An emotional Kimi Antonelli thanked his Mercedes team after “they helped me to achieve this dream” following the teenager’s victory in the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old became the youngest F1 polesitter for a Grand Prix in Saturday’s Qualifying in Shanghai before claiming his first victory in the championship on Sunday, becoming the second youngest driver to achieve the feat behind only four-time World Champion, Max Verstappen.
Antonelli was left emotional after the race and thanked Mercedes for the support, having been called up to the team in 2025 to replace the departing Lewis Hamilton after just a single season in Formula 2 despite some doubts from critics.
“I’m speechless,” Antonelli said after the race. “I’m about to cry, to be honest. Thank you so much to my team, because they helped me to achieve this dream.”
Antonelli endured a mixed debut season in 2025, claiming pole for the Miami Sprint and Grand Prix podiums in Canada and Brazil, but he also suffered a mid-season dip that put him under pressure.
His 2026 season has begun strongly, though, including finishing runner-up at the season-opener in Australia before victory in China, leading almost from start-to-finish, with his only mistake a lock-up into the Turn 14 hairpin in the closing stages.
In the process, Antonelli becomes the first Italian to win a Grand Prix in more than 20 years after Giancarlo Fisichella’s victory in the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix.
“I’m super happy,” Antonelli added. “I said yesterday I really wanted to bring Italy back on top and we did today, even though I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack towards the end with the flat-spot. It was a good race.”
Antonelli only conceded the lead briefly on the opening lap having tried to cover team mate Mercedes George Russell on the inside, but allowing the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton from P3 to swoop into first, before the Mercedes driver moved back ahead on Lap 2.
“It was not an easy start,” said Antonelli. “Probably I covered a bit too much on the inside and gave too much room to the Ferrari. At the end the pace was good and we managed to bring it home.”
.webp?ssl=1 "Lewis Hamilton on his all-important Ferrari podium and getting his mojo back in 2026")
