Record broken
First Pole for Antonelli, Russell Overcomes Problems
Andrea Kimi Antonelli raced to his first pole position on Saturday at the Shanghai International Circuit, replacing Sebastian Vettel as the youngest pole-setter in Formula 1 history. His teammate George Russell struggled with major issues, but the Brit still managed to secure P2.
In a dramatic qualifying session, Kimi Antonelli, at the age of 19 years and 201 days, became the youngest pole-setter in F1 history. The Italian thus broke the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel, who was already 21 years old when he secured his first pole position at Monza in 2008.
The starting grid:
Problems for Russelland
In the final moments of the time trial, Antonelli also benefited from a technical issue affecting championship leader Russell, who was nevertheless able to put in a fast lap just before the clock ran out, securing second place on the grid (+0.222 sec.) for the second Grand Prix of the season on Sunday (8:00 a.m. CET/live on ORF 1, Sky). Behind them, the Ferraris of Hamilton (+0.351) and Leclerc (+0.364)—known this year for their rocket starts—will start the main race.
Teenager Antonelli stayed cool
“I’m really happy. It’s a shame George had that problem,” said Antonelli, who became the first Italian since Giancarlo Fisichella in Belgium in 2009 to secure pole position for a Grand Prix. “I tried to stay focused and put in a good lap. I managed to do that.”
Russell was relieved after a rollercoaster of emotions. At the start of the final qualifying session, the 28-year-old’s “Silver Arrow” briefly stalled on the track; the Mercedes mechanics brought the car back up to its performance limit under time pressure. “For me, it was definitely damage control,” emphasized the Sprint winner. “We changed the steering wheel. I had no battery, no tire temperature, and only one lap. The team put me in this position; it could have been much worse.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff explained. “First, the gas pressure on the front wing failed. The new flap system suddenly stopped working. Then he got stuck in gear. We had to drain all the power from the car three times. On the third try, the car started up again,” the Viennese executive told ORF, calling it a “deserved pole” for Antonelli.
Start promises excitement thanks to Ferrari
As in Australia, Mercedes secured the front row, but after the first two corners at the Shanghai International Circuit, another team could be leading the race. “We have to watch out for the Ferraris; they’re so strong off the line. That could get pretty tricky,” Russell noted. Hamilton, of course, was delighted with the successful day. “I’m really happy to be here and that the season is going so well. It’s going to be a challenge. But I’m sure we’ll have fun,” said the record-holding world champion with a grin.
Earlier, Russell had extended his lead in the championship with his second sprint victory. After the first of six sprints, the Briton is eleven points ahead of Leclerc and Antonelli, who had not managed to finish higher than fifth place in the morning session behind defending champion Lando Norris. Red Bull star Max Verstappen, who started from eighth position, missed out on the points by finishing ninth after experiencing problems at the start. In qualifying, eighth place (+0.938) was once again the best the Dutchman could manage.
Verstappen frustrated after problems
The many changes to the car had achieved “absolutely nothing,” said a frustrated Verstappen. “We have no grip, no balance, oversteer, understeer—everything.” The McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri (+0.486) and Norris (+0.544) were also dissatisfied with their fifth and sixth-place qualifying positions. “We’re definitely a step behind Ferrari,” said Piastri. “We couldn’t have gotten any more out of it,” added Norris.
In the Sprint, Hamilton, who started from fourth position, took the lead from Russell on the first lap and subsequently engaged in several duels with the championship leader. Antonelli and Verstappen, on the other hand, fell far back from their starting positions of second and eighth. After 6 of 19 laps, Russell pulled away from the Ferraris. Behind him, Antonelli—who received a ten-second penalty after a collision of his own making with Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull—caught up to the battling Scuderia duo.
By lap 13, the Mercedes one-two lead had been restored, but Nico Hülkenberg’s broken-down Audi triggered a safety car period immediately afterward. Antonelli served his penalty during a pit stop and dropped to seventh place. At the restart, Russell pulled away from his pursuers without any trouble. Antonelli limited the damage in fifth place in the still dominant Mercedes, while Verstappen, who had been in 20th place at one point, finished without points after a comeback attempt.
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