The 2026 Formula One (F1) Chinese GP was nothing less than a thriller. The Race delivered multiple overtaking battles, which kept fans on the edge of their seats. Mercedes’ supremacy continued, and Kimi Antonelli scripted history, winning his first race, and Lewis Hamilton got his first podium with Ferrari.
We discuss some of the stories from this weekend. In this format, we highlight which teams and drivers might have hit the targets or might have missed their targets.
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Hit: Kimi Antonelli’s maiden win
Andrea Kimi Antonelli made history on Saturday by becoming the youngest driver to get a grand prix pole, beating Sebastian Vettel’s record. At the start of the race, he lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton but soon recovered and comfortably led for most of the race, while the battle for the podium behind him raged.
He became F1’s second youngest race winner at the age of 19. This secured Mercedes a 1-2 victory, with George Russell finishing P2. Kimi Antonelli was emotional during the post-race interview. Toto Wolff’s approach of putting a young driver in a high-pressure environment was scrutinized, and Antonelli struggled in 2025’s European leg. At one point, Wolff himself criticized him in public.
Antonelli has made some errors during this weekend, such as during the sprint session. This win will really help boost his confidence, and Toto Wolff himself will be happy to be proven right. Antonelli still has a lot to improve as he moves to his next goals.
Miss: Max Verstappen’s Misery continues
Sheghai was an outing to forget for four-time world champion Max Verstappen. He did not score a single point during the weekend. Red Bull’s car lacked the pace throughout the race, as he quickly lost the places the moment the race started. The car lacked grip, and starting on the soft tyres on the opening stint did not work well.
Max Verstappen was stuck behind Oliver Bearman with the midfield pace. Verstappen finished in P6 when an Energy Recovery System (ERS) issue forced him to retire with 10 laps remaining.
“A lot to learn from,” Verstappen said, “It’s definitely not where we want to be, of course, but I also know that the team is giving it everything, so it’s frustrating for me but also frustrating for them.”
Hit: Hamilton’s first podium with Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton shone in China last year; he won the sprint race. Coming into this year, Ferrari looked very good and so far seems to be the only team challenging Mercedes’ dominance. Ferrari drivers Hamilton and Leclerc qualified on P3 and P4 respectively. At the start of the race Hamilton took Antonelli’s position, becoming the race leader. Both Ferraris were involved in the intra-team battles throughout the race for the podium positions.
In the end, it was a battle for the final position on the podium between both Ferrari teammates, and Hamilton prevailed in the end, securing his first-ever podium in Ferrari. This was a fresh breath of air for Hamilton’s Ferrari stint, as he struggled throughout the season last year. It was his first year in his career without a podium, and he seemed to have given up.
This is a sign of a new positive beginning for his stint at the Italian team, and current signs indicate things will improve in the future.
Miss: McLaren fails to appear on the starting grid
Both of the McLaren cars were facing different issues, and because of that, they were unable to start the race. Lando Norris was unable to leave the pit lane. Piastri made it to the pit lane, but his car was wheeled back to the pit lane before the formation lap.
There were different electrical issues in the power units of both cars; the issues of both cars were not linked, and it was just a horrible coincidence that they occurred to both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in a short space of time.
“It was an electrical problem on the power unit, different from Lando’s,” said Piastri. “Just very unfortunate to both have issues, but we don’t fully know any more than that at this point.”
Hit: Alpine gets double points
McLaren’s misfortune meant there was an opportunity for Alpine, as this meant they would start higher on the grid. In the current pecking order, McLaren is behind Ferrari and Mercedes, and this leaves positions vacant to be gained. Alpine had the chance.
Neither of the Alpine drivers had the ideal race, but the double points haul is considered a victory for the team as a whole. Pierre Gasly secured P6 just behind Oliver Bearman. Franco Colpainto was having a good race, but slight contact with Esteban Ocon pushed him to the back, but he still managed to finish in points.
