Antonelli becomes Italy’s first F1 winner in 20 years, Hamilton records his first podium finish with Ferrari and Mercedes make 2026 only the seventh time that a team has recorded 1-2 results at the first two races of the season. Here are the facts and statistics from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix!
ANTONELLI TAKES MAIDEN WIN AT THE 2026 CHINESE GRAND PRIX
Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden win at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. He became the sport’s second youngest winner at the age of 19 years, 6 months and 18 days, behind only Max Verstappen who set the record with his first win at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
Antonelli became the 116th driver to take victory in World Championship history. He is the first Italian driver to win a Grand Prix since Giancarlo Fisichella at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix almost exactly 20 years ago.
With Antonelli setting the fastest lap of the race, Mercedes equalled Red Bull and McLaren for the most fastest laps at the Chinese Grand Prix. This was the team’s fourth fastest lap at the event.
Antonelli is Formula 1’s first new winner since Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. Piastri is the only other driver born in the 2000s to have won a Grand Prix to date. Antonelli is the first driver to win a Grand Prix who was born after Michael Schumacher won his seventh and final title with Ferrari.
ON THE PODIUM
Antonelli was joined on the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix podium by team-mate George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
This was the first time an Italian won with two British drivers joining him on the podium since the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, which was won by Vittorio Brambilla with James Hunt and Tom Pryce in second and third. It was the first top three made up exclusively of Italian and British drivers since the 1992 British Grand Prix.
Antonelli and Russell recorded Mercedes’ 62nd 1-2 finish. It is the first time the team has recorded 1-2 results at successive races since the 2020 Portuguese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix.
This was Mercedes’ fourth 1-2 result at the Chinese Grand Prix, after 2014, 2015 and 2019.
Having also recorded a 1-2 result in the Australian Grand Prix, Mercedes made this only the seventh time that a team has taken 1-2 finishes in both of the first two rounds of a season. Mercedes last achieved the feat in 2019.
Russell finished on the Chinese Grand Prix podium for the second year in a row.
With both Mercedes drivers on the podium, Mercedes moved clear of Ferrari at the top of the list of most podium finishes at the Chinese Grand Prix. Their tally now stands at 15 top three finishes at the event, compared to Ferrari’s 14.
Finishing third in the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton recorded his first podium finish in a Grand Prix with Ferrari. It was his first top three finish since the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Hamilton is the 57th driver to take a podium finish with as many as three different teams in Formula 1.
This was Hamilton’s first podium finish at the Chinese Grand Prix since 2019. He extended his record for the most top three finishes at the event to ten.
Hamilton set a new record for most top ten finishes at the Chinese Grand Prix, moving clear of Fernando Alonso at the top of the list.
Hamilton led a lap of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. This is the first time Hamilton has led a lap in consecutive Grands Prix since the 2022 Mexico City and Sao Paulo Grands Prix.
For the first time since the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, the top three drivers finished in the same order as they started.
IN THE POINTS
Finishing fourth, Charles Leclerc equalled his best Chinese Grand Prix result to date. He last finished fourth at the event in 2024.
2026 is the first time since 2015 that both Ferrari drivers finished in the top four in China.
During the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari became the first team to complete 2,000 Grand Prix racing laps at Shanghai International Circuit.
With fifth place, Ollie Bearman recorded the second-best result of his career to date in the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. His only better result is fourth place in the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Bearman equalled Haas’ best-ever Grand Prix result in China, with Esteban Ocon having also finished fifth here last year.
Pierre Gasly finished the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix in sixth place, scoring points at consecutive races for the first time since last year’s British and Belgian Grands Prix. It was his highest finish since the 2025 Silverstone race.
This is the seventh time in the last nine race weekends that Bearman has scored points.
Liam Lawson finished seventh in the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, equalling his best result from the last nine Grand Prix weekends. He last finished in the top seven at the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Lawson equalled the Red Bull junior team’s best Chinese Grand Prix result since 2008.
Finishing eighth, Isack Hadjar scored points with Red Bull in a Grand Prix for the first time. It was his first points finish since the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
This was the first time since 2015 that neither Red Bull driver finished in the top four at the Chinese Grand Prix.
With ninth place in the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz scored Williams’ first points of the season.
This was Sainz’s sixth points-scoring finish from his eight appearances at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Franco Colapinto finished tenth, scoring points for the first time since the 2024 United States Grand Prix.
This was the first time both Alpine drivers scored points in a Grand Prix since Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon both finished on the podium at the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. It was the Enstone team’s first double points finish at the Chinese Grand Prix since 2018.
THE OTHER FINISHERS
With Valtteri Bottas 13th and Sergio Perez 15th, both Cadillac cars finished a Grand Prix for the first time.
THE RETIREES
Neither McLaren driver started the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix after both cars suffered electrical issues. This was the first time since the 2005 United States Grand Prix that neither McLaren driver started the race.
Lando Norris recorded the first DNS of his Formula 1 career.
Oscar Piastri failed to start for the second race weekend in a row. He became the first McLaren driver to fail to start two races in a row since Bruce McLaren at the 1969 United States and Mexican Grands Prix. It is the first time McLaren have recorded DNSs at successive races since the 2017 Bahrain and Russian Grands Prix.
Just like in the Australian Grand Prix, neither Aston Martin driver was classified in the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. It is the first time that the Silverstone-based team has failed to finish with both cars at two races in a row since the 2008 Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix. It was the team’s first-ever double DNF in China.
This is the second year in a row that Fernando Alonso has failed to finish the first two races of the season.
This was Lance Stroll’s fourth DNF in the last five Grand Prix weekends.
Max Verstappen retired from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, recording his first DNF in Shanghai since his maiden appearance in 2015.
This was Verstappen’s first DNF since the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix.
For the second race weekend in a row, an Audi driver failed to make the start. This week, it was Gabriel Bortoleto, who recorded the first DNS of his career.
Alex Albon also failed to start the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. This was his first DNS since the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Prior to the four DNSs at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, Timo Glock – driving for Virgin in 2010 – was the only driver who failed to start a race at Shanghai International Circuit.
This was the first race to have as many as four DNSs since the 2005 United States Grand Prix.