Formula 1 in China

First Win for Antonelli! Debacle for McLaren

Andrea Kimi Antonelli celebrates his first Formula 1 victory.(Bild: AFP/JADE GAO)

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has won the Chinese Grand Prix! For the 19-year-old, it is the first Formula 1 victory of his young career. The Mercedes driver finished ahead of teammate George Russell and the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and, above all, the McLaren team had a bitter day. 

Kimi Antonelli celebrated his first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory in China. The 19-year-old Italian triumphed confidently on Sunday in Shanghai ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell. The Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth, but were well behind the “Silver Arrows.” Sprint winner Russell defended his championship lead after the second race of the season; the Briton now leads Antonelli by four points.

“We did it,” Antonelli radioed euphorically, now the second-youngest winner in F1 history behind Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. The Dutchman, who finished ninth in the sprint, retired without scoring any points after a disastrous race weekend due to a mechanical failure. For Hamilton, it was his first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari. The McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, were unable to compete in the race due to various technical issues. Meanwhile, Haas driver Oliver Bearman impressed with a fifth-place finish ahead of Pierre Gasly in the Alpine.

McLaren Drama Before the Start
As in Australia, dramatic scenes unfolded in China even before the start. McLaren pushed both of its cars from the starting grid back into the pits to fix problems. The effort was unsuccessful, leaving the third row of the grid empty. For Piastri, this was his second Grand Prix without participation following the accident on the way to the start in Melbourne. Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams driver Alexander Albon also had to watch from the sidelines.

Ferrari impressed with rocket starts, just as they had the day before in the sprint and in Australia, while Hamilton took the lead from third position. Antonelli, who on Saturday became the youngest pole-setter in the premier class of motorsport, defended second place ahead of Leclerc and Russell. At the end of the second lap, the teenager passed the veteran champion again, and Russell was back in second place shortly thereafter. Red Bull had a botched start: Verstappen, like in the sprint, didn’t get off to a good start and fell far back from eighth on the grid, while teammate Isack Hadjar spun out and found himself at the back of the field.

Antonelli benefited from a three-way battle
On the 10th of 56 laps at the Shanghai International Circuit, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll caused a safety car phase due to a mechanical issue with his car. At the restart, Russell briefly struggled with grip issues on the hard tire compound and was forced to let the two Ferraris pass. A thrilling three-way battle ensued, from which Antonelli at the front benefited and extended his lead. “They’re fast in exactly the right places,” Russell grumbled over the radio in his superior Mercedes.

By lap 29, the Silver Arrows had reclaimed the one-two lead; by that point, Antonelli was already nearly eight seconds ahead of his pursuers. Russell subsequently pulled away from the Ferraris, while Hamilton and Leclerc battled for the final podium spot. “This is actually a pretty entertaining duel,” Leclerc radioed. In the end, the Monegasque had to concede defeat to the British record world champion. Behind them, Verstappen fought his way up to sixth place before the four-time world champion had to park his car in the pits.

Only 22 races instead of 24
The third race of the season is scheduled for Japan in two weeks. April will be race-free following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds due to the military escalation in the Middle East.