Shanghai, March 15, 2026: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix produced a historic moment as Kimi Antonelli converted his record-breaking pole position into a sensational victory, becoming the second-youngest race winner in Formula One history.

The young Mercedes driver led home teammate George Russell for a dominant one-two finish, while Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium for Scuderia Ferrari with third place at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Antonelli’s victory came just a day after the Italian teenager became the youngest polesitter in F1 history during qualifying.

Pre-Race Drama Eliminates Four Drivers

Before the race even began, several drivers were ruled out due to technical issues.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both failed to start after separate electrical failures struck their McLaren cars. Meanwhile, Alexander Albon was sidelined with a hydraulic problem on his Williams, and Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto also withdrew with an unspecified technical issue.

Hamilton Leads Early as Antonelli Strikes Back

At lights out, Hamilton made a lightning start similar to Ferrari’s strong launch in Australia, surging into the early lead. Antonelli initially slipped behind the Ferraris, while Russell dropped to fourth after starting on the second row.

Further back, reigning champion Max Verstappen endured another poor start. The Red Bull driver was swamped by rivals and dropped as far back as 16th on the opening lap, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly moved into fifth.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar spun while battling Haas driver Oliver Bearman, forcing an early pit stop and dropping him to the back of the field.

Antonelli Takes Control of the Race

Antonelli soon found his rhythm and reclaimed the lead with a decisive move on Hamilton into Turn 14. Behind him, Ferrari teammates Hamilton and Charles Leclerc engaged in an intense battle, which delayed Russell’s attempt to move forward.

The fight among the chasing cars allowed Antonelli to steadily build a gap at the front.

Safety Car Shuffles the Order

A Safety Car was deployed when Lance Stroll stopped on track at Turn 1. The neutralization triggered a wave of pit stops and briefly reshuffled the field.

Despite the chaos, Antonelli retained the lead after his stop, emerging ahead of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Haas driver Esteban Ocon.

Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to clear the slower cars and briefly closed to within half a second of Antonelli, but the Mercedes rookie quickly re-established control of the race.

Verstappen Retires After Recovery Drive

Verstappen had worked his way back into the points after the Safety Car period, but his race ended prematurely on lap 46 when an ERS coolant issue forced him to retire.

Russell Secures Mercedes One-Two

With fresher tyres later in the race, Russell was able to overtake both Ferraris during their battle and climb into second place. Although he attempted to close the gap, Antonelli maintained control and crossed the finish line after 56 laps with a comfortable five-second margin.

Hamilton held onto third to secure his first podium since joining Ferrari, while Leclerc finished fourth.

Bearman Impresses With P5

One of the standout performances came from Haas rookie Oliver Bearman, who recovered from early contact to finish fifth. Gasly followed in sixth, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

Hadjar staged a remarkable recovery after his early spin to claim eighth, with Williams driver Carlos Sainz and Colapinto completing the top ten.

2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix – Full Race Results