Kimi Antonelli became just the second teenager to win an F1 race on Sunday, driving away from the pack to help secure Mercedes' second 1-2 finish of the season.
There was one moment of late drama for the youngster, locking up massively and going well off the track at the penultimate corner with just three laps to go.
Fortunately, he was able to get straight back on track and continue, with his time cushion to George Russell in second enough to keep him ahead.
A brilliant, feisty drive from Lewis Hamilton saw the Brit secure his first podium finish in 26 grand prix starts for Ferrari, taking third ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc after the Scuderia pair battled wheel to wheel for much of the race.
For the second weekend in a row, the drama began before the formation lap – and for the second week in a row, Oscar Piastri was involved.
In fact, both McLarens failed to start the race, with Piastri and reigning champion Lando Norris both sat in the garage with late-developing electrical issues when the green flag dropped. They were two of a staggering four drivers who failed to start the race, alongside Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto.
On track, Lance Stroll's race ended after nine laps with an apparent battery issue, bringing out a safety car and prompting a rash of early pit stops and mixing up the field as those who started on hard compound tyres stayed out.
Both Ferraris were soon ahead of Russell after the restart, keeping the frustrated title favourite behind them as the team-mates engaged in a surprisingly fierce back and forth for a number of laps, which carried on even after the pace of Russell's Mercedes showed and he picked his way past the red cars.
The Australian Grand Prix winner set off up the road in pursuit of his team-mate, but had lost too much time behind the Ferraris to deny the teenager a brilliant first grand prix victory.
Further down the field, Max Verstappen was forced to retire with ten laps to go with an apparent power unit issue, trundling round at low speed for most of a lap before pulling into the pits for good.
And for those wondering whether Aston Martin managed to get one car to the end of a grand prix for the first time this year...no, Fernando Alonso pulled in just after half-distance when the vibrations in the car got too much.
F1 Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2026
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | WINNER |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +5.515s |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +25.267s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +28.894s |
| 5 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +57.268s |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +59.647s |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1:20.588s |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1:27.247s |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1 Lap |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 Lap |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1 Lap |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 Lap |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +1 Lap |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1 Lap |
| 15 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +1 Lap |
| NC | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | DNF |
| NC | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | DNF |
| NC | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | DNF |
| NC | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | DNS |
| NC | Lando Norris | McLaren | DNS |
| NC | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | DNS |
| NC | Alex Albon | Williams | DNS |
Who is the current F1 world champion?
Lando Norris is the reigning F1 champion, and won his first drivers' championship last year.
SPRINT RACE RESULTS: Hamilton survives safety car chaos for Chinese GP podium


