The Chinese Grand Prix was filled with many firsts as an emotional Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix victory, followed by teammate George Russell in second place, and a resurgent Lewis Hamilton in third to get his first-ever podium finish in Ferrari red—and his first podium since Las Vegas 2024. The Sprint race, which took place on Saturday before qualifying, saw George Russell claiming victory, followed by the two Ferraris, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, in second and third respectively. The weekend was dominated by Mercedes yet again, with Ferrari following closely behind.
The event was filled with many exciting moments throughout, but was once again marred by many cars suffering engine problems.
With the Chinese Grand Prix being a Sprint weekend, the teams only had the sole practice session on Friday before Sprint Qualifying to test the track and any developments they had made to the cars. The experimental ‘Macarena’ rear wing of Ferrari broke cover during FP1, but they ultimately opted against running it for the remainder of the weekend. Fans will have to wait a few more rounds to see if this new aero concept can unlock the top speed the Scuderia desperately needs to challenge Mercedes on the straights.
George Russell, who secured the Sprint pole, had to fight for his victory with Lewis Hamilton, who had a great start, along with his teammate Charles Leclerc, as both gained multiple positions within the first few corners. Hamilton suffered increased tyre wear due to his initial battle with George Russell, which ultimately led to him conceding second position to his teammate. Having to stack behind Leclerc in the pits during a late safety car didn’t help his cause either. Kimi Antonelli once again had a bad start and had to settle for fifth place after starting P2 on the grid. McLaren showed some real improvement by out-qualifying Ferrari, but couldn’t match Ferrari’s race pace and had to settle for fourth and sixth in the Sprint.
The qualifying session concluded with Kimi Antonelli becoming the youngest-ever pole sitter in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, breaking the record previously held by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The door opened for Kimi after his teammate George Russell had an issue with his car at the start of Q3. Russell also had to replace his front wing and was only able to squeeze in a lap at the very end of Q3, still managing to set the second-fastest lap and securing P2 on the grid. Ferrari showed improved pace in qualifying, effectively managing to halve the deficit they had to Mercedes in Australia. It was a disappointing weekend for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, who was out-qualified by Pierre Gasly of Alpine in both qualifying sessions.
Only 18 cars lined up for the start, with Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi, Alex Albon of Williams, and the two McLarens not starting the race due to various engine problems. McLaren reported that their cars had separate electrical issues, which was a shame given the improvement they showed in the previous sessions. This means that Oscar Piastri is yet to complete a single Grand Prix lap this season.
Both Ferraris had a great start yet again, with Lewis Hamilton gaining two positions to take the lead of the race into the first corner, while his teammate also gained a position. However, Hamilton wasn’t able to hold on to the lead for long. Kimi Antonelli, who had a decent start—putting behind him the disastrous getaways he suffered in the Sprint and in Australia—took back the lead once his tyres were up to temperature. Hamilton didn’t fight it out, opting to take care of his tyres after what happened during the Sprint race.
George Russell also managed to overtake Hamilton and built up a healthy gap in front, but Lance Stroll coming to a halt in the middle of the track resulted in a safety car that brought the pack close together. Both Mercedes and Ferrari double-stacked their cars; this meant Leclerc and Russell had to stay behind Hamilton and Antonelli respectively, which led to them losing track position to some drivers who didn’t pit.
After the restart, both Hamilton and Leclerc managed to overtake Russell, and over the next few laps, these three drivers put on a brilliant fight for second place with Russell coming out on top. The fight continued between the two Ferraris for third place throughout the rest of the race. Kimi Antonelli extended his lead to a comfortable eight seconds while Russell was stuck behind the two Ferraris. Antonelli successfully converted this advantage into his first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix victory, capping off a stellar drive that also claimed him the Driver of the Day vote.
Russell had to settle for second place, and Lewis Hamilton won the intra-team fight to claim a long-awaited first podium finish with Ferrari. Leclerc’s wait for a podium finish in Shanghai continued, as he finished in fourth place. Oliver Bearman had an impressive race for himself, finishing in fifth. Pierre Gasly, who had an outstanding weekend out-qualifying Red Bull in both sessions, managed to finish in sixth.
As for Max Verstappen, it was a weekend to forget. After finishing ninth in the Sprint, he failed to finish the main race. He had slow starts in both events, with cars overtaking from either side—not a sight the four-time world champion is used to. He fought his way back through the field multiple times, only to be asked to retire his car due to an electrical issue, which predictably did not make him happy at all.
Liam Lawson finished in seventh, while Isack Hadjar earned his first points for the senior Red Bull team after finishing eighth. Carlos Sainz finished ninth to get Williams on the board with their first points of 2026, while Franco Colapinto rounded off the top ten to give Alpine a well-deserved double-points finish.
As the paddock packs up and leaves Shanghai, one thing is abundantly clear: the 2026 regulations have thoroughly shaken up the established order. Mercedes remains the team to beat, with Antonelli proving he has the composure to lead F1’s new generation, but Ferrari is breathing down their necks and visibly closing the gap. Meanwhile, the catastrophic reliability issues plaguing Red Bull and McLaren serve as a stark reminder that raw pace means nothing if the car can’t reach the checkered flag.
With the FIA officially confirming the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, the Japanese Grand Prix, which will take place in two weeks’ time, will be the only racing action fans will get until the start of May. With an ample amount of time for all teams to continue development, how will the grid line up the next time out?
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