Kimi Antonelli won the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 to win his first-ever Formula 1 race. Mercedes continued their dominance with another 1–2 finish, as George Russell came home second. Third place went to Lewis Hamilton, who secured his first podium with Scuderia Ferrari. It was a disaster for McLaren, with both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris failing to even start the race. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen also retired early due to a mechanical issue.
KIMI ANTONELLI WINS FOR THE FIRST TIME!! 👏🏆
WHAT A DRIVE! 😮💨#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/7qIcxU9pss
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026
The 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli of Italy became the second-youngest driver to win a race in F1 history after four-times world champion Max Verstappen, who won his first Grand Prix with Red Bull at the age of 18 in 2016.
On Saturday, Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to secure pole position, starting ahead of his teammate George Russell. On Sunday, he delivered a flawless performance, controlling the race from the start and finishing nearly nine seconds ahead of the field. Boss Toto Wolff, teammate Russell, and even the seven-time world champion Hamilton showered praises for the young Italian who ended in tears of joy as he spoke to the reporters.
Kimi Antonelli in Tears
“Thank you everyone. Thank you so much. You made me achieve one of my dreams,” said Antonelli over the radio after taking the chequered flag.
An emotional day for Kimi! 🥹#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/PnhvRgTxbv
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026
“I’m speechless. I’m about to cry to be honest,” he said in his first interview as a winner in front of the Shanghai circuit crowd, before doing just that.
It was a nervous finish for the Italian, who locked up and went wide with three laps to go, cutting his lead over Russell to 7.4 seconds and finishing 5.515 clear.
It was Mercedes’ second successive one-two in two races after Russell led Antonelli in the Australian opener last weekend.
“I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack towards the end with the flat spot (on his tyres),” said the first Italian winner since Giancarlo Fisichella for Renault in Malaysia in 2006. “It was a good race.”
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali, also Italian, congratulated Antonelli before the podium celebrations and the playing of the Italian national anthem.
Oliver Bearman was fifth for Haas ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Isack Hadjar took eighth for Red Bull, after teammate Verstappen retired from the race, with Carlos Sainz ninth for Williams and Franco Colapinto finally back in the points for Alpine in 10th after failing to score last year.
Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Result:
| Pos | Driver | Car No. | Team | Grid | Status | Laps | Driver Points | Team Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 12 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | 1 | Finished | 56 | 25 | 43 |
| 2 | George Russell | 63 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | 2 | Finished | 56 | 18 | 43 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 44 | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 3 | Finished | 56 | 15 | 27 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 16 | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 4 | Finished | 56 | 12 | 27 |
| 5 | Oliver Bearman | 87 | TGR Haas | 10 | Finished | 56 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | 10 | BWT Alpine | 7 | Finished | 56 | 8 | 9 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | 30 | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls | 14 | Finished | 56 | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 6 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 9 | Finished | 56 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | 55 | Atlassian Williams | 17 | Finished | 55 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | 43 | BWT Alpine | 12 | Finished | 55 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | 27 | Audi Revolut | 11 | Finished | 55 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | 23 | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls | 15 | Finished | 55 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | 77 | Cadillac | 19 | Finished | 55 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | 31 | TGR Haas | 13 | Finished | 55 | 0 | 10 |
| 15 | Sergio Pérez | 11 | Cadillac | 21 | Finished | 55 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 5 | Audi Revolut | 16 | Retired | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | 18 | Aston Martin Aramco | 20 | Retired | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Max Verstappen | 1 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 8 | Retired | 45 | 0 | 4 |
| 19 | Alexander Albon | 23 | Atlassian Williams | 22 | Retired | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | 14 | Aston Martin Aramco | 18 | Retired | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Oscar Piastri | 81 | McLaren Mastercard | 5 | Retired | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Lando Norris | 4 | McLaren Mastercard | 6 | Retired | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(With Reuters input)
