Kimi Antonelli scores maiden win as key players suffer Chinese GP anguish

Kimi Antonelli has won the Chinese Grand Prix, taking to the top spot of the podium for the first time in his career.

The Italian driver took the chequered flag ahead of team-mate George Russell who was several seconds down on the road.

The race saw high drama as various major names failed to see the chequered flag - including both McLarens, who did not even manage to take the start.

Taking the final spot on the podium was Lewis Hamilton, who secured his first top-three result in a grand prix for Ferrari.

It marks the first time since the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix that Hamilton has bagged a podium, with the result coming after a fierce battle with team-mate Charles Leclerc.

McLaren suffer pre-race disaster as Ferrari repeat lightning start

There was drama before the start of the race as a total of four drivers were ruled out before the lights even went out.

Both McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris suffered different electrical issues, Alex Albon was struck by a hydraulic concern, and Gabriel Bortoleto also had his own gremlins to see him eliminated early.

At the start of the race, it was Hamilton who made a lightning start from third on the grid as he soared into the lead.

However, his stint at the front was short-lived as at the end of the second lap, pole-sitter Antonelli moved back ahead of the seven-time champion to regain the lead.

Russell was also making moves as on laps three and four, he progressed ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton respectively, as Mercedes regained a hold of a 1-2.

Mercedes slowly began to eke out a lead over the Ferraris before the race was neutralised by a safety car.

It was deployed after Lance Stroll came to a halt in the opening sector. Each of the top four drivers came into the pits to change their tyres. 

However, having opted to start on the hard tyre, Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon stayed out, creating a block in the road behind race leader Antonelli.

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Mercedes v Ferrari resumes

The race resumed on lap 14, and a struggling Russell gave Hamilton an opportunity to move ahead for a net second place.

Russell’s struggles continued as just a handful of corners later, Leclerc also moved ahead of Russell.

Hamilton then made quick work of Ocon and Colapinto and set his sights on Antonelli ahead for the lead, while in the following lap, Leclerc and Russell also made their way past the Haas and Alpine.

Behind the leaders, a fierce battle played out between the two Alpines and Haas entries, while Max Verstappen joined the fight as he recovered from another poor start.

Verstappen picked his way through the group and moved himself up to sixth place, albeit a long way off the leading quartet.

As Antonelli stretched out his lead up front, Hamilton began to struggle and on lap 24, he slipped behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.

But on the following lap, Hamilton attacked Leclerc and the two swapped positions in a manic battle that almost saw them collide on several occasions.

Russell then got involved and moved ahead of Hamilton, demoting the seven-time champion out of the podium positions.

On lap 29, Russell completed his charge against the Ferrari drivers as he moved back ahead of Leclerc for second place.

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The run to the flag

With just over 20 laps to go, a collision occurred between Ocon and Colpainto at Turn 2 as the Haas driver attempted an overtake after a round of pit stops.

Ocon admitted fault for the incident and was issued a 10-second time penalty, right as the second Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso retired from the race.

At the end of lap 35, Leclerc suffered a lock-up into the hairpin and gifted Hamilton third place back, despite the seven-time champion complaining about power issues.

But several laps later, the battle resumed as Hamilton slipped behind once again - but only momentarily as he used his battery to fly back ahead of his team-mate.

On lap 46, the race saw its seventh retirement as a power unit issue forced the Dutchman to return to the pit lane at slow speed.

Up front, no one could challenge Antonelli as he clinched his maiden win ahead of Russell.

Hamilton's podium drought ended with a run to third, while Leclerc had to settle for fourth place.

Oliver Bearman and Pierre Gasly scored strong points for Haas and Alpine in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Liam Lawson was seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of Isack Hadjar who scored eighth on the road despite a spin on the opening lap at Turn 13.

In a miserable weekend for Williams, Carlos Sainz managed to nick two points to cap off the Shanghai event on a high.

Taking the final point on the road was Colapinto, his first top-ten result since Austin, Texas in 2024.

F1 returns in two weeks' time for the third round at the Japanese Grand Prix.