Antonelli takes his first Grand Prix win in Shanghai
The short version
Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix from pole position for his first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory, finishing 5.515s ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Lewis Hamilton took third, his first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari. Russell won Saturday's sprint and left Shanghai leading the championship by four points.
- 5.515sMargin of victory
- 1:35.275Fastest lap · Antonelli
- P17 → P9Sainz · biggest mover (+8)
- 7Retirements · incl. Verstappen, Alonso
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Kimi Antonelli is a Grand Prix winner. The Mercedes driver converted pole into his first F1 victory in Shanghai, and he is the first Italian to win a Grand Prix since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006.
A thin grid, then a Ferrari leader
The race lost four cars before it started. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both had electrical problems, while Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto were also out. When the lights went out, Lewis Hamilton led the early laps before Antonelli passed him at Turn 14 and pulled away.
Russell recovers, Verstappen retires
Russell dropped to fourth on the opening lap but passed both Ferraris to finish second, 5.515s behind. Lance Stroll’s stoppage brought out a safety car and a round of pit stops. Max Verstappen, who made a poor start, later retired with a cooling problem.
The podium and the table
Hamilton’s third place was his first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari, with Leclerc fourth. Oliver Bearman took an impressive fifth for Haas. Russell won the weekend’s sprint, which kept him top of the standings on 51 points to Antonelli’s 47.
Key moments
- GridFour cars fail to start: both McLarens with electrical problems, plus Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto.
- EarlyHamilton leads in the early laps before Antonelli passes him at Turn 14 to take the lead.
- Mid-raceLance Stroll's stoppage brings out the safety car. Russell later passes both Ferraris for second.
- FlagAntonelli wins for the first time. Hamilton takes third.
Race classification
2026 Chinese Grand Prix · official classification| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:33:15.607 | 25 |
| 2 | George Russell | +5.515 | 18 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | +25.267 | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | +28.894 | 12 |
| 5 | Oliver Bearman | +57.268 | 10 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | +59.647 | 8 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | +1:20.588 | 6 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | +1:27.247 | 4 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | Sergio Pérez | +1 Lap | 0 |
Source: official results on Formula1.com, including post-race penalties.
Did not finish
7 retirements| Driver | Reason |
|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | Cooling |
| Fernando Alonso | Vibrations |
| Lance Stroll | Retired |
| Oscar Piastri | Did not start |
| Lando Norris | Did not start |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | Did not start |
| Alexander Albon | Did not start |
Weekend sessions
Practice, qualifying and sprint · tap to expandClassifications update on their own, within about 10 minutes of being published.
Practice 1
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:32.741 | 29 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:32.861 | 30 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 1:33.296 | 29 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:33.472 | 28 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:33.599 | 28 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:34.129 | 26 |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | 1:34.426 | 28 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | 1:34.541 | 24 |
| 9 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:34.639 | 27 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | 1:34.676 | 28 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | 1:34.773 | 29 |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:34.828 | 26 |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | 1:34.856 | 26 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | 1:34.877 | 25 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | 1:34.947 | 26 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | 1:35.480 | 31 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:35.679 | 18 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | 1:35.856 | 18 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:36.057 | 25 |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | 1:37.224 | 20 |
| 21 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:37.896 | 6 |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | 1:39.200 | 13 |
Sprint Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:33.030 | 1:32.241 | 1:31.520 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:33.455 | 1:32.291 | 1:31.809 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 1:33.783 | 1:33.086 | 1:32.141 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:33.148 | 1:33.042 | 1:32.161 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | 1:33.813 | 1:33.038 | 1:32.224 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | 1:33.194 | 1:32.602 | 1:32.528 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | 1:33.970 | 1:33.405 | 1:32.888 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | 1:34.170 | 1:33.564 | 1:33.254 |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | 1:34.280 | 1:33.501 | 1:33.409 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | 1:34.447 | 1:33.620 | 1:33.723 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:33.997 | 1:33.635 | — |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | 1:34.087 | 1:33.639 | — |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | 1:34.110 | 1:33.714 | — |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:34.291 | 1:33.774 | — |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:34.495 | 1:34.048 | — |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:34.592 | 1:34.327 | — |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:34.761 | — | — |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | 1:35.305 | — | — |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | 1:35.581 | — | — |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | 1:36.151 | — | — |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:37.378 | — | — |
Sprint Race
| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 33:38.998 | 8 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | +0.674 | 7 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | +2.554 | 6 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | +4.433 | 5 |
| 5 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | +5.688 | 4 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | +6.809 | 3 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | +10.900 | 2 |
| 8 | Oliver Bearman | +11.271 | 1 |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | +11.619 | 0 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | +13.887 | 0 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | +14.780 | 0 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | +15.753 | 0 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +15.858 | 0 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | +16.393 | 0 |
| 15 | Isack Hadjar | +16.430 | 0 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | +20.014 | 0 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | +21.599 | 0 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | +21.971 | 0 |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | +28.241 | 0 |
| NC | Nico Hülkenberg | Retired | 0 |
| NC | Valtteri Bottas | Retired | 0 |
| NC | Arvid Lindblad | Retired | 0 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:33.305 | 1:32.443 | 1:32.064 |
| 2 | George Russell | 1:33.262 | 1:32.523 | 1:32.286 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:33.522 | 1:32.567 | 1:32.415 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:33.175 | 1:32.486 | 1:32.428 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | 1:33.590 | 1:33.130 | 1:32.550 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:33.535 | 1:32.910 | 1:32.608 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | 1:33.788 | 1:33.003 | 1:32.873 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | 1:33.417 | 1:33.098 | 1:33.002 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | 1:33.632 | 1:33.352 | 1:33.121 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | 1:33.687 | 1:33.197 | 1:33.292 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:34.116 | 1:33.354 | — |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | 1:33.634 | 1:33.357 | — |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | 1:33.974 | 1:33.538 | — |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | 1:34.139 | 1:33.765 | — |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:33.906 | 1:33.784 | — |
| 16 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:33.549 | 1:33.965 | — |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:34.317 | — | — |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | 1:34.772 | — | — |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | 1:35.203 | — | — |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:35.436 | — | — |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:35.995 | — | — |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | 1:36.906 | — | — |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) won the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit on 15 March 2026, finishing 5.515s ahead of George Russell in a race time of 1:33:15.607.
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix?
P1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), P2 George Russell (Mercedes), P3 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari).
Who set the fastest lap at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:35.275.
How many drivers retired from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix?
7 drivers did not finish: Max Verstappen (cooling), Fernando Alonso (vibrations), Lance Stroll (retired), Oscar Piastri (did not start), Lando Norris (did not start), Gabriel Bortoleto (did not start), Alexander Albon (did not start).
Who won the 2026 Chinese sprint?
George Russell won the sprint in Shanghai, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. It was the first sprint of the 2026 season.
Was Shanghai Kimi Antonelli's first F1 win?
Yes. The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix was Antonelli's first Grand Prix victory. He is the first Italian driver to win a Grand Prix since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006.