It was a day of historic firsts in Shanghai as Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli broke down in tears after securing his maiden Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. The 19-year-old also became the youngest pole‑sitter ever after a stellar qualifying performance on Saturday.
Kimi Antonelli, visibly overwhelmed, struggled to hold back tears as he absorbed the moment. “I’m speechless. I’m about to cry, to be honest. Thank you to the team for helping me achieve this dream. I really wanted to bring Italy back to the top and we did today. Even if I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack with the flat‑spot, we made it,” he said. “It was not an easy start – I covered too much on the inside and gave too much room to the Ferrari. But we were able to bring it home,” he added, as quoted by F1.
Antonelli’s father, Marco Antonelli, was present to witness his son’s first F1 win. “We tried to do the best for our son, but Mercedes did the big job and I can only say thank you [to Toto Wolff],” he said. When asked if Kimi is ready to become a world champion, Marco replied, “I don’t know. He is young but he is not perfect. He is a good driver, but George Russell is a super driver with a lot of speed and it will be difficult to beat him.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was equally elated. “That was one of the best moments for me – the three of them with Bono right in the middle, who was with Lewis forever and then took over with Kimi and helped make Kimi what he is today. It is rare that I am overwhelmed but I am at the moment. [His win] has maybe come earlier than I expected. Second race – bam – he controlled it today. His trajectory is a bit better than I thought. He was calm and jovial before the race but on the grid, you see the eyes…”
Lewis Hamilton, who claimed his first Ferrari podium with a third‑place finish, was delighted to share the rostrum with Antonelli. “I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi. I’m so happy for you, Kimi, and I’m so pleased to be sharing this moment with him. I had so much fun. We had a great start but just couldn’t keep these guys behind. It was one of the most enjoyable races I have had in a long time, if not ever. The battle with Charles was awesome – wheel‑to‑wheel but fair. I think there was one moment when we did touch but it was subtle – just a kiss, so it was okay,” Hamilton said.
Notably, none of last season’s top three drivers – title winner Lando Norris, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen – finished the race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
