F1 | 2026 Chinese GP race CLASSIFICATION: results and finishing order. Antonelli wins the first of his career
At the start, the Ferraris got away better: Lewis Hamilton immediately took the lead ahead of the young Italian, while Charles Leclerc followed closely behind. However, Antonelli reacted within the first few laps, overtaking Hamilton on the long straight to reclaim the lead of the race.
The Chinese GP race gave Formula 1 a historic day: Andrea Kimi Antonelli took his first career victory, becoming the second youngest winner ever in the history of the world championship.
Race F1 Cina GP 2026
F1 Chinese race podium
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)→ 56 laps
2) George Russell (Mercedes) +5.515
3) Lewis Hamilton (Scuderia Ferrari) +25.267
F1 CHINESE GP RACE CLASSIFICATION FINISHING ORDER
| P | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | LEADER | 25 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +5.515 | 18 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Scuderia Ferrari | +25.267 | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | +28.894 | 12 |
| 5 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +57.268 | 10 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +59.647 | 8 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +80.588 | 6 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +87.247 | 4 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1 LAP | 2 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 LAP | 1 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1 LAP | 0 |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 LAP | 0 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +1 LAP | 0 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1 LAP | 0 |
| 15 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +1 LAP | 0 |
| 16 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | DNF | 0 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | DNF | 0 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | DNF | 0 |
| 19 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | DNF | 0 |
| 20 | Lando Norris | McLaren | DNF | 0 |
| 21 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | DNF | 0 |
| 22 | Alexander Albon | Williams | DNF | 0 |
ANALYSIS of driver standings and positions
The Chinese Grand Prix concluded with a day destined to remain in Formula 1 history. Winning on the Shanghai circuit was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who achieved the first success of his career in the world championship at the end of a race managed with great maturity.
When the lights went out, the Ferraris got off to the best start: Lewis Hamilton immediately took the lead ahead of the young Italian, while Charles Leclerc followed in the top positions. However, already in the first laps, Antonelli reacted, overtaking Hamilton on the long straight and retaking the lead of the race.
The race was neutralized in the early stages by a Safety Car caused by Lance Stroll’s car, which stopped on track. During the neutralization, many drivers took the opportunity to pit and fit hard tires, opening up different strategic scenarios.
At the restart, Antonelli maintained the lead, while a long duel ignited behind him between the Ferraris and George Russell’s Mercedes. The battle between Hamilton and Leclerc favored Russell, who during the race managed to slot in between the two Scuderia drivers and move into second position.
In the middle phase of the race, the young Italian began to pull away decisively, setting the fastest lap several times and building an increasingly consistent margin over his teammate. Behind him, the fight for the podium remained wide open, with Hamilton and Leclerc featuring in several overtakes and counter-overtakes.
The race lost one of its protagonists ten laps from the end, when Max Verstappen was forced to retire due to a technical problem that obliged him to return slowly to the pits.
In the final stages, Antonelli managed the lead without taking risks, despite a small lock-up at the hairpin in the final laps. The Mercedes driver thus crossed the finish line with a margin of over five seconds over Russell, taking his first victory in Formula 1.
The podium was completed by Hamilton, who obtained his first top-three finish with Ferrari, while Leclerc finished fourth at the end of a very hard-fought race. An excellent performance also for Oliver Bearman, fifth and author of a solid race behind the top teams.
With this success, Antonelli wrote an important page in his career: the Italian driver became the second youngest winner in Formula 1 history, behind only Verstappen. A result that definitively confirms his enormous talent and could represent the beginning of a new era in the world championship.
Kimi Antonelli speaks after the race
“What an incredible day! This victory fulfills one of my dreams from the first time I ever drove a go-kart. I want to thank my fantastic family and the incredible team at both Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive. I couldn’t have done it without them, and it truly means so much to get my first F1 win. It was a very special moment for all of us.
The race itself wasn’t easy. I lost a position at the start and had to fight my way back to the front. Then we had to manage the Safety Car restart, which wasn’t simple on the Hard compound. It was difficult to get the tires working, but fortunately, we managed to do so before coming under pressure from those behind us. It was a great way to close out the first double-header of the season, but there is still a lot of work to do. We aren’t taking anything for granted and we’ll make sure to work hard ahead of Japan to arrive at Suzuka in the strongest possible position.”
