Vasseur admitted to Sky Germany, “but I trust them that they were in control and that something can happen.
“But on the other hand, it’s also very difficult as a team to freeze the positions. I think they are professional and I really enjoyed this.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fred-vasseur-scared-ferrari-f1-drivers-battled-chinese-gp/10805492/
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton said the Chinese Grand Prix was ‘one of the most enjoyable F1 races ever’ as he snared his first grand prix podium for the Scuderia.
Hamilton won China’s sprint race from pole last year, but that was a rare highlight in a tough debut campaign as he struggled to gel with his scarlet machinery.
But following a short winter to recharge his batteries, the seven-time world champion looks revitalised as he has found F1’s new-for-2026 cars much more to his liking, qualifying ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc in China before going on to take his first proper grand prix podium for the Maranello squad.
After battling Leclerc and both Mercedes cars wheel-to-wheel for the majority of the race, Hamilton claimed the Chinese Grand Prix had been one of the most entertaining races he has been a part of, while also saluting his Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli.
“Well, firstly I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi. I’m so so happy for you, buddy, and I’m so honoured to be able to share this moment with him,” Hamilton said. “He took my seat obviously at this great team, so big congratulations to Mercedes.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to try and keep up but I had so much fun. It’s one of the most enjoyable races that I’ve had in a long, long time, if ever. The fact that the cars are the way they are this year and that battle with Charles at the end was awesome, great wheel-to-wheel battle, very fair and just what we want.
“I think there was one moment we did touch, but it was just a kiss so it’s okay. But that’s what it’s about. It’s about tough racing.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lewis-hamilton-first-ferrari-gp-podium-most-enjoyable-f1-race-ever/10805465/
After the Chinese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen once again voiced his strong dissatisfaction with the new Formula 1 regulations. The Dutchman said that fans who enjoy this type of on-track action “don’t understand racing” and that the new ruleset is fundamentally flawed.
“It’s not fun at all. It’s playing Mario Kart. This is not racing,” he claimed after the race.
According to Verstappen, drivers should have been listened to earlier, especially as he had already warned about potential problems during the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix – after his first simulator runs based on the 2026 regulations.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, believes Verstappen’s criticism is partly related to the situation at Red Bull.
On Sunday, the four-time world champion once again had a dramatic start, entering the first corner in 16th place. Verstappen fought his way back up the order, but a DNF completed a rather frustrating weekend in Shanghai.
“I mean, Max is really in a horror show,” Wolff told media including Motorsport.com. “When you look at the onboard that he had in qualifying yesterday, that is just horrendous to drive. And you can see that, but it’s not the same with many other teams.”
The Mercedes team boss added that the race in Shanghai was actually quite entertaining, especially due to the battle between both Ferraris and George Russell.
“From an entertainment perspective, I believe that what we’ve seen today between Ferrari and Mercedes was good racing – many overtakes.
“We were all part of Formula 1 when there was no overtaking, literally. Sometimes we’re too nostalgic about the good old years, but I think the product is good in itself. We saw quite some racing in the midfield also, and that is, I think, the positive.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-verstappen-in-a-horror-show-toto-wolff-responds-to-2026-f1-criticism/10805536/