F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 results: Final classification with penalties applied

Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton and Bono all embracing on the 2026 Chinese GP podium — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2026 results: Final classification with penalties applied

The final result from the F1 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 15 March 2026 14:28 Updated: 11:13

The second round of the 2026 F1 season has concluded and the final results for the Chinese Grand Prix have been officially confirmed by the FIA.

Don't worry Lewis Hamilton fans, you can rest easy knowing the seven-time champion has managed to cling onto his Shanghai race result, unlike he did in the aftermath of last year's Chinese GP.

F1's governing body have confirmed that Hamilton has held onto his first grand prix podium with Ferrari, with Kimi Antonelli also retaining his maiden grand prix win.

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Antonelli's team-mate George Russell came home in second place, once again securing a Mercedes 1-2 for Toto Wolff's outfit, with the second Ferrari crossing the line in P4, with Charles Leclerc just missing out on a second grand prix podium of 2026.

Elsewhere, Max Verstappen was one of three drivers forced to retire from this year's Chinese GP as he continues to struggle with his new Red Bull machinery.

McLaren's driver duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were surprisingly forced to sit out of the race entirely after the papaya squad discovered two separate issues on the electrical side of their Mercedes power unit.

Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon both also failed to make it to the start line, posting their first DNS' of the 2026 campaign.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton stars at Chinese Grand Prix, F1 winner left in tears

F1 Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2026

Here is the final classification from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix as confirmed by the FIA.

Race Results
Position	Driver	Team	Time
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:33:15.607
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

Fastest Lap: Kimi Antonelli [Mercedes] - 1:35.275 on lap 52.

When is the next F1 race?

After a very fast turnaround following last weekend's season opener, fans and drivers can breathe easy for a moment given that there is now a week off until the third round of the championship.

The next race is not until Sunday, March 19 in Suzuka as the Japanese Grand Prix returns before a long break in April following confirmation from F1 that both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian gps have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

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