F1 analysis: Italy rejoices as Kimi Antonelli makes history in Shanghai
Kimi Antonelli wrote his name into the history books on Sunday with his maiden win at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
The race win made him the second teenager to stand at the top of an F1 podium and the first Italian to win a Grand Prix in almost 20 years.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Luca Salmasi reports on Kimi Antonelli’s journey and Italy’s long-awaited return to the top step of Formula 1.
History-maker
Kimi Antonelli’s maiden victory at the Chinese Grand Prix has brought triumph and hope back to Italy, almost 20 years after the last Italian win by Giancarlo Fisichella at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2006.
It was the first time that Antonelli had started a Grand Prix from pole after an outstanding performance in Qualifying, before he led home team-mate George Russell, followed by the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, to become Formula One’s 116th Grand Prix winner.
This achievement also made Antonelli just the second teenager in history to top an F1 podium, just behind Max Verstappen, as well as becoming the sixth race winner for Mercedes across the team’s history in the sport.
Adding his name alongside the likes of Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio and Lewis Hamilton.
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Road to victory
Across the weekend, it was clear that it would be another closely competitive race weekend at Mercedes, with Antonelli qualifying first behind George Russell in the sprint race.
Unfortunately, he ended in fifth due to a poor start and a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.
Antonelli would make up for the mistakes in the sprint by narrowly outqualifying Russell to take pole position for the main event on Sunday within the all-Mercedes front row.
A similar start occurred just like in Melbourne with the two Ferraris managing to get a better launch of the line, both Mercedes kept calm, gradually making their way back to P1 and P2.
After the safety car intervention that neutralised the field, Antonelli benefited best from the cheap stop to put on the Hard compound.
And whilst Russell had to battle back past the two Ferraris, Antonelli was able to stretch his legs at the front of the race and guide the car to his maiden victory.
Antonelli’s career so far
Motorsport has always been part of Kimi’s life since the beginning, with his father, Marco Antonelli, being a former racing driver and owner of the Antonelli Motorsport team.
Antonelli started karting at the age of seven and showed incredible pace. By the time he turned 12, he had already caught the attention of the Mercedes driver development program and later joined the Mercedes junior Team in 2019.
Between 2022 and 2023, Antonelli absolutely dominated the junior categories, winning multiple titles along the way, including the Italian Formula 4 Championship, ADAC Formula 4 Championship and the Formula Regional European Championship.
Whilst for most drivers the next step is Formula 3, his performances were so strong that he went straight into Formula 2 with Prema Racing and despite being the youngest on the grid at the time, he quickly proved doubters wrong, taking victories at Silverstone and Budapest.
The biggest moment came during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix weekend when Mercedes confirmed that he would be replacing Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, and in his first season would become the highest-scoring rookie ever, finishing with 150 points.
The bright road ahead
Antonelli’s historic win in China marks the start of what looks to be a stellar career for the young Italian.
At 19 years old, he has already demonstrated talent, not only by swiftly progressing through the junior categories and collecting titles along the way, but also by displaying the composure and race craft required to compete with the sport’s best, especially in his first two races of his second season.
His victory has additionally solidified his position as a national hero, helping to reignite Italy’s passion for F1.
With Mercedes appearing to be the strongest so far, showing glimpses of a highly competitive car after just two races, and supported by a robust team, Antonelli has the tools to consistently challenge for race wins and podiums.
The Chinese Grand Prix was just a glimpse of his potential and the reason why Toto Wolff took the risk of bringing him into F1 earlier than some expected.
If he can keep Russell on his toes for the rest of the season, there is no limit to the amount of success Antonelli could achieve.
He could well be a contender for the Drivers’ championship.
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