Kimi Antonelli secured his first Formula 1 victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. The 19-year-old finished 5.515 seconds ahead of teammate George Russell to cap a Mercedes 1-2 finish at the Shanghai International Circuit. Lewis Hamilton claimed third place for Ferrari, finishing 25.267 seconds behind Antonelli.
Antonelli becomes the second-youngest Grand Prix winner in Formula 1 history, trailing only Max Verstappen. The victory marks the first time an Italian driver has won an F1 race since Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix. Marco Antonelli, Kimi’s father, expressed gratitude to Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff following the race. He stated Mercedes “did the big job” while noting his son faces a tough benchmark in Russell.
Wolff admitted the maiden victory arrived earlier than anticipated. He highlighted the emotional significance of seeing Antonelli celebrate alongside race engineer Peter Bonnington and Hamilton. The strong weekend performance for Mercedes was established early after the 19-year-old secured pole position during qualifying.
The grid faced heavy technical attrition before the formation lap. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri suffered a double Did Not Start due to separate electrical and technical failures. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recorded a Did Not Finish on lap 46 following ERS cooling and steering problems.
Chinese GP 2026: Kimi Antonelli wins first race as Lewis Hamilton earns first Ferrari podium https://t.co/cV3nscILX9
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) March 15, 2026