Hamilton secures first Ferrari podium as Antonelli claims maiden F1 victory in China
- Damian Hall
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli won the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit to secure the first Formula One victory of his career, leading home teammate George Russell for a Mercedes one-two finish as Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton completed the podium.
The victory also made Antonelli the first Italian driver to win a Formula One grand prix in twenty years.
“I’m speechless. I’m about to cry to be honest. Thank you so much to my team. They helped me to achieve this dream,” Antonelli said after the race, visibly emotional after securing his first Formula One victory.
“I said yesterday I really wanted to bring Italy back on top and we did it today.”
Russell praised his young teammate’s performance.
“Huge congratulations to Kimi because it’s always very special to win your first race, and he’s been driving really amazing this year and this weekend especially,” Russell said.
“I’m pleased to be standing on the podium with him, and also with this guy (Hamilton) as well.”
Hamilton also paid tribute to the Mercedes rookie.
“Firstly, I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi. I’m so, so happy for you buddy, and I’m so honoured to be able to share this moment with him,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton storms into early lead
Antonelli started from pole ahead of Russell and Hamilton, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc lining up fourth.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari began the race on medium tyres while the two Red Bull cars opted for soft compounds.
Hamilton made a sensational start, sweeping around the outside of Antonelli at Turn One to take the lead.
Leclerc held third while Russell moved into fourth after the opening lap.
Antonelli quickly responded and reclaimed the lead approaching the end of lap two, while Russell moved past Leclerc shortly afterwards to take third.
Russell continued Mercedes’ early charge and on lap four floated past Hamilton to move into second place.
Safety car reshuffles the race
The race was neutralised on lap ten when the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll stopped on track in the area of Turn One, bringing out the Safety Car.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari brought their drivers into the pits.
Antonelli retained the lead after the stops, while Russell, Hamilton and Leclerc rejoined fourth, fifth and seventh respectively after Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Arvid Lindblad stayed out to inherit track position.
Racing resumed on lap fourteen.
Hamilton immediately attacked Russell to move into third before passing Ocon one lap later to take second place and resume the chase after Antonelli.
Ferrari teammates battle
A fierce duel between the Ferrari teammates emerged in the middle phase of the race.
Leclerc passed Hamilton at the end of lap twenty four, sparking a wheel-to-wheel fight that continued through the following laps.
Hamilton briefly reclaimed the position before Leclerc retook it, while Russell waited closely behind the battling Ferraris.
Russell eventually made his move, passing Hamilton into Turn Fourteen before beginning lap twenty eight in third.
The Mercedes driver then overtook Leclerc one lap later under braking at the same corner to reclaim second place.
Hamilton later regained third place from Leclerc on lap thirty six after another intense exchange between the two Ferrari drivers.
Hamilton's first podium in red
Hamilton held off Leclerc to finish third and secure his first Ferrari podium.
“Fantastic job guys. Really well done,” Hamilton said over Ferrari team radio after the race.
“Really thankful for all the hard work. We've got work to do. But I believe in you.
“Forza Ferrari.”
Hamilton later reflected on the race battle.
“I had so much fun. We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys behind, but to stay in the fight, it was one of the most enjoyable races that I’ve had in a long, long time.”
“That battle with Charles at the end was awesome. Great wheel-to-wheel battle, very fair.”
“I’ve got to say a huge thank you to everyone at Ferrari for getting us into this position. I know it’s not exactly where we want to be, we want to be up front where these guys are. But we’ve got a great platform to work off and we’ve just got to go full gas.”
Top ten finishers
Behind the Mercedes one-two and Hamilton in third, Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari.
Oliver Bearman (Haas) secured fifth place ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpine) in sixth, while Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson finished seventh.
Isack Hadjar finished eighth for Racing Bulls, followed by Carlos Sainz for Williams.
Franco Colapinto completed the top ten.
With Mercedes securing another one-two finish and Hamilton claiming his first Ferrari podium, the 2026 Formula One season continues to gather momentum after another dramatic race in Shanghai.
Full official results:
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