Kimi Antonelli became the second-youngest race winner in Formula 1 history on Sunday, March 15, after taking a calm and commanding victory at the Chinese GP.
The 19-year-old Mercedes driver controlled the race at Shanghai International Circuit and led his team to a second straight one-two finish. George Russell finished second for Mercedes, while Lewis Hamilton secured third to claim his first podium for Ferrari.
The race delivered drama before it even began. Four cars failed to start, several drivers retired, and strategy calls during a Safety Car period reshaped the order. In the end, Antonelli stayed in control and crossed the line 5.515 seconds ahead of Russell.
For Mercedes, the win marked another strong start to the 2026 season. For Antonelli, it marked the first victory of his Formula 1 career and a milestone moment for Italian motorsport.
As it happened in the Chinese Grand Prix
The Chinese GP began with chaos before the lights even went out. Both McLarens, Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi and Alexander Albon’s Williams, failed to start the race. Lando Norris suffered a power-unit electronics problem, while Oscar Piastri’s McLaren developed a separate electrical fault after reaching the grid.
When the race started, Hamilton reacted quickly and swept around the outside of Antonelli at Turn 1 to grab the lead. Charles Leclerc moved into third, giving Ferrari control of the top two positions in the early laps. Antonelli responded quickly and reclaimed the lead on lap three with a bold move under braking at the hairpin.
George Russell struggled early. His tyres took time to warm up, leaving him stuck behind the Ferraris in fourth place. Antonelli used the clean air to build a gap at the front.
The race changed on lap 10 when Lance Stroll spun and stalled his Aston Martin. Race control deployed the Safety Car while the car was cleared. Aston Martin later said a suspected battery failure caused the issue.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari used the chance to double-stack their cars in the pit lane. The teams switched from medium tyres to hard tyres and planned to run to the finish. Drivers who started on hard tyres, including Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon, stayed out and briefly led the race before the leaders passed them again.
Once the race resumed, Russell began to recover. He passed both Ferraris and moved into second place by lap 30. By then, Antonelli had already opened a comfortable lead.
The most intense fight of the race came between the Ferrari teammates. Hamilton and Leclerc battled wheel-to-wheel for several laps as they fought over third place. Hamilton later said the two drivers made slight contact during the fight but kept it fair.
Hamilton held the position while Leclerc faded late in the race as his tyres aged.
Further back, Max Verstappen’s difficult weekend ended on lap 47 when his Red Bull retired with a power-unit problem. The Dutch driver had already described the car’s handling as a “disaster” before the race and left Shanghai without points from the first two rounds of the season. Fernando Alonso also retired, adding to Aston Martin’s tough start to the year.
At the front, Antonelli stayed calm through the closing laps. He locked up slightly at the hairpin late in the race, which prompted Mercedes engineers to tell him to bring the car home safely.
He did exactly that. Antonelli crossed the finish line to loud cheers in the Mercedes garage, where team principal Toto Wolff embraced the driver’s father as the young Italian secured his first Formula 1 win.
What the top three drivers said after the race
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes (1st)
“I’m speechless, I’m about to cry, to be honest. Thank you to the team for helping me to achieve this dream. I really wanted to bring Italy back to the top, and we did today. Even if I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack with the flat spot, we did it. It was not an easy start; I covered too much on the inside and gave too much room to the Ferrari. But we were able to bring it home.”
George Russell, Mercedes (2nd)
“Huge congrats to Kimi, it is always special to win your first race, so pleased to be standing on the podium with him, and with this guy as well.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari (3rd)
“I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi, I’m so happy for you. I had so much fun, we had a great start, but just couldn’t keep these guys behind. It was one of the most enjoyable races I have had in a long time. The battle with Charles was awesome, wheel to wheel but fair.”
Chinese GP: Final race results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Winner |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +5.515s |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +25.267s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +28.894s |
| 5 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +57.268s |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +59.647s |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | RB | +1m 20.588s |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1m 27.247s |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1 lap |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 lap |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1 lap |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | RB | +1 lap |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +1 lap |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1 lap |
| 15 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +1 lap |
| DNF | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Power unit |
| DNF | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Retirement |
| DNF | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Battery issue |
| DNS | Lando Norris | McLaren | Electrical/PU |
| DNS | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | Technical |
| DNS | Alexander Albon | Williams | Technical |
| DNS | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Electrical/PU |
Next race: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka (March 27–29)
The Formula 1 season continues in Japan at the Suzuka Circuit.
| Session | Day | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Free practice 1 | Friday, March 27 | 11:30 |
| Free practice 2 | Friday, March 27 | 15:00 |
| Free practice 3 | Saturday, March 28 | 11:30 |
| Qualifying | Saturday, March 28 | 15:00 |
| Race | Sunday, March 29 | 14:00 |
Antonelli arrives at Suzuka with fresh confidence after his breakthrough Chinese GP win. Mercedes also carries momentum after securing back-to-back one-two finishes early in the 2026 season.
