2026 Chinese GP: Antonelli claims his first career victory!

Before the start of the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, the main topic of discussion was Mercedes’ pace. After the Albert Park circuit, there was keen interest in how dominant they would be in Shanghai.

Expectations were met – George Russell dominated not only the lone practice session but also the sprint qualifying and the sprint race, leaving almost no competition apart from his teammate.

However, the main qualifying session didn’t go in his favour. Early in the final session, the British driver faced a car issue and ultimately had to settle for second place. His teammate, Kimi Antonelli, became the youngest driver in F1 history to secure pole position.

In the starting grid, the Mercedes drivers claimed the first row, the Ferrari drivers the second, and the McLaren drivers the third. Max Verstappen could only manage 8th. Four drivers – Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Alexander Elbon – were unable to start due to various mechanical issues. Piastri has now missed the start in two consecutive races.

Pirelli brought the C2, C3, and C4 compounds. Red Bull drivers started on Softs, while Hülkenberg, Kolapinto, Ocon, Lindblad, Alonso, and Stroll used Hards, and the remaining drivers went with Mediums.

At the start, Hamilton overtook the Mercedes cars to take the lead. Berman gained four positions, while Verstappen lost six. Hacar spun in place and went to the pits to change tyres. On lap 2, Antonelli passed Hamilton at turn 14, and Russell overtook Leclerc.

By lap 4, Russell also passed Hamilton. Cadillac drivers collided, but the stewards left the incident without penalty. On lap 6, Ocon overtook Louson, and on lap 7, Hülkenberg passed Sainz in the battle for 12th. On lap 10, Louson, Verstappen, and Sainz pitted, but a lap later, it became clear the moves worked against them – Stroll stopped in the first corner, bringing out the Safety Car.

Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc, Gasly, Berman, Bottas, and Hacar immediately changed tyres. On lap 12, Perez pitted, but there was a delay in securing the right rear tyre. The race restarted on lap 14, with Antonelli keeping the lead. Berman overtook Gasly, Lawson passed Alonso, Hacar got past Perez, and Hamilton overtook Russell and Ocon.

On lap 16, Leclerc passed Ocon and Kolapinto. Russell overtook Ocon to move up to fifth. On lap 17, Gasly and Verstappen passed Hülkenberg, while Russell overtook Kolapinto for fourth. On lap 18, Alonso’s car lost pace, but he continued. Gasly and Verstappen passed Lindblad.

Hamilton applied heavy pressure on Antonelli for several laps, but Kimi’s car was faster, and he gradually increased the gap. On lap 20, the Haas drivers nearly collided, but Berman overtook Ocon. Verstappen passed Gasly, and on lap 21, overtook Ocon.

On lap 22, Berman passed Kolapinto, Louson passed Lindblad, Hülkenberg passed Gasly, and Hacar overtook Sainz – the new regulations noticeably increased overtaking opportunities. On lap 24, Verstappen passed Kolapinto to move up to sixth.

Leclerc overtook Hamilton at turn 14. Russell then attacked Hamilton, but Lewis defended, with the three drivers battling closely while Antonelli extended his lead. On lap 26, Hamilton passed Leclerc, but Charles immediately regained his position – the “battery battle” had begun. Russell joined the fight and passed Hamilton.

On lap 28, Lindblad spun at turn 14 but continued the race. On lap 29, Russell overtook Leclerc in the battle for third. Meanwhile, Antonelli increased his lead to 7.5 seconds.

On lap 30, Ocon pitted; Alonso on lap 32, and Kolapinto on lap 33. Kolapinto collided with Ocon after returning to the track, both spinning but continuing. Ocon received a 10-second penalty for this incident.

On lap 34, Alonso returned to the pits due to vibrations and reported he couldn’t feel the pedals, retiring from the race. On lap 36, Hamilton overtook Leclerc for third. On lap 37, Hülkenberg pitted.

On lap 40, Leclerc passed Hamilton, but Lewis immediately regained the position, continuing the battle. On lap 42, Kolapinto passed Lindblad in the fight for 11th. On lap 44, Lindblad pitted, and Hülkenberg overtook Ocon to move into 12th.

On lap 47, Verstappen retired due to a hybrid system cooling issue. On lap 48, Ocon changed tyres. On lap 53, Antonelli, confidently leading, locked his tyres while braking and went off track, losing two seconds but keeping the lead. On lap 54, Ocon overtook Perez for 14th.

Kimi Antonelli won the Chinese Grand Prix, claiming his first career victory and becoming the second youngest race winner in F1 history after Max Verstappen. George Russell finished second, giving Mercedes a consecutive double finish. Lewis Hamilton took third, earning his first podium with Ferrari. Carlos Sainz, finishing ninth, scored Williams’ first points of the season.

The action continues in two weeks at Japan’s legendary Suzuka circuit.