Kimi Antonelli makes F1 history.

Antonelli is the second youngest driver in history to win an F1 race.

On the afternoon of March 15th, immediately after the start, the race in Shanghai quickly became exciting as the two Mercedes cars showed signs of falling behind Ferrari. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took advantage of the opportunity to pull ahead, putting direct pressure on the two drivers starting from the front, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

However, Antonelli continued to demonstrate impressive adaptability to Mercedes' new generation car. The 19-year-old quickly responded by overtaking Lewis Hamilton to regain the lead.

Shortly afterwards, George Russell also found his rhythm and successively overtook two Ferraris, helping Mercedes re-establish their advantage in the leading group.

While Antonelli maintained a steady pace at the front, the battle at the back intensified. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were constantly neck and neck in a direct race for podium positions. The two Ferrari drivers created a tense battle in the second half of the race, with the gap at many points measured in milliseconds.

The experience of the seven-time world champion came into play at the right moment. Hamilton took advantage of the rare opportunities to move ahead, securing third place at the finish line and adding another podium finish for Ferrari.

Up ahead, Antonelli had a near-perfect day. The Italian driver made no significant mistakes and controlled the race for most of the time. His victory in Shanghai made him the second youngest driver in F1 history to win a Grand Prix, behind only Max Verstappen.

In contrast to Antonelli, Verstappen had a forgettable race. The Dutch driver made a mistake right at the start and fell far behind, before finishing the race in 16th place overall.

McLaren's race day was even worse. Two of the team's cars suffered technical problems and were unable to participate, leaving them empty-handed in Shanghai.

For Ferrari, Hamilton's podium finish also marked the second consecutive race in which the Italian team had a driver in the top three.

Currently, after two races of the 2026 season, George Russell of Mercedes leads with 51 points. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) is second with 47 points. Third and fourth are Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) respectively, with 34 and 33 points.

After the race in China, the teams will have about two weeks to prepare before the season resumes with the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place from March 27 to 29.