Antonelli makes history with maiden victory at Chinese Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli claimed a monumental maiden Formula 1® victory at the FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2026. The Mercedes-AMG rookie delivered a commanding performance at the Shanghai International Circuit, recovering from a brief loss of the lead at the start.

He finished 5.5 seconds clear of teammate George Russell. The victory marks the first time an Italian driver has stood on the top step of a Grand Prix™ podium since 2006.

Despite a late scare involving a flat-spot at the Turn 14 hairpin, Antonelli remained composed to secure the win. George Russell, who won Saturday's Sprint, fought back to second after struggling for grip on a mid-race Safety Car restart.

For the second consecutive weekend, Oscar Piastri endured a devastating Sunday. Both McLaren-Mercedes cars failed to start the race due to separate electrical issues within the power unit.

Piastri's car was wheeled back to the pit lane prior to the formation lap, while World Champion Lando Norris was unable to even reach the grid. This follows Piastri's reconnaissance lap crash in Melbourne, leaving the Australian still searching for his first race start of the 2026 season.

Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium finish for Ferrari, taking third place after a relentless intra-team duel. The seven-time World Champion briefly led the race at the start after a brilliant launch from P3.

He spent much of the afternoon trading positions with teammate Charles Leclerc, with the pair running side-by-side through the high-speed opening complexes. Leclerc eventually finished fourth, describing the intense battle as "actually quite fun" over the team radio.

Oliver Bearman claimed a career-best fifth place for Haas, surviving opening-lap chaos to finish as the "best of the rest." He successfully navigated around a spinning Isack Hadjar early on and used fresh tires to climb through the field.

Max Verstappen's difficult start to the season continued with a retirement just 10 laps from the end while running in sixth. The Red Bull driver suffered a technical failure, joining Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll on the list of non-finishers.