Mercedes teenage driver, Kimi Antonelli, has won his first Formula 1 race converting his “youngest-ever” pole position into a dominant win leading teammate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes continue to look dominant in 2026 but it was Antonelli’s weekend to shine taking his very first win in F1. With Ferrari battling hard at the start, both Russell and Antonelli had to look sharp, be patient and let the race come to them.
Win
Win- A huge win for Kim and Mercedes to take his first victory leading George Russell. This could be the table-setting weekend that brings the intra-team battle issue away from McLaren and Papaya rules to Mercedes and a headache for Toto Wolff to deal with as the season unfolds. He’s been here before in 2016 but can Mercedes keep balance, poise and equity for the balance of the season? Can anyone develop to a point of reliving Toto of the headache?
- A win for Ferrari who looked competitive and while they aren’t quite on the pace with Mercedes, they may have a package that’s close enough to develop into a more competitive package. A big win for Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari podium.
- A big win for Alpine with Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto as well, as they scored P6 and much-needed points. It’s a great sign that the Mercedes PU has moved the team into a battle for best of the rest with Haas so far. First double-points for Alpine in a very long time and that’s a great recovery from their worst season ever last year.
- A big win for Haas and Ollie Bearman. He is depriving a top team of a very good driver and if I were Ferrari, I might have a go for him for next year. He’s driving wonderfully and is ready for a fast car. Despite that, Haas is fighting for best of the rest and that’s a great place for them to be in. It’s terrific to see both Haas and Alpine in the points so far this season. Ollie is 5th in the driver’s championship so far and that’s terrific!
- A win for Liam Lawson who managed to beat Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar home for a P7 result. Red Bull chose Hadjar over Lawson so it has to feel good to beat the guy they chose over you. Racing Bulls scored good points and it’s a shame Arvid Linblad couldn’t finish in the points too.
Fail
Fail- A fail for McLaren who suffered a dual-DNS with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. With separate electrical issues that cropped up just before the start of the grid formation lap. Oscar hasn’t raced a single race lap this year so far and that’s a disaster for a team that won both titles last year.
- A fail for Red Bull who suffered a DNF with Max Verstappen and a P8 with Isack Hadjar. The team that took the fight to McLaren last year is suffering in 2026 and like McLaren, they have a lot of chassis work to do in order to try and get into the fight.
- A fail for Williams, in terms of Alex Albon not starting, who still struggle and despite the P10 for Carlos Sainz, the car is no where near their performance last year and 2026 was the year they have been focused on since 2024 so they have a lot of work to do.
- Not the greatest race for Audi with a DNS for Gabriel Bortoleto and a P11 for Nico Hulkenberg. Teething pains for Audi’s first year and perhaps a track that hasn’t flattered their car.
- Another terrible weekend for Aston Martin with a dual DNF. Fernando had a decent start and retired the car. Lance Stroll pulled off the track and brought out a safety car.
- Not the greatest race for Esteban Ocon. Was out qualified by Ollie and then clouted Franco Colapinto garnering a 10s penalty. Haas is ahead of Red Bull in the championship and they need Esteban to score points.
WTH
WTH- Sure, the F1 world is used to the name Kimi Raikkonen but announcing Kimi Raikkonen as the race winner during podium celebration is a bit over the top. :)
- Cadillac brought two seasoned drivers in to help them develop so Sergio Perez clouting the side of Valtteri Bottas is not something they really needed. They need to finish races and minimize damage so the move was not on and not what Cadillac hired Checo to do.
Chinese Grand Prix Results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 56 | 1:33:15.607 | 25 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 56 | +5.515s | 18 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 56 | +25.267s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 56 | +28.894s | 12 |
| 5 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 56 | +57.268s | 10 |
| 6 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 56 | +59.647s | 8 |
| 7 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 56 | +80.588s | 6 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 56 | +87.247s | 4 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 55 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 55 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 55 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 45 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 32 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 9 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| NC | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| NC | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| NC | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 0 | DNS | 0 |
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