3 min readMar 15, 2026 06:41 PM IST
19-year-old Kimi Antonelli became the second-youngest driver in the history of sport to win a Formula One race as he led Championship-leading teammate George Russell in a Mercedes one-two finish in the Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in Shanghai on Sunday.
The Italian is now the second teenager ever to win a Formula One race, and the second-youngest after the four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who claimed his first victory with Red Bull at the age of 18 in 2016.
An emotional Antonelli struggled to hold back tears after securing his maiden F1 win. “I’m speechless. I’m about to cry, to be honest,” he said in his first interview as a race winner. “Thank you everyone. Thank you so much. You made me achieve one of my dreams,” he added over the team radio after taking the chequered flag.
Antonelli, who joined Mercedes’ junior program at just 11 years old, has vindicated team principal Toto Wolff’s decision to replace all-time great Lewis Hamilton with the young Italian. Wolff shared a heartfelt message with his new driver after the race. “He’s too young, we shouldn’t put him in a Mercedes, put him in a smaller team, he needs the experience, look at the mistakes he makes. Here we go Kimi… victory,” the Austrian said over the radio as Mercedes celebrated their second consecutive win.
An emotional day for Kimi! 🥹#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/PnhvRgTxbv
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026
Reflecting on the decision, Wolff told Sky Sport Germany: “Many said it was just too early last year, and obviously we asked ourselves that question… whether it was too much to throw him into this pressure cooker. One year with ups and downs and he’s young. We have to forgive him those mistakes, and now, in the second Grand Prix (of 2026), he brings it home ruthlessly. It’s good.”
On Saturday, Antonelli made history as the youngest driver ever to take pole position. He briefly lost the lead to Hamilton at the start but quickly reclaimed it and remained in control for the rest of the race.
Hamilton finished third, securing his first podium since joining Ferrari last year and his first since Las Vegas in 2024. His teammate Charles Leclerc came in fourth after a lively battle between the two. McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri both failed to start due to issues with their cars.
