Antonelli nets first F1 win as Hamilton ends wait for Ferrari podium
Kimi Antonelli claims his first F1 victory at the Chinese GP, as Lewis Hamilton ends his wait for a Ferrari podium.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 victory ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell at the Chinese Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton scored his first podium for Ferrari.
Antonelli, who became F1’s youngest-ever pole-sitter, fought back from losing the lead to the fast-starting Hamilton to take an impressive win with a strong drive.
The 19-year-old Italian pulled clear of the chasing pack while Russell had to battle back past the Ferraris and lost ground, leaving him trailing Antonelli by around eight seconds by the point he had reclaimed second.
The only moment of stress for Antonelli came on Lap 53 when he locked up at the hairpin, causing him to run wide and lose a couple of seconds. Despite that, Antonelli crossed the line 5.5 seconds clear of Russell to score his maiden grand prix win.
Well behind the dominant Mercedes, Hamilton netted a long-awaited first podium with Ferrari after coming out on top of a race-long battle with team-mate Charles Leclerc.
The Ferraris put on a thrilling show as they went wheel-to-wheel and swapped places numerous times, with Hamilton sealing a deserved third place after Leclerc locked up and ran wide at the hairpin on Lap 36.
Nearly a minute behind, Ollie Bearman finished a superb fifth for Haas, ahead of Pierre Gasly's Alpine and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson.
Isack Hadjar recovered from a first-lap spin to take eighth, while Carlos Sainz capitalised on dramas for his rivals to score Williams' first points of the 2026 season in ninth.
Franco Colapinto ensured both Alpines scored as the Argentine ended his wait for a top-10 appearance at the Enstone squad.
Disaster for McLaren, Verstappen's misery continues
McLaren suffered a disaster pre-race disaster as dramatic electrical issues with the power unit prevented world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from taking the start.
A total of four cars missed the start, with Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi encountering issues that ruled him out. Williams driver Alex Albon was due to start from the pit lane, but also failed to make the start due to a suspected hydraulic issue.
Lance Stroll managed just 10 laps before his Aston Martin broke down with suspected battery problems.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso fared better, completing 34 laps before peeling into the pits to retire his Aston Martin after losing feeling in his hands due to the vibrations.
Max Verstappen also retired after power unit trouble hit his Red Bull 10 laps from the end.
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