F1
George Russell congratulates Kimi Antonelli on his first victory: "Huge congratulations to Kimi"
George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Lewis Hamilton at the post-race press conference for the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. Photo by Fabrizio Boldoni / DPPI
Andrea Kimi Antonelli won his first Grand Prix of Formula 1 this Sunday, March 15th, during the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Italian also became the second youngest winner in history, behind Max Verstappen in Barcelona in 2016. The Italian, very emotional at the finish, finished ahead of his teammate George Russell. The Briton battled for a while with the Classic Ferrari for sale and especially lost time during the safety car restart. Ultimately finishing second, the 2026 championship leader congratulated his young teammate during the traditional post-race interviews.
The Briton was also happy to share this podium with his former teammate Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion climbing onto the podium for the first time in a Grand Prix with Ferrari.
« Huge congratulations to Kimi! George Russell declared. It's always very special to win your first F1 race. I'm happy to be on the podium with him and Lewis. It was a real battle. We had another bad start. The Ferraris were able to overtake us, but we got what we hoped for at the finish: a one-two finish. »
Mercedes Benz will try to confirm their early season supremacy at the next event, on March 29 in Japan.
ALSO READ > Chinese GP: First victory for Antonelli, first podium with Ferrari for Hamilton
Valentin GLO
Journalist. Endurance reporter (WEC, IMSA, ELMS, ALMS) and sometimes F1 or IndyCar.
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Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)
16/03/2026 at 09:52 a.m.
Magnificent victory 🏆 for Kimi 🇮🇹, Niki would have simply said 🧢. 😎👀👍 Alain Féguenne F1 Competitions - 24 Hours of Le Mans - WEC
vincent moyet
15/03/2026 at 04:26 a.m.
This certainly isn't Antonelli's last victory this season. He's still a little rough around the edges to challenge Russell for the title, but he'll gain confidence and be supported by an enthusiastic entire nation, and he'll rack up quite a few wins this year. There are precocity records that will fall. And a 20-year-old world champion would be something special, because when he starts to mature, he's going to be a real force to be reckoned with.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
15/03/2026 at 01:30 a.m.
After the Papaya Boys duel in 2025, will it be a duel between teammates at Mercedes? Antonelli is even more precocious than Piastri at McLaren, watch out Mr. Russell!