Kimi Andrea Antonelli (19) achieved the first GP victory of his career in China on Sunday. He is thus the first Italian winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. The Mercedes driver stayed ahead of his teammate George Russell. Max Verstappen retired in the closing stages of the race with engine problems. He was in sixth position at that time.
Read more Results GP China 2026
Relive the exciting race at the Shanghai International Circuit below. Here is the Chinese GP at a glance.
The race is almost about to begin. World champion Lando Norris is currently missing from the grid. His McLaren is still in the garage due to an electrical issue. Will it be a DNS?
With just a few minutes before the start, the McLaren of Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri is also suddenly pushed back to the garage. If the problems are fixed, both drivers can at most start from the pit lane. A race against the clock, therefore, for McLaren!
FORMATION LAP: Notably, the Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell arrive first on the starting grid, with a large lead over the field behind them. Lewis Hamilton thus starts from P3.
Dramatic start for Verstappen
LAP 1/56: Dramatic start for Max Verstappen, just like Saturday in the sprint race. From P6 he has dropped back to P16! Lewis Hamilton immediately takes the lead at the expense of Mercedes pole-sitter Antonelli, who narrowly stays ahead of Charles Leclerc for P2. Norris, Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Alexander Albon did not start.
LAP 4/56: Mercedes has quickly restored the hierarchy. Antonelli and teammate George Russell, the winner of the opening race in Melbourne, have caught the Ferraris and are now running in P1 and P2 respectively. Behind them: Hamilton, Leclerc, and the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is running in P10.
LAP 6/56: Max Verstappen – the only one on softs – tries to pass Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, but the Brit resists tooth and nail, once again. As a result, Verstappen briefly goes off track. Still P10 then! Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar had a great start but is now running in P18.
LAP 10/56: Verstappen – stuck behind the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad respectively – reports over the team radio that his tires are gone. A pit stop in lap 10. He will likely go for a two-stopper. Verstappen continues his race on the hard compound.
Safety Car comes at a bad time for Verstappen
LAP 11/56: What bad luck for Verstappen and Lawson, who have just pitted. Lance Stroll slides off the asphalt and the safety car comes out, giving others a cheap pit stop. Verstappen and Lawson came in just one lap too early. Colapinto and Ocon stayed out and thus (temporarily) end up in P2 and P3, behind Antonelli. Stroll is the fifth retirement.
LAP 14/56: And we’re racing again! Antonelli gets away well, Russell makes a mistake and loses a position to Lewis Hamilton. Current top-10 standings: Antonelli, Colapinto, Ocon, Hamilton, Russell, Lindblad, Leclerc, Bearman, Hülkenberg, and Gasly. In P11: Verstappen.
Read more Antonelli second youngest race winner ever, claims spot in F1 history
LAP 18/56: Verstappen moves up to P9 with a fine outbraking maneuver on Lindblad and is now virtually in the points. Antonelli still leads, but Hamilton is turning up the pressure.
LAP 23/56: It’s an exciting race so far with plenty of action, despite all the criticism of the new rules. Verstappen is now chasing Colapinto in the battle for P6. And successfully. Intense battle for P2 between Hamilton, Leclerc, and Russell.
LAP 27/56: Great battles between teammates Leclerc and Hamilton for P2. Russell capitalizes and takes P3 at the expense of Hamilton. Meanwhile, leader Antonelli pulls further and further away. His first GP victory is on the horizon.
Blind move by Esteban Ocon
LAP 30/56: Russell moves up to P2. The margin to teammate Antonelli is significant, a little over eight seconds. Verstappen still in P6, behind the Haas of Oliver Bearman.
LAP 34/56: Colapinto comes out of the pits and immediately gets into a scuffle in turn 1 with Esteban Ocon, who blindly slams into him. Damage to both cars! He can expect a time penalty. Fernando Alonso reports to the pit lane due to vibrations in the car; his race is over. Retirement number six already.
LAP 40/56: The Ferraris are stealing the show in Shanghai and continue to battle each other. Hamilton and Leclerc are racing on the edge. It’s a constant back-and-forth; sometimes it just barely goes right. Antonelli and Russell are sovereign in P1 and P2.
LAP 45/56: There is a status quo at the front of the field. Max Verstappen is also firmly in P6, well behind Bearman and well ahead of Gasly. Top-4: Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc. Meanwhile, Hadjar is also running in the points, in P9.
First Italian F1 winner since Fisichella
LAP 46/56: No! Max Verstappen retires with engine problems! Ten laps before the end, he breaks down after all. At a snail’s pace, he drives his Red Bull back to the pits.
LAP 56/56: Kimi Antonelli is flagged as the winner of the Chinese GP – despite a slip-up with locking brakes in lap 54! He is thus the first Italian GP winner since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006 (Malaysia). Antonelli remains second in the World Championship standings, behind teammate George Russell who finishes second. The margin between the two drivers is now three points. Russell won the season-opening race in Australia last week. Behind both Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton takes third place, ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Top-10: Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc, Bearman, Gasly, Lawson, Hadjar, Sainz, Colapinto.
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