Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit 2026
STARTING GRID: 1) ANTONELLI 2) RUSSELL 3) HAMILTON 4) LECLERC 5) PIASTRI 6) NORRIS 7) GASLY 8) VERSTAPPEN 9) HADJAR 10) BEARMAN 11) HULKENBERG 12) COLAPINTO 13) OCON 14) LAWSON 15) LINDBLAD 16) BORTOLETO 17) SAINZ 18) ALONSO 19) BOTTAS 20) STROLL 21) PEREZ 22) ALBON
BEFORE THE RACE: Prior to the start of the Grand Prix, both of the McLaren drivers were forced to retire from the race despite not starting. Problems with both cars meant that the Constructors Champions were unable to run a car in the Chinese Grand Prix. A disappointing weekend for McLaren and both of their drivers with Oscar Piastri not completing a lap in the season as of yet.
They were not the only cars that did not make the start of the race however. The Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto did not start the race due to a technical issue. As well as the Williams of Alex Albon, which was due to start from the pit lane but hydraulics issues on the out lap led to him not being part of the race either.
LAP 1: Into the first corner, the Ferrari’s once again with an excellent start as Antonelli tried to cover his team mate into the first corner. He left the door open for Lewis Hamilton to sweep around the outside and take the lead. Charles Leclerc was side by side with Antonelli as he looked to take 2nd place but Antonelli placed his car well into turns 2 and 3 and retained 2nd place.
A nightmare start on the first lap for both Red Bull cars as Max Verstappen lost 6 places down to 14th and his team mate battling with Ollie Bearman for 6th place. The Haas defended hard against Hadjar as he tried to get past and both cars went off the track as a result. Then a few corners later coming round turn 13 the Red Bull spun as it tried to make a move stick but almost collected the Haas on its way off the track. Luckily, both drivers continued their races without damage but a major setback for Hadjar in the race on the opening lap.
Another incident in the opening corners was both Cadillac drivers colliding as Perez tried to go up the inside of Bottas at turn 3. A gap that didn’t seem to be open and Bottas didn’t seem to see either. Not the start of the race for either drivers or Cadillac would want to watch again.
LAP 2: As the 2nd lap entered the final few corners Antonelli saw an opportunity to get past the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton. On the back straight the extra energy was deployed and it was a relatively easy pass for the Mercedes. The Ferrari tried its best to fight back even onto the pit straight but was unable to trouble Antonelli.
LAP 3: At the start of lap 3, Charles Leclerc was under pressure from George Russell. He moved out to the inside line and moved past the Ferrari into turn 1. The extra power that the Mercedes car seems to get in the straights seems to make them unstoppable when trying to make a move.
LAP 4: The almost identical move just a lap later from the Mercedes of George Russell, this time on his former team mate Lewis Hamilton. Once again it did not seem in any way difficult for Mercedes to breeze past the cars ahead as it sailed into turn 1 now in 2nd place. The only car ahead of him at this point was Kimi Antonelli.
LAP 10: An early retirement in the race for Aston Martin and Lance Stroll. He stopped off track between turns 1 and 2, with a problem that meant he could not continue the race. Only 2 races into the season for Aston Martin but their problems this season seem to keep growing and problems needing to be resolved fast. A safety car was deployed with the dangerous placing of the Aston Martin when it had stopped, with most drivers coming into the pits as a result.
LAP 14: The battle for the podium places and certainly for 2nd place was still in the balance with Lewis Hamilton capitalising on a mistake made by George Russell as he went deep into a corner and his exit was wide, which left the door wide open for Hamilton. He got past Russell with no second chance needed for the 7 time World Champion to move into 4th with the 2 ahead of him still yet to pit.
LAP 15: A disappointing few laps for George Russell as Charles Leclerc managed to get past him on the pit straight. The Ferrari’s were not ready to give up their podium places early in the race in Shanghai.
LAP 24: On the back straight, there was only 0.9 seconds separating both Ferrari’s and George Russell. With such a close battle for the podium places it was vital that each driver picked their moments carefully and that all raced cleanly. The team orders were not in play at the end of the back straight with a late lunge from Leclerc on the inside of Hamilton.
All 3 cars then moved to the pit straight where only 0.7 seconds separated them. With Lewis Hamilton not ready to give up 2nd place he tried to fight back round the outside of turn 1 and 2. However, Charles Leclerc was able to position his car perfectly to keep the place and fend off his team mate.
LAP 26: The action continued between the 2 Ferrari’s with Hamilton fighting back against Leclerc. He reversed the move on Leclerc into turn 14 and got back to 2nd. This was short lived as Leclerc swept round the outside of turn 1 to take the position back.
