Antonelli’s maiden win
Kimi Antonelli scored his first-ever Formula 1 victory in Shanghai, leading a Mercedes 1-2 over George Russell and closing the championship gap hard []. He'd also become F1's youngest-ever Grand Prix polesitter on Saturday, and the weekend had a surprise Alpine note as Franco Colapinto grabbed Alpine's first points with a P10 after briefly running P2 [] []. In a separate blow to the calendar, Formula 1 officially cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix for April because of the Iran war, shortening the season and prompting questions about team mileage and momentum [] [].
Q3 produced a 1:32.064 pole lap for Antonelli formula1.com, with that final run 0.222 seconds quicker than team mate George Russell in qualifying formula1.com. The race ran the scheduled 56 laps and recorded a fastest lap of 1:35.275 on lap 52 en.wikipedia.org; the gap to the second-placed car at the flag was 5.515 seconds. autosport.com The drivers’ table now shows George Russell on 51 points and Antonelli on 47, a four-point margin separating the Mercedes pair after two rounds. si.com Mercedes lead the constructors’ standings on 98 points, with Ferrari second on 67, reflecting the early-season swing in team momentum. formula1.com Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the podium scenes as “overwhelming,” while Antonelli admitted he “gave myself a heart attack” after a late scare on track, highlighting the emotional stakes in the paddock. straitstimes.com Franco Colapinto ran as high as P2 during the safety-car restart before finishing P10 to register his first points as an Alpine driver — his first world championship points since the 2024 United States Grand Prix — and team radio captured the celebration. racer.com Formula 1 and the FIA confirmed that the Bahrain weekend (originally scheduled for April 10–12) and the Saudi Arabian race (April 19) will not take place in April after consultations with the promoters formula1.com, a move that reduces the 2026 calendar from 24 to 22 rounds. motorsport.com
