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Kimi Antonelli etched his name into the history books as he became the second youngest F1 driver to win a Grand Prix yesterday, and his telemetry data from the Chinese Grand Prix indicates that we can expect the young Italian to secure a lot more P1 finishes this season.
After George Russell led a Mercedes one-two at the 2026 season-opener in Australia last week, it was Kimi Antonelli’s turn to take home the bragging rights to Brackley as he claimed victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.
It was a weekend of firsts for the 19-year-old, who became F1’s youngest-ever pole-sitter on Saturday afternoon, before converting it into a maiden Grand Prix victory on Sunday.
Kimi Antonelli’s win in Shanghai makes him the second youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history. Will Max Verstappen’s record ever be broken?!
Let us know in the comments below!
The podium celebrations were emotional for everybody involved inside the Mercedes garages, with Toto Wolff admitting that it was a career highlight to see Antonelli stand on the top step alongside Silver Arrows legend Lewis Hamilton.
But the real highlight for the Mercedes boss was seeing just how clinical Antonelli was when leading a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Other than a late lock-up, the Italian driver rarely put a foot wrong on his way to the chequered flag, which has established him as a genuine contender against Russell for the title this year.
The Mercedes W17 was in a ‘different league’ to the rest of the F1 grid in Shanghai
According to a report by F1 Technical, Kimi Antonelli’s data during the Chinese Grand Prix showcased the prowess of the Mercedes W17 on his way to a maiden victory in the sport.
The young Italian was unmatched in average race pace, which is to be expected with the winner of a Grand Prix, but the real surprise is in the details of just how superior his lap times were compared to Mercedes’ rivals behind.
Despite losing out to Hamilton off the line in his fast-starting Ferrari, Antonelli quickly reclaimed the lead of the race on lap two, where he would remain for the rest of the race.
A slam dunk from Kimi Antonelli, adding the fastest lap to his pole position and Grand Prix victory in China! ⏱️
Where does this rank in the list of the best maiden Grand Prix victories? 🤔
The report states that while he didn’t immediately open up a gap to the Scuderia behind, Antonelli’s data shows that he was able to settle into a baseline pace that Ferrari simply couldn’t match.
The 19-year-old’s lap times rarely deviated from his average, indicating that Wolff has a ‘superior’ driver in terms of sheer consistency with Antonelli in the cockpit of the W17.
While Ferrari looked dangerous after the safety car restart, a ‘decisive moment’ came for Mercedes around lap 32, at the peak of the hard-compound tyres’ performance.
Antonelli’s median lap time of 1:36.50 was nearly eight tenths faster than what Charles Leclerc could respond with, highlighting how the W17 currently operates in a ‘different league’ to what the closest team on the F1 grid has up their sleeve.
It’s also no coincidence that it was around this lap that Antonelli began to open up a gap to Leclerc and Hamilton behind, as they began to squabble for P2.
- READ MORE: Max Verstappen makes exciting Kimi Antonelli prediction after his maiden Formula 1 victory
Alpine and Haas were the third and fourth-fastest teams at the Chinese GP, respectively
Looking down the order in F1 Technical’s analysis of the lap time data, Alpine and Haas were the third and fourth-fastest teams at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, despite the results suggesting otherwise.
The average race pace of the Alpine A526 had them at a 1.3s deficit to Mercedes over a single lap, but they were unable to convert it into a good chunk of points due to a collision between Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon during the race.
Pierre Gasly was the leading driver for the Enstone outfit in China, securing P6 at the chequered flag, while Colapinto managed to claim his first point since 2024 with a P10 finish.
Oliver Bearman was the star for Haas as he claimed an impressive P5 in the Grand Prix.
The young British driver proved to be the best-of-the-rest as he slotted himself behind the frontrunning Ferraris and Mercedes, with Ocon slipping down to P14 at the chequered flag for attracting a penalty in his aforementioned incident with Colapinto.
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