Kimi Antonelli wrote his name into the Formula 1 record books over the weekend by winning the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
It was the first time the Italian had started a Grand Prix from pole after a stunning performance in Qualifying, before he led home Mercedes team mate George Russell, after challenges from Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, to become the sport’s 116th Grand Prix winner.
The achievement also made him just the second teenager in history to top an F1 podium and the first Italian to win a Grand Prix since Giancarlo Fisichella’s Malaysian Grand Prix win almost 20 years ago.
With the dust settling following another thrilling weekend of racing, drivers and teams have been taking to social media to congratulate Antonelli on his maiden win.
One of the first to post online was Russell, who won the Saturday’s Sprint before Antonelli stole the show at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday.
The 28-year-old said it was a “pleasure” to share the moment on the podium with his young team mate.
Also on the podium for the first time as a Ferrari driver was six-time Chinese Grand Prix winner Hamilton, who knows more than anyone what it takes to win in Shanghai.
He described the Grand Prix as “one of the most enjoyable races” in years, having battled hard with his Ferrari team mate Leclerc, before taking the time to send his congratulations to Antonelli – the man who took the seven-time World Champion’s seat at Mercedes following his departure to the Scuderia.
Hamilton followed his initial post on Sunday with another personal message to Antonelli on Monday, saying that winning in China was going to be the “first of many” Grand Prix wins for the young Mercedes star.
It wasn’t just current and former Mercedes drivers reacting to the news though, with Cadillac’s Sergio Perez also congratulating Antonelli on his maiden Grand Prix win.
Elsewhere, Perez’s former Red Bull team mate and four-time World Champion Max Verstappen failed to finish the race in Shanghai, after being told to retire the car during the latter stages of the race, but he still sent his best wishes to Antonelli following the Italian’s first race win.
It wasn’t long before Antonelli himself took to social media to share his feelings following an emotional weekend in Shanghai.
The Italian posted: “The best day of my life. Winning my first Grand Prix is realizing one of the few dreams I had ever since I put my hands on a steering wheel. This is just the beginning. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one that has been supporting me on the journey: my team, my family, and you guys at home. It means the world to me, and it’s the strongest fuel to go after what’s next. See you back on track very soon.”
The Instagram post generated over 300,000 likes in just four hours, along with a comment from reigning World Champion Lando Norris who added: “Congrats dude! very deserved”.
It wasn’t just the drivers reacting on social media though, with Antonelli’s team among those to celebrate his first ever Grand Prix win by posting a message in Italian that simply translates to “So proud of you, Kimi” with a blue heart emoji.
