Mercedes secured another one-two finish to open the season as Kimi Antonelli delivered a controlled victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Italian became the second youngest race winner in Formula 1 history with the triumph for Mercedes.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle missing from Sky Sports coverage at Chinese Grand Prix
Antonelli started from pole position as the youngest driver ever to lead the grid in a Grand Prix. He briefly lost the lead at the start to Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari but quickly regained the position and controlled the race from the front.
The only driver to have won a Formula 1 race at a younger age remains Max Verstappen, who took his first victory in 2016 aged 18.
Behind Antonelli, his teammate George Russell fought through a close battle with both Ferraris to secure second place. Hamilton completed the podium in third, marking his first Grand Prix podium finish since joining Ferrari.
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The race was further disrupted before the start as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unable to begin the event for McLaren. Piastri had originally qualified fifth with Norris sixth for the race.
Norris remained in the pits and did not leave for the grid, before Piastri was withdrawn shortly before the formation lap. A team radio message indicated an electrical issue affecting the Australian driver’s car.
“Unfortunately we identified separate issues on both cars which prevented them from starting the Chinese GP, with Oscar’s being removed from the grid shortly before the formation lap. We will now work to identify each issue,” the McLaren team said.
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It marked the second time in the 2026 season that Piastri has failed to start a race after crashing before the start of the Australian round.
The race weekend also followed confirmation that next month’s Formula 1 events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not go ahead due to the war in the Middle East.
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