Kimi Antonelli captured his first career Formula One victory Sunday, winning the Chinese Grand Prix and becoming the second youngest driver in history to win a Formula One race.
The 19 year old Italian, driving for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, finished 5.5 seconds ahead of teammate George Russell at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton finished third to claim his first Grand Prix podium since joining Scuderia Ferrari, after a fierce race long battle with teammate Charles Leclerc, who placed fourth.
Antonelli had already made headlines Saturday by becoming the youngest pole sitter in Formula One history. He briefly lost the lead at the start of the 56 lap race when Hamilton surged ahead from third on the grid, but the Mercedes rookie regained control before the end of the second lap and never relinquished the position.
“I’m speechless. I’m about to cry, to be honest,” Antonelli said after the race. “Thank you so much to my team because they helped me achieve this dream. I really wanted to bring Italy back on top and we did today.”
The race began with early drama before the lights even went out. Both McLaren F1 Team drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were unable to start due to separate electrical issues with their power units. Gabriel Bortoleto also failed to start after a hydraulics problem with his Audi car, while Alex Albon could not take the start after a suspension change forced him to begin from the pit lane.
When the race finally got underway, Hamilton seized the lead from Antonelli and Russell into the opening corners. Antonelli quickly fought back, reclaiming first place at the Turn 14 hairpin on Lap 2.
A Safety Car was deployed on Lap 10 after Lance Stroll stopped his Aston Martin F1 Team at Turn 1. The leading drivers pitted for fresh tires during the caution period, with Antonelli maintaining the lead on the restart.
Russell struggled briefly with tire temperature following the restart, allowing Hamilton and Leclerc to move ahead before the Mercedes driver fought back to regain second place.
The Ferrari teammates then engaged in a prolonged wheel to wheel battle for the final podium position. Leclerc briefly overtook Hamilton during the fight, but the seven time world champion reclaimed third place with a decisive move late in the race.
As the leaders pulled clear, Ollie Bearman delivered an impressive drive to finish fifth for Haas F1 Team, while Pierre Gasly finished sixth for Alpine F1 Team.
Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar followed in seventh and eighth, with Carlos Sainz scoring the first points of the season for Williams Racing in ninth.
Franco Colapinto rounded out the top ten despite spinning earlier in the race after contact with Esteban Ocon, who later received a 10 second penalty.
Further down the order, Nico Hulkenberg finished just outside the points in 11th, followed by Arvid Lindblad, Valtteri Bottas, Ocon, and Sergio Perez.
Several drivers failed to finish the race. Max Verstappen retired 10 laps from the end while running sixth after suffering a problem with his Red Bull Racing car. Alonso also retired, while Stroll’s stoppage caused the race’s only Safety Car.
The victory marked a breakthrough moment for Antonelli, who now joins an exclusive group of teenage race winners in Formula One history.
Formula One will now take a short break before returning for the Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled for March 27 through 29.