The endless to and fro from turn 1 was spectacular viewing for the fans but will have made the Tifosi and the Ferrari pit wall hold their breaths as they continue their wheel to wheel racing for the majority of the lap. Leclerc managed to keep the place and Hamilton needed to focus on defending from Russell for the time being for his podium place to stay intact.
LAP 27: An opportunity missed for Hamilton looked to cost him as just a lap later he was overtaken on the pit straight by Russell as he went from 2nd to 4th with a matter of 2 laps. At this point in the race it seemed Hamilton would have to wait for the illustrious first podium for Ferrari.
LAP 29: The fight back and patience from George Russell in this race was something to admire. He did not panic or make any rash decisions to keep in the race with the Ferrari’s he waited for the 2 ahead of him to fight against each other, then picked his moments and moved past them both.
The move was made once again on the pit straight with the energy power surge from the Mercedes to go past both Ferrari’s with ease. Now he had the task of closing the gap on his team mate with time running out and a large gap to close.
LAP 33: There was contact between the Alpine of Colapinto and the Haas of Ocon as the Alpine rejoined the track from his pit stop. Ocon tried a late lunge on the inside of the Alpine with a gap that was closing fast and spun off the curb into Colapinto. Both cars did a 360 spin and they ended up in 13th and 15th as a result. Ocon later received a 10-second penalty for the collision which he fully took responsibility for.
LAP 35: Lewis Hamilton was on his team radio saying he “had no power” and asked for his team to “give him something”. However, whilst the radio message played Charles Leclerc had a lock up at the hairpin and went deep into the corner which opened the opportunity for Hamilton to take 3rd place. He took the place and the 3.3 second gap was wiped out from one simple mistake.
LAP 39: The battle for the last podium place was not over by any means as Charles Leclerc retook 3rd from Hamilton at the same corner which he made a mistake a few laps before.
LAP 40: Despite the move from Leclerc, Hamilton fought back at the start of lap 40 and went up the inside of his team mate into turn 1. He kept the line beautifully and made the move stick despite the pressure from the Monegasque driver.
LAP 46: With only 10 laps to go, the Red Bull of Max Verstappen was going slow and was told by his team “let’s retire the car please”. Another blow for Red Bull in their start to the season that has had 2 retirements for their drivers in 2 races. The top constructors of the last 3 seasons were both having extremely difficult starts to their seasons compared to recent years. Both will be hoping their luck changes sooner rather than later.
LAP 56: KIMI ANTONELLI COMES THROUGH THE CHEQUERED FLAG! The second youngest Formula 1 race winner in history! At just 19 years old, the Mercedes driver became the first Italian driver to win a race since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. The 20 year wait was over and with a gap of over 6 seconds to his team mate George Russell. A perfect weekend for Mercedes with their second consecutive 1-2 finish for the season. Another great drive from George Russell to keep the Ferrari’s at bay despite pressure from both for most of the race.
The second row also for the second consecutive week was the 2 Ferrari’s. This time their drivers also switched places from the previous race as Lewis Hamilton achieved his first podium for Ferrari. A long anticipated wait for the Brit with his sights firmly set on that first win for the Tifosi in the near future. Charles Leclerc brought his Ferrari home in 4th which he may be kicking himself at but it could prove to be vital points for him and his team come the end of the season.
A terrific drive for Ollie Bearman handed him a 5th place finish in Shanghai which he and his team will have been delighted with. A double points finish for Alpine as Gasly finished in 6th with another strong drive and 10th place for Colapinto which was a great fight back result with his collision with Ocon hindering his race.
The 7th and 8th places belonged to Red Bull owned cars with Liam Lawson getting the best of Isaac Hadjar despite being in a Racing Bull. Although, Red Bull could have had another car ahead of both cars if it wasn’t for the unfortunate retirement of Max Verstappen. There will be concern in the Red Bull camp as they have had 2 races with 2 retirements but will hope their power unit problems will be resolved imminently.
The other points finish in 9th was the Williams of Carlos Sainz. The first points on the board for Williams this season. Another team which captalised on the misfortunes of those ahead of them but a good performance none the less from the Spanish driver. Williams will hope to keep that momentum as they move forward to Suzuka in a matter of weeks.
RACE RESULT: 1) ANTONELLI 2) RUSSELL 3) HAMILTON 4) LECLERC 5) BEARMAN 6) GASLY 7) LAWSON 8) HADJAR 9) SAINZ 10) COLAPINTO 11) HULKENBERG 12) LINDBLAD 13) BOTTAS 14) OCON 15) PEREZ 16) VERSTAPPEN (DNF) 17) ALONSO (DNF) 18) STROLL (DNF) 19) PIASTRI (DNS) 20) NORRIS (DNS) 21) BORTOLETO (DNS) 22) ALBON (DNS)
