By: Shawn Corcoran

SHANGHAI, China — This race weekend brought no shortage of storylines to the second race of the year. The biggest of which saw 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli become the second teenager to win a Grand Prix. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also picked up his first podium since Las Vegas in 2024.

Mercedes Dominates Again

Both of the Mercedes drivers looked strong all weekend, with George Russell winning the first sprint race of the season, and being the favorite for the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli showcased his talents in qualifying, becoming the youngest driver in Formula One history to qualify at pole position.

The historic weekend was not over for the 19-year-old Italian. The race got off to another competitive start between the Mercedes and Ferrari cars, with Lewis Hamilton jumping into P1 off the start. This kicked off a battle for the top four spots. 

Soon enough, Lance Stroll would come to a halt on the side of the track on lap 10, bringing out the safety car while the stranded Aston Martin was removed from the track. Mercedes took the opportunity to pit both of their drivers and get them on to hard-compound tyres.

However, unlike last weekend, Ferrari decided not to waste the opportunity and brought Hamilton and Leclerc in for hard tyres as well. The Mercedes and Ferrari drivers would work their way back up the field, with Antonelli re-claiming P1, and George Russell falling into P4.

Antonelli had pulled away with the lead, but after working his way past the two Ferraris, Russell would begin to catch up to his teammate.

This would not be enough, and Antonelli would claim the first victory of his career, and become the second youngest driver to win a Grand Prix, just behind Max Verstappen, who won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at just 18 years old. He also became the first Italian driver to win a race since 2006. Russell would come in at P2, giving Mercedes their second 1-2 victory of the year.

Ferrari Battle Delivers Hamilton’s First Podium With Ferrari

Ferrari may not have come out with the win, but they sure gave us another exciting race. Both drivers were keen to make another showing of Ferrari’s impressive starts. Lewis Hamilton, who started P3, jumped past both Mercedes drivers to take the lead. 

Ferrari, aiming to make sure strategy wasn’t the cause of their downfall every weekend, made sure to pit both drivers, alongside the Mercedes drivers, to get them on fresh, durable, hard tyres, which they would run for the remainder of the race.

While Russell worked his way to P2, the Ferrari drivers had their own battle for the remaining podium spot. The battle saw the two go wheel-to-wheel around the Shanghai International Circuit. 

The competitive racing seemed to be rather enjoyable for the pair of drivers. “This is actually quite a fun battle,” Leclerc relayed to the pit wall. Hamilton also seemed to enjoy the “tough racing” which he revealed also included some contact between the two scarlet cars, but that it was “just a kiss.”

In the end, Lewis Hamilton would get the upper hand, and claim his first podium finish with the Scuderia. It is a breath of fresh air after spending the 2025 campaign trying to prove that a tractor could double as a race car. Nonetheless, the seven-time world champion seems to be back in form with his 203^rd podium finish.

Tough Weekend For Some

While Mercedes and Ferrari had an eventful race weekend, the same could not be said about every team. First, there was McLaren, who have been having a rough go this year. 

Last weekend, Oscar Piastri crashed on the lap to the grid, putting him out of his home race. This weekend didn’t go any better, as neither Piastri nor defending champion Lando Norris would start the race, continuing a lackluster start to the season for a team that was so dominant last year. 

Red Bull, who saw Isack Hadjar exit last week’s race due to engine issues, had a similarly rough race this go around. This weekend, it was four-time champion Max Verstappen who fell victim to car troubles on lap 47. This came after he also faced issues with his tyres early on in the race. 

Luckily, Isack Hadjar managed to finish in P8, scoring some points for Red Bull. This means that their weekend wasn’t a complete loss. 

The same could not be said for Aston Martin. The team saw a double DNF last weekend in Melbourne, and did the same this weekend, proving James Bond is lucky to have a fictional team working on his car. Lance Stroll’s race ended on lap 10, bringing out the safety car. Fernando Alonso made it further, but still had to retire in the pit lane before the checkered flag.

Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi, and Alex Albon of Williams also failed to start the race. 

Two races into the 2026 campaign and George Russell leads the championship, with teammate Kimi Antonelli not far behind. Meanwhile, for constructors, Mercedes is at the top, as Ferrari try to catch up.

There will be no race next week, but Formula 1 will return for round three in Japan on March 27–29.

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