Mercedes' 19-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli took an emotional maiden Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two finish. The Italian fended off early challenges from Ferrari and survived a late off-track scare, breaking down in tears after the race. Teammate George Russell finished second, with Lewis Hamilton securing his first podium for Ferrari in third.
McLaren confirmed two distinct electrical faults caused both its cars to fail to start the Chinese Grand Prix, a major blow in its fight for second in the championship. Despite the double DNS, the team retains its runner-up position in the standings as it urgently investigates the issues ahead of the Japanese GP.
Lewis Hamilton scored his first podium for Ferrari in China, with Team Principal Frederic Vasseur crediting the driver's deeper integration into the team project. Hamilton, more involved from the start of the 2026 car development, is building stronger relationships, which Vasseur calls key to finding the 'marginal gains' needed to close the performance gap.
Fernando Alonso retired from the Chinese GP due to severe car vibrations that caused numbness in his hands and feet, calling attention to a known health and safety issue at Aston Martin. The problem worsened during race conditions, overwhelming temporary mitigations and forcing his exit.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, aged 19, dominated the Chinese Grand Prix to claim his historic first F1 victory, leading a Mercedes 1-2. Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium for Ferrari with third place, while a disastrous day for Max Verstappen and Red Bull ended in retirement. The race was marred by multiple technical failures, with both McLarens failing to start.
Both McLaren drivers failed to start the Chinese GP due to critical, unrelated faults in the same electrical power unit component. Team boss Andrea Stella described the dual failure as highly unusual, forcing a full investigation with engine partner HPP to prevent a recurrence.
Charles Leclerc won a strategic 2026 Chinese GP, the first race under F1's new regulations, using a clever undercut to beat Max Verstappen. The event highlighted increased strategic importance and mixed results for the new car designs, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli scoring a surprise podium.
Kimi Antonelli won his first F1 race at a chaotic Chinese GP, leading a Mercedes 1-2 with George Russell. Lewis Hamilton finished third for his maiden Ferrari podium. The race was marred by pre-race technical failures, with both McLarens among four cars that did not start.
Kimi Antonelli made history by winning his first Formula 1 race at the Chinese Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two finish. The 19-year-old's stunning debut was overshadowed by retirements for Max Verstappen and a disastrous no-start for the entire McLaren team, radically shaking up the championship standings.
Max Verstappen's Chinese Grand Prix ended in a shocking retirement from sixth place due to a suspected electrical failure on his Red Bull. The DNF capped a weekend where a poor start had already compromised his race, as Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli went on to win a depleted race with only 15 finishers.
Ferrari allowed Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to race freely against each other at the Chinese GP, publicly rejecting team orders in their first significant on-track duel. This early-season battle offered a preview of the team's internal dynamics as Hamilton integrates into the Scuderia.
Both McLaren cars, along with an Audi and a Williams, were forced out of the Chinese Grand Prix before the race started due to critical technical failures, delivering a massive blow to McLaren's championship campaign and highlighting severe reliability concerns across multiple teams.
