In a dramatic finish to his first Formula 1 victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli survived a lap 53 lock-up at Turn 14, holding off teammate George Russell by 5.515 seconds for a 1-2. The 19-year-old celebrated with a thumbs-up gesture, recreating Jim Clark's iconic 1967 US GP salute as promised.
Antonelli's pole-to-flag win at Shanghai—his maiden Grand Prix success and second podium of the young 2026 season after Australia—moved him to second in the drivers' standings, four points behind Russell, who took the Australian GP and weekend sprint. Mercedes' W17 has shown strong adaptation to the new regulations, setting up the rookie for early battles. With three laps left, Antonelli locked up entering Turn 14, briefly going off-track and trimming his lead from nine to seven seconds amid worn tyres and tailwind. Race engineer Peter Bonnington urged on radio: 'Let’s just get this home.' Reflecting post-race, Antonelli admitted slipping into 'autopilot' after relaxing: 'I braked a little later, the tyres were practically finished... I was alone, nice and calm, and I made a mistake. But now I can say it went well and it won’t happen again. A lesson learned.' Crossing the line, he delivered on a pre-season promise to reporter Roberto Chinchero, mimicking Jim Clark's thumbs-up from the 1967 United States GP—won despite a failing suspension on Clark's Lotus 49. 'Did you see that? You thought I’d forgotten, didn’t?' Antonelli laughed. 'I kept my word, and now we can say it… it was a good omen.' This feature complements our main 2026 Chinese GP race report, highlighting the personal drama behind Antonelli's triumph amid a competitive field.
