Kimi Antonelli made Formula 1 history by winning the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. At just 19 years old, the Mercedes driver became the second youngest Grand Prix winner in the sport's history, behind Max Verstappen, who won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at 18.
This victory follows an already historic pole position for the Italian, who became the youngest poleman in Formula 1 history. After briefly losing the lead at the start to Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli quickly regained the advantage before building a decisive gap over the rest of the field.
The Mercedes driver perfectly controlled his pace, especially after the safety car intervention triggered by Lance Stroll's retirement. This incident also helped to reshuffle the positions among the chasing pack.
Mercedes achieves a one-two finish with George Russell
Behind Antonelli, his teammate George Russell secured second place and allowed Mercedes to achieve a one-two finish, their second in two races this season.
With this success, Antonelli also becomes the first Italian driver to win in Formula 1 since Giancarlo Fisichella, winner with Renault at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton secures his first podium finish with Ferrari
The race was also marked by a spectacular duel within the Scuderia. The two Ferrari drivers battled fiercely on the track.
Following this battle, Lewis Hamilton overtook his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Briton thus secured third place and achieved his first podium finish for Ferrari. Leclerc ultimately finished fourth.
Bearman fifth, Gasly and Alpine in the points
Fifth place went to Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who delivered a solid performance throughout the race. Behind him, Pierre Gasly secured a strong sixth place.
The Alpine team also managed to place both of its cars in the top 10. Gasly was followed by his teammate Franco Colapinto, who finished tenth.
Frenchman Isack Hadjar, for his part, made a great comeback. Despite spinning out on the first lap, he managed to climb back up to eighth position.
Verstappen retires, McLaren out of the race before the start
The race, however, was more complicated for Max Verstappen. After a difficult start, the Dutchman was unable to finish the race and retired on lap 46 following a mechanical problem with his car.
The weekend proved even more frustrating for McLaren. Both of the British team's cars had to be brought back to the garage before the start due to separate technical problems, preventing the team from participating in the race.
