Watch your back George! That’s because Kimi Antonelli became the second youngest winner in Formula One history at the Chinese Grand Prix – as Lewis Hamilton, in third place, claimed his first Ferrari podium.
Make no mistake, George Russell remains the title favourite at the early part of the season after taking victory in Melbourne a week ago and in the sprint here in Shanghai on Saturday.
He is in high-stepping form and would likely have won again but for a gearbox glitch in qualifying that compromised him. He instead started second and finished second to hold a four-point lead in the championship table.
Hamilton, ailing all last year, had not been on the podium for 477 days. It was hard-earned in high drama, and watched by his mother Brenda, who waved to an excited pro-Hamilton crowd before the start.
As for Antonelli, a memorable afternoon in his life of 19 years and 202 days. Only Max Verstappen has won at a younger age, in Barcelona in 2016, aged 18 years and 228 days. That is distinguished company for the young Italian to keep. The best in fact.
The Mercedes is up the field from the rest and that was proven by Antonelli’s winning margin of 20 seconds to the Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc fourth in the other red car. Antonelli beat Russell by 5.5sec.
Kimi Antonelli won his maiden Grand Prix as Mercedes continued their good start to the season in China
Antonelli, who became the second youngest race winner in Formula One history, was emotional following the race in Shanghai
Ferrari are reliably closest to the Silver Arrows – a point proven yet again as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc yo-yo’ed in their battle for third.
It was pulsating stuff. They nearly touched wheels as Hamilton locked up at Turn 7 on eventful 26th and 27th laps. He had just passed Leclerc at the penultimate bend. Leclerc got him back at T1. Then their near coming together. Deep breaths on the Ferrari pit wall. Three exchanges of position, but it was hard to count in the melee.
It was far from over, heartbeats racing among anyone wearing red. Around the 40th lap they again exchanged places for the last and decisive time – their position determined by who deployed his electrical power when. By who boosted when in attack.
You may call it artificial or orchestrated theatre. ‘It’s quite a fun battle,’ said Leclerc over the radio. The Mercedes boys were now up the road. But Russell was never really in contention for the win once Antonelli got away cleanly, and defended Leclerc’s threat with style, and he (Russell) fell from second to fourth as a result of the irresistible force of the fast-starting Ferraris.
A safety car came out when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin packed up. All the leaders pitted, double-stacking as they did so. Antonelli, young enough to be Hamilton’s son, has at times lost composure. He did last season in a trying debut season, perhaps exposed too young to the spotlight.
Here he was cool, only once pushing too hard – nerves? – as the chequered flag approached. He lost two seconds at the penultimate corner, but could afford to, such was his cushion.
Elsewhere, a woeful day for Lando Norris and his McLaren team, with neither of their cars even making it to the start.
The defending world champion was sitting in his cockpit in the garage, not making it out to the grid. His mechanics worked valiantly but could not get him started, with an electrical gremlin.
Lewis Hamilton took the first podium of his Ferrari career after a battle with Charles Leclerc
It was a dismal day for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who both failed to start the race
His team-mate Oscar Piastri made it as far as the grid but he was wheeled back into the garage just before the start.
A bravura performance by Brit Ollie ‘The Bear’ Bearman, 20, who took fifth place for Haas, just short of his best performance, fourth in Mexico last year, but still good enough to help press his claims at this distant stage to take over from Hamilton one day at Ferrari. That is his dream.
Max Verstappen retired with 10 laps to go with some so-far undisclosed problem with his Red Bull, probably engine-related. Another difficult day for him, a bad start and then his typically plucky fight back. He was running sixth, one back from Bearman, when the call to retire came.
Not only did the McLarens not start, nor did Williams’ Alex Albon and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto. There are teething problems in these early throes of the new regulations. Just not for Mercedes.
