The second race of Formula 1’s 2026 period in Shanghai supplied extra clues, extra leisure and extra heartbreak, that includes a first-time winner and a black eye for the reigning world champions.
1. Toto Wolff’s Antonelli guess pays off huge – Filip Cleeren
Toto Wolff has not wasted a chance to hit again at early critics of his assured transfer to advertise 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to a race seat final season, one yr forward of schedule. And the Austrian has been completely vindicated. The younger Italian realized lots of classes the laborious approach in 2025, however did so whereas Mercedes wasn’t preventing for championships and is cashing in that data and expertise when it’s.
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Things might have been totally different with out Russell’s Q3 drawback, however Antonelli did not put a wheel fallacious to seize pole, reclaim the lead from the fast-starting Ferraris after which break clear into clear air when he might. A lock-up within the hairpin within the closing phases apart, some of the mature teenage drives we’ve got seen since Max Verstappen‘s early years has been rewarded with a maiden grand prix win.
Kimi Antonelli turned F1’s youngest-ever polesitter on his strategy to a maiden grand prix win.
Kimi Antonelli turned F1’s youngest-ever polesitter on his strategy to a maiden grand prix win.
2. Disastrous Sunday for McLaren – Oleg Karpov
Fun reality: Oscar Piastri has accomplished zero racing laps within the two grands prix of the season thus far. He did handle to efficiently navigate his strategy to the grid this time, however then the staff rolled his automobile again from it to the storage simply minutes earlier than the formation lap was on account of begin. His team-mate, Lando Norris, had already been caught there for roughly an hour, after McLaren recognized {an electrical} drawback along with his automobile.
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Neither challenge was resolved in time for the race begin, so Norris and Piastri needed to grow to be their staff jackets and go converse to the media. “It’s been a long time since I watched two frands prix aces in a row on TV,” mentioned the Australian.
It appears that not solely does McLaren not but absolutely perceive methods to exploit the Mercedes engine, however maybe there’s something else occurring too. In any case, after two weekends of the season, it is already trying like it may be troublesome for the Woking squad to defend their titles.
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McLaren suffers F1 Chinese GP disaster as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri hit trouble
3. Alpine’s 2025 ache was price it – Federico Faturos
Speaking of cashing in bets, Alpine started the season with appreciable expectations after successfully devoting all of 2025 to its bid to capitalise on the foremost regulation modifications. And after an off-the-pace begin in Australia, this weekend confirmed that the staff is transferring in the proper path.
Pierre Gasly was on the tempo from the outset and certified seventh in each qualifying periods in China. He was unable to carry onto a factors place in Saturday’s race, however on Sunday he delivered a tidy drive to complete sixth and safe Alpine’s second factors end within the opening two grands prix of the season.
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Franco Colapinto endured a troublesome begin to the weekend in Shanghai, however bounced again on Saturday with a stable qualifying efficiency that left him simply 5 thousandths wanting Q3, earlier than rising as one of many standout performers in Sunday’s race.
A combative Colapinto maintained a aggressive tempo regardless of working on older tyres than his direct rivals and held onto a spot inside the highest 5 for a number of laps, surviving a lunge from Esteban Ocon to lastly seize his first level for Alpine, and his first factors end since Austin 2024.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
4. Red Bull hasn’t fastened it begins, however has even larger points
Max Verstappen’s worst fears got here true when Red Bull wasn’t in a position to repair its begin points that dropped him like a brick within the dash race. Sunday’s grand prix begin was a carbon copy. As putting as that challenge is, the larger drawback is Red Bull’s automobile is proving very laborious to set-up appropriately and subsequently additionally robust to drive, with Verstappen lamenting a horrible automobile stability all weekend. Isack Hadjar‘s weird spin within the race was additionally revealing.
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McLaren’s disastrous double DNS papered over the truth that Red Bull was emphatically F1’s fourth-fastest staff in Shanghai and it’s dealing with a steep growth curve on all fronts to get on par with its front-running friends. China definitely will not have helped Verstappen take pleasure in these F1 2026 rules any extra.
5. ‘No’ progress, ‘no’ tempo – no hope for Aston Martin? – Oleg Karpov
Lance Stroll‘s post-qualifying interview was fairly telling — although he did not say a lot, the brevity of his responses to questions on Aston Martin’s progress since Melbourne’s opening spherical mentioned greater than a thousand phrases. The Canadian met three questions in a row with “no” and a sarcastic smile. One week is just not sufficient time to resolve all the problems that his father’s staff is dealing with this yr, and it is unclear whether or not a few months can be both. It’s in all probability finest to not ask Lance once more…
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On a constructive be aware, the staff managed to finish the entire dash race distance with each automobiles, however that is about the one factor they will brag about. Honda’s energy unit continues to be not adequate and, till the Japanese engineers repair it, we can’t know the way good Adrian Newey’s chassis is. It’s been a tricky begin for Aston in 2026, and it is not going to get any simpler any time quickly.
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