Antonelli takes maiden win as McLaren and Verstappen hit trouble – it’s our Chinese GP review

Kimi Antonelli took his maiden Grand Prix victory in China, becoming the second-youngest F1 race winner after Max Verstappen as Mercedes bagged another 1-2 to keep their 2026 season win streak intact.

George Russell finished second on Sunday as he remains in the lead of the Championship, with Lewis Hamilton grabbing a first rostrum for Ferrari too.

But while there was plenty of success for the Silver Arrows and for Ferrari, McLaren did not have such a good time of it, unable to get either car to the start line for the Grand Prix. Their double DNF leaves them adrift in the Championship, while Oscar Piastri has yet to start a Grand Prix this season.

F1 TV commentator and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer joins Tom Clarkson in the paddock to discuss all the events from a fascinating weekend in Shanghai, with Pete Bonnington joining the pair in the wake of his young charge grabbing the win.

They look into the plight of Red Bull too, who were off the pace all weekend long in China, before reliability problems caused Verstappen to retire from the race. Isack Hadjar’s P8 finish was all the team had to show points-wise from both the Grand Prix and the Sprint.

But there was success for Ollie Bearman and Haas, as he came home fifth in another impressive display, while Pierre Gasly also did well for Alpine.

Reliability remains a concern for some – with Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto also failing to make it to the start, while Aston Martin saw both drivers retire before the flag.

There were also plenty of racing incidents in Shanghai, with Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto coming together, while Hadjar nearly collected Bearman in the opening stages.

To hear the latest on all the biggest talking points from the race weekend, hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen to the latest episode on your preferred podcasting platform.

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