Chinese GP 2026 race report: Lewis Hamilton claims first Ferrari podium amid team-mate clash

Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari 2026 F1

Chinese Grand Prix 2026 results: Antonelli delivers a dream victory while Ferrari team-mates fight it out

The 2026 Formula 1 season continued with its second round at the demanding Shanghai International Circuit. Mercedes arrived determined to confirm its strong form, Andrea Kimi Antonelli faced the challenge of converting pole position into victory, and Ferrari entered the race hoping to fight for the win after encouraging progress throughout the weekend.

These were the main storylines ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, an event that quickly turned into a dramatic and unpredictable contest from the very first laps.

Weather conditions and tyre choices

Before diving into the race narrative, it is worth looking at the conditions under which the Grand Prix unfolded. At the start of the race, the air temperature measured 16°C, while the track temperature reached 25°C. Humidity stood at 53%, with a light wind blowing from the east at approximately 1.2 m/s.

For the Shanghai weekend, Pirelli selected the C2 Hard, C3 Medium and C4 Soft compounds. Tyre strategy was expected to play an important role over the 56-lap race distance.

The starting tyre choices among the top ten revealed a wide range of approaches. Both Red Bull cars opted for the soft compound, Lando Norris prepared to start on hard tyres, while most of the remaining drivers chose the medium compound.

However, an important development occurred before the race even began: both McLaren cars were forced to start from the pit lane due to problems with the electronic control unit. In addition, Alex Albon did not take part in the race at all.

Hamilton leads early before Mercedes takes control

When the lights went out, Lewis Hamilton made the perfect start and immediately took the lead of the race. Behind him, Antonelli managed to defend his position from Charles Leclerc, while George Russell slotted into fourth place.

One of the early surprises was Franco Colapinto, who found himself running in sixth position during the opening laps. Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar spun and was forced to return to the pits for a tyre change. Max Verstappen endured a difficult start and dropped down to 12th place.

By lap three, the balance of power shifted decisively in favour of Mercedes. Antonelli used the impressive speed of the W17 to pass Hamilton and take the lead of the race.

At the same time, McLaren’s nightmare weekend was confirmed. Both MCL40 cars remained in the garage and never took the start of the Grand Prix.

George Russell also managed to move ahead of Charles Leclerc to claim third place.

One lap later, Russell overtook Hamilton as well. The Ferrari SF-26 simply could not match the straight-line performance of the Mercedes power unit from Brixworth.

Safety car reshuffles the race

By lap five, Max Verstappen had already recovered into the points after his disastrous start and was chasing Arvid Lindblad for ninth place. The Dutch driver attempted an overtake on the Racing Bulls car but ran wide and had to rejoin the track. It was clear that the RB22 was struggling for performance.

On lap ten, the two Mercedes cars were comfortably leading the race. Antonelli had built a 1.3-second advantage over Russell, who in turn held a 3.5-second gap to Hamilton. Leclerc was right behind his Ferrari team-mate, less than a second away.

Hamilton began to report graining on his tyres over the radio, and Ferrari informed Leclerc that he could use the overtake function to attempt a pass. A potential team order seemed to be approaching.

During the same phase of the race, Verstappen and Liam Lawson pitted for hard tyres.

Moments later, the Safety Car was deployed after Lance Stroll stopped on track with a technical problem. The leading drivers — Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc and Pierre Gasly — all took advantage of the neutralisation to switch to the hard compound.

Under the Safety Car, the provisional top ten consisted of Antonelli, Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Russell, Hamilton, Lindblad, Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg, Gasly and Oliver Bearman.

Ferrari team-mates engage in spectacular duel

The race resumed on lap 14 without major incidents, but the action quickly intensified.

Hamilton overtook Russell after the Mercedes driver made an error while attempting to attack Ocon. The seven-time world champion then passed the Alpine driver as well, moving into third place. Russell dropped positions, and Leclerc also managed to get ahead of him.

Hamilton soon passed Colapinto and climbed into second place, beginning his pursuit of race leader Antonelli. Meanwhile, Leclerc overtook Ocon on lap 15.

The Ferrari driver then closed the gap to Hamilton as the two team-mates began an intense fight for position.

Further back, Lindblad forced his way past Oliver Bearman before also overtaking Colapinto to move into third place. Russell recovered by passing Ocon and began chasing the Argentine Alpine driver.

Mercedes set the fastest lap as the W17 finally brought its tyres up to temperature. Russell soon passed Colapinto as well and began reducing the gap to Leclerc.

By lap 21, Russell had reached the Ferrari driver and the two began cautiously studying each other. Meanwhile, Bearman overtook Colapinto for fifth place thanks to fresher tyres. Verstappen followed through and claimed sixth position.

Position swaps between Hamilton and Leclerc

Leclerc then began closing on Hamilton in an attempt to build a buffer over Russell. Hamilton had lost a few tenths to Antonelli, who was leading by around two seconds.

On lap 24, Leclerc produced a superb braking manoeuvre to pass Hamilton. The British driver attempted an immediate response but could not regain the position.

The duel allowed Antonelli to extend his lead to five seconds.

Hamilton refused to give up and fought back on lap 27, but Leclerc responded once again to reclaim second place. The Ferrari drivers continued exchanging positions in an intense but fair battle that delighted spectators.

Russell benefited from the fight and overtook Hamilton. Soon after, he also managed to pass Leclerc on lap 30.

Antonelli pulls clear at the front

By lap 32, Antonelli was comfortably leading the race with an eight-second advantage over Russell. Leclerc was 1.6 seconds behind the second Mercedes, while Hamilton remained glued to his Ferrari team-mate.

On lap 33, Franco Colapinto made a pit stop and rejoined in 13th place. During the exit from the pits, Esteban Ocon arrived at speed and the two cars made contact. The French driver’s car was damaged, and although both continued, their races were compromised.

Hamilton regained third place from Leclerc on lap 36 after the Monegasque driver made a mistake at Turn 14.

The duel continued around lap 40, with another exchange of overtakes between the two Ferrari drivers. Despite the intensity of the battle, both kept the fight clean.

With 14 laps remaining, Hamilton had opened a gap of about 1.5 seconds over Leclerc, whose tyres were starting to lose performance.

First career victory for Antonelli

With ten laps remaining, Hamilton extended his advantage over Leclerc to around three seconds. Meanwhile, Verstappen was forced to retire after suffering a power unit problem.

Esteban Ocon’s difficult race continued after his earlier collision with Colapinto, and the Alpine mechanics were even forced to remove damaged parts of the car in the pits.

Antonelli experienced a small scare on lap 53 when he ran wide at Turn 14 while attempting to set the fastest lap.

From that moment on, the race ran calmly to the chequered flag.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli crossed the line to secure the first victory of his Formula 1 career, delivering a historic result for Mercedes. George Russell finished second with a controlled performance, while Lewis Hamilton claimed his first podium with Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth after his tyres completely faded in the final laps. Oliver Bearman produced an excellent performance to finish fifth ahead of Pierre Gasly.

Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto completed the top ten.