By Lani Price
Kimi Antonelli established himself as the second-youngest Grand Prix winner after finding victory at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Antonelli went into the race as the youngest Grand Prix polesitter, and, having briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton, re-took P1 position before the end of the second lap, and managed to retain his lead throughout the remainder of the race.
George Russell took second place, securing Mercedes second 1-2 of the season, while Ferrari’s Hamilton found his maiden podium finish for the team.
This podium finish did not come easy for Hamilton as the Brit spent a large portion of his race battling his teammate Charles Leclerc for the final podium spot.
Russell found himself briefly caught amidst the battle of the prancing horses, though managed to expertly fight his way through and regain second place.
Both McLaren’s, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, and Williams’ Alex Albon failed to make the start of the race due to pre-race issues, meaning that Oscar Piastri is yet to completing a racing lap this season.
There was once again trouble in the Aston Martin garage as Lance Stroll stopped on track, brining out the Safety Car on lap 10, followed by his teammate, Fernando Alonso, who boxed to retire the car in the latter stages of the race due to vibrations from the AMR26.
Max Verstappen was the seventh and final driver unable to complete the race, with the former World Champion crawling back to the pits and retiring his car just 10 laps out from the end.
Haas’ Oliver Bearman finished the Grand Prix in a respectable fifth place after having a scary moment in the opening lap of his race, coming face-to-face with Isack Hadjar’s RedBull as it spun through turn 13.
For the second weekend in a row Alpine’s Pierre Gasly managed points as he finished sixth.
The remainder of the top 10 was completed by Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Hadjar, Carlos Sainz (Williams), and Franco Colapinto (Alpine).
Formula One will take to the track again in two weeks time at the Suzuka Race Hub for the Japanese Grand Prix, where Mercedes will look to prove their new-found dominance once again.
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