Five Takeaways: Chinese Grand Prix
- Mia Wallace
- 58 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Written by Mia Wallace, Edited by Meghana Sree
A young Italian seized victory, a world champion returned to the podium for the first time in red and all three 2025 title contenders failed to find the chequered flag. Here are DIVEBOMB’s five takeaways from the Chinese Grand Prix.
After a weekend of tremendous highs for some and shocking lows for others, the dust has finally settled in Shanghai following the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. Amid roaring grandstands and a sea of team colours, the drivers were faced with the type of atmosphere that can either bring out performance or force uncharacteristic errors.
A young Italian seized victory, a former world champion returned to the podium and all three 2025 title contenders failed to find the chequered flag.
Here are DIVEBOMB’s five key takeaways from Formula One’s first 2026 sprint weekend in Shanghai, China.
Antonelli ascends to new heights
Age really isn’t anything but a number. Kimi Antonelli, aged 19, was victorious Sunday, finding himself to be the second youngest driver ever on the top step. Although he is now only four points behind teammate and championship favourite, George Russell, this win means infinitely more to Antonelli than just points.
Securing his nation’s first driver victory in two decades, the Italian stood beaming with red, green and white pride as he hoisted the coveted trophy aloft.
"Yeah, I’m super happy,” Antonelli said following the race. “I said yesterday that I really wanted to bring Italy back on top, and we did today.”
Antonelli’s maiden victory was the stunning result of a weekend culminating in precision, expectation and the certainty that age does not equal immaturity at the wheel.
“I’m speechless. I’m about to cry, to be honest. But yeah, thank you so much to my team because they helped me to achieve this dream,” Antonelli said during his emotional post-win speech.
The young driver will look to convert this win into many more, hoping to continue keeping the pressure on his teammate for the title.
Hamilton climbs the summit
After 477 days without a podium finish in F1, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finally ended that treacherous streak on Sunday. His third-place finish not only marked his first podium finish since 2024, but also his first podium finish with Ferrari.
"I had so much fun," said Hamilton after crossing the line. "We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys [Mercedes] behind, but to stay in the fight […] it was one of the most enjoyable races I’ve had in a long, long time, the fact that the cars are the way they are this year.
“That battle with Charles [Leclerc] at the end was awesome — great wheel-to-wheel, very fair and just what we want."
Although the Ferraris ultimately fell behind the Mercedes pair, Hamilton and his teammate Leclerc kept things interesting with their own battle for the final slot on the podium. Leclerc echoed Hamilton’s excitement over their scrap, saying how the Ferrari tussle was “quite a fun battle”.
Mercedes remains dominant at the top, however that spot is becoming increasingly threatened by the Prancing Horse pair with every passing session. It is forecasted that Ferrari will be one of the few teams able to dethrone the Silver Arrows.
McLaren’s never-ending nightmare
In the world of F1, no one is immune. That testament rang especially true for McLaren, the reigning world champions, who recorded a devastating double DNS.
Both papaya cars parked painfully in the garage, a deafening silence in a roaring atmosphere. This was the reality for McLaren on Sunday.
For last year’s world champion, Lando Norris, disaster struck before he could even roll out of the garage. His car, typically the spitting image of speed and reliability, was dormant under the frantic hands of the McLaren engineers. Norris failed to complete the reconnaissance lap, cursing him with a projected pit lane start that also ended up being too high a task to complete.
When asked what he knew about the cause of the mechanical failure, Norris was unsure of all the details.
"Not a huge amount honestly, just an issue that's not not letting us even start the car," he said. "That's basically it. That's all I know for now. I think they're still trying to investigate what is actually happening or what's going on and why it's not not working as it should."
On the other side of the garage, Oscar Piastri’s mechanical disaster unfolded quietly. Piastri had actually managed to complete the reconnaissance lap, a step higher than in Australia, where he crashed during it. Still, Piastri’s MCL40 was ultimately wheeled back to the garage, deemed unable to start the race. For the second race in a row, Piastri did not make the lights.
"It was an electrical problem on the power unit," Piastri explained.
"Different to Lando [Norris'], so yeah, just very unfortunate to both have issues, but we don't fully know any more than that at this point. So yeah, obviously disappointing."
The bull is silenced
With whispers of Max Verstappen’s F1 retirement already going around, his retirement from Sunday’s Grand Prix only added fuel to the flames.
Across the weekend, the Red Bull looked largely uncompetitive and weaker than all the top teams, as well as some of the midfielders.
The driver pairing of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar managed only a P8 and P10 start, respectively, in both the sprint and the race. For Verstappen, a four-time world champion, his starts proved troublesome in both races, where he fell dramatically in places.
Although he showed hints of recovery during the race, he was ultimately forced to return to the garage and retire his car. Verstappen left Shanghai with zero points across the weekend, and far more questions than answers.
"A lot to learn from," he said. "It’s definitely not where we want to be, of course, but I also know that the team is giving it everything, so it’s frustrating for me but also frustrating for them."
Red Bull will likely be working tirelessly to get their challenger back on par with the other top teams. With a week's break between China and the next race in Japan, they will have more time to stretch their efforts before taking to the track once more.
The midfield battle intensifies
In a race where two of the top teams failed to be competitive, the door was swung wide open for some of the midfield teams to push deeper into the top 10.
Oliver Bearman of Haas continued to demonstrate the American team’s speed, finishing P5 overall in the race. Following him, finishing sixth, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly stunned the crowd with the high points haul.
For a team like Alpine that usually finds themselves at the back of the field, Gasly’s performance across the weekend ignited hope within the team’s program. In addition to his finish, Gasly’s teammate Franco Colapinto scored his first points in F1 since 2024.
Bearman currently sits fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, an impressive feat that has positioned him in front of Norris, who won last season.
“I went back very far, managed to overtake some cars again.” He said.
“Luckily, the Safety Car timing was good, so I think with the bad luck on Lap 1, and the good luck of the Safety Car timing, we equalised.
“After that, I just had a good race. I managed to overtake [several cars], and the car was really quick, so smiley face!”
Looking ahead
As the paddock leaves the Chinese Grand Prix behind, attention now shifts to the next chapter of the 2026 season. If the racing in Shanghai proved anything, it’s that this year’s grid is far more unpredictable than anticipated.
With a week-long break from racing, teams will be pushing their efforts to the maximum to prepare for the third round of the season in Suzuka, Japan.
