F1 Results as Kimi Antonelli Claims First Ever Win at Chinese Grand Prix 2026

Kimi Antonelli became the second-youngest Formula One driver ever to win a race in the competition as he drove his Mercedes to a win in Shanghai that never looked too much in doubt.

He was followed by his teammate George Russell in second, who could not follow on from his victory in Australia as he contested for position alongside the Ferraris throughout the race.

Lewis Hamilton was finally able to get his maiden Ferrari podium a year into his tenure with the Italian team, holding off Charles Leclerc for the P3 finish.

McLarens out before lights out in dramatic start

Oscar Piastri's car has been pushed into the McLaren garage just before the Formation Lap! 😮#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/pFmixhjnLH
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026

Before the race even started, disaster struck for both McLarens, as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unable to take to the grid, with the Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams of Alex Albon, the latter with hydraulic issues, joining the duo in retiring their cars before lights out.

The race start continued a trend seen in both Australia and the Chinese sprint, as Ferrari burst off the line to immediately get past both Mercedes before pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli, benefiting from a much better launch, fought his way back into second.

Isack Hadjar's woes from Melbourne continued as his cold tires got the better of him only a few turns into Lap 1, which sent him tumbling down the grid before deciding to pit, while the two Cadillacs at the back of the field also made contact.

Kimi Antonelli would get the better of race leader Lewis Hamilton on Lap 2, after the Briton went round the outside of the Italian on Turn 1 of the first lap but failed to break away.

Mercedes' other driver, George Russell, found himself in fourth after the five lights but was able to pass both Ferraris only a couple of laps later, and for the next few laps, it was the two Mercedes, two Ferraris and Pierre Gasly and Colapinto in the Alpine cars rounding out the top six.

Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen came in to pit on Lap 10 to open the pit window, but any potential undercuts were hampered by the sudden retirement of Lance Stroll's Aston Martin, which stopped on track and brought out the safety car.

A mass exodus to the pits followed, with the drivers who started on mediums coming into pit while the hard-tire racers, including Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Arvid Lindblad, now finding themselves in second, third and fifth.

Ferrari benefit from safety car restart

LAP 14/56

🟢 GREEN FLAG 🟢

Antonelli leads from Colapinto and Ocon as we resume racing 😮‍💨

Hamilton passes Russell and Ocon in quick succession! 👀#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/ZpBk09tRJY
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026

Lewis Hamilton was able to get past Russell, Ocon and Colapinto with team-mate Leclerc quickly doing the same after the safety car came in, as both Ferraris looked to have found slightly more pace compared to the opening laps.

An intense battle behind the top four delivered much of the entertainment following the restart, as the two Alpines, Ocon and Ollie Bearman in the Haas, as well as Max Verstappen and Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi, all jostled for positions from five to ten.

By Lap 24, it seemed like Antonelli was the man to beat, with the 19-year-old two seconds down the road as the Ferraris and George Russell contested for the other podium positions.

Hamilton's failed attempt to get past Antonelli after the race relaunch eventually came back to bite him as Leclerc would overtake him after a feisty few laps for the Ferrari two, but George Russell managed to find a way past both of the Prancing Horses by the time Lap 30 rolled around to resume the Mercedes 1-2 seen earlier in the race.

Lap 33 saw both a collision and another retirement, as Esteban Ocon tagged the back of Franco Colapinto's Alpine— both on fresh medium tires—causing both himself and the Argentine to spin and picking up a ten-second time penalty.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso joined team-mate Stroll in the Aston Martin pits with the team seemingly still unable to compete over a full race distance.

Verstappen retires and Mercedes secure win

Max Verstappen, Red Bull — Max Verstappen has voiced his displeasure with where Red Bull are at multiple points in 2026 already. | Red Bull Content Pool

Hamilton and Leclerc were still going tit-for-tat in the race for the final podium position on Laps 39 and 40, as Leclerc got the better of Hamilton only for the Briton to regain third into the opening corner of the next lap.

Mercedes were now firmly established in the top two positions, as Kimi Antonelli led by seven seconds from George Russell, himself 13 seconds ahead of Hamilton with 12 laps to go.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen's time in China went from bad to worse as he experienced a power unit issue in sixth, but he was able to make it back to the pits to avoid a second safety car.

As the race continued to dwindle down, Antonelli looked like he was going to cruise to a victory with a ten-second lead over Russell, but not before a lock-up on Lap 53 reduced that lead to only 7 seconds.

Ultimately, the teenager from Bologna was too far ahead to ever truly be troubled by his team-mate, and claimed victory over Russell in second, with the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc in P3 and P4.

Ollie Bearman quietly drove his way to a brilliant fifth in his Haas, followed by Gasly in P6, ex-Red Bull man Lawson in seventh and new Red Bull racer Hadjar in eighth. Carlos Sainz defended valiantly from Franco Colapinto to keep himself ninth and the Argentine tenth, to round out the points positions.

Position	Driver / Team
1	Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes
2	George Russell / Mercedes
3	Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari
4	Charles Leclerc / Ferrari
5	Oliver Bearman / Haas
6	Pierre Gasly / Alpine
7	Liam Lawson / Raing Bulls
8	Isack Hadjar / Red Bull
9	Carlos Sainz / Williams
10	Franco Colapinto / Alpine
11	Nico Hülkenberg / Audi
12	Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls
13	Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac
14	Esteban Ocon / Haas
15	Sergio Pérez / Cadillac
DNF	Max Verstappen / Red Bull
DNF	Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin
DNF	Lance Stroll / Aston Martin
DNS	Oscar Piastri / McLaren
DNS	Lando Norris / McLaren
DNS	Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi
DNS	Alex Albon / Williams