Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 victory from pole at the Chinese Grand Prix, fending off teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for a Mercedes 1-2-3? podium mix-up. Team principal Toto Wolff hailed the 19-year-old's fast-track promotion over radio, silencing critics, while Hamilton grabbed his first Ferrari podium. McLaren suffered double retirement from power unit woes.
In the second race of the 2026 F1 season at Shanghai International Circuit, Kimi Antonelli—replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes following the seven-time champion's Ferrari switch—converted pole into his maiden Grand Prix win. After dropping a position off the line, he battled back, managed a safety car restart on hard tyres, and held off Russell despite a late off-track moment at the hairpin. Antonelli became one of the youngest winners in China, calling it a 'childhood dream' fulfilled and thanking his family and teams. His father Marco shared an emotional embrace and praised Wolff on Sky Sports: 'Toto did everything,' crediting early faith from F2 days. Wolff's team radio mocked doubters—'He’s too young... Here we go, Kimi. Victory'—before cautioning post-race that F1 is 'manic depressive' and this was just one win. Race engineer Peter Bonnington, who also works with Hamilton, celebrated the podium 'like getting the band back together,' likening Antonelli's talent to Hamilton and Schumacher. A viral moment saw Antonelli announced as 'Kimi Raikkonen' on the podium (over 850,000 X views). Hamilton, racing on UK Mother's Day, attacked aggressively off the start and against teammate Leclerc, earning his first Ferrari podium—one of his 'most enjoyable races'—with the new car generation suiting him, per Bonnington's 'life in the old dog yet.' Elsewhere, McLaren's title defense faltered with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris retiring from separate electrical power unit failures, prompting a Mercedes HPP review. Haas impressed, Oliver Bearman finishing fifth after dodging Isack Hadjar's shunt and clearing traffic, placing them fourth in standings ahead of Red Bull. Verstappen recovered early but stopped with ERS cooling issues. Aston Martin stalled: Stroll retired early, Alonso with engine vibrations. Alpine shone with Pierre Gasly sixth (yielding to Bearman) and Franco Colapinto's first point. Williams struggled, Alex Albon out with hydraulics but Carlos Sainz ninth. Antonelli eyes challenges ahead at Suzuka.
