Kimi Antonelli claims his first Grand Prix victory

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won his first-ever Grand Prix. After becoming the youngest-ever pole sitter on Saturday, Antonelli converted his pole position into a victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. The last time an Italian driver won a Formula 1 race was back in 2006, when Giancarlo Fisichella triumphed at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Just as in the season opener, the early stages of the Chinese Grand Prix featured a brilliant battle at the front between the Ferraris and the Mercedes drivers. However, Antonelli remained composed and used the restart after the first Safety Car period to pull away from the competition, who continued to fight amongst themselves. This battling caused both Ferrari drivers and Russell to lose significant time to Antonelli, who steadily increased his lead. Once Russell managed to clear both Ferraris, Antonelli maintained the gap to his teammate despite a small error in the closing laps, ultimately securing his first Grand Prix win.

Antonelli achieved this by opting for a one-stop strategy, a move mirrored by Russell. Both drivers started on the medium tyre and switched to the hard compound during a Safety Car period on lap ten. They managed their tyres effectively, removing the need for further pit stops. Behind the Mercedes duo, the Ferrari drivers followed the same strategy, as did Oliver Bearman, who finished in a superb fifth place.

While the top seven finishers all opted for a one-stop strategy (Medium to Hard compound), Isack Hadjar finished eighth using a different approach. The Red Bull driver started on the soft compound but headed straight to the pits for hard tyres following a spin on the opening lap. The Frenchman then pitted again during the lap ten Safety Car for another set of new hards. He ran these to the finish, securing points for his team.

Antonelli and Russell were joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton, who finished third just ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. The next race is scheduled for two weeks’ time, when the F1 world travels to the legendary Suzuka circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli

“What an incredible day! This win is a fulfilment of one of the dreams I’ve had ever since I first drove a go-kart. I want to say thank you to my amazing family and the incredible team at both Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive. I couldn’t have done this without any of them, and it means so much to take my first victory in F1. It was a very special moment for all of us.

“The race itself wasn’t easy. I lost a position at the start and had to fight back to get ahead. We then had to manage the Safety Car restart which wasn’t easy on the Hard compound. It was difficult to get the tyres working but fortunately we were able to before we were under threat from those behind.

“This has been a great way to close the first double-header of the season but there is lots of work ahead. We aren’t taking anything for granted and will make sure we work hard ahead of Japan and arrive in Suzuka in the strongest position we can.”

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kimi Antonelli on his first Formula 1 victory. It has been exactly twenty years since an Italian driver last triumphed in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and this historic moment occurred today in a race filled with overtakes and plot twists.

“As expected, the one-stop strategy proved to be the most effective in Shanghai, and the teams did not change their approach even when a Safety Car neutralised the race on lap nine. Instead, the pit window for those who had started on Medium was brought forward.

“The final stint on Hards for ten drivers exceeded 45 laps, with tyres that were clearly in the final stages of their wear yet still capable of maintaining decent consistency. In fact, the winner himself set the fastest lap of the race on lap fifty-two.

“Those who had chosen the white-banded compound at the start, on the other hand, had the opportunity to stay out during the neutralisation, gaining a few positions. However, it didn’t take long for rivals with fresh tyres to reclaim the top spots.

“Alpine, Haas and Racing Bulls, for example, are teams that exploited these two strategies to create different opportunities for their drivers. Soft were also used at the start, with the Red Bull drivers taking advantage of the extra grip to attempt an early getaway as the lights went out. We can conclude that all three tyre compounds proved to be valid options for devising effective race strategies.

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Written by

Jarrod Partridge

Jarrod Partridge is the Co-Founder of F1 Chronicle and an FIA accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following Formula 1. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered F1 races at circuits around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every race report, driver profile, and technical analysis he writes.

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