China GP, the triumph of young Antonelli brings Italy back to first place after 20 years

Andrea Kimi Antonelli makes history, Mercedes soars, and Ferrari is the second force. This is the story of the second GP of the Formula 1 season, which in Shanghai saw the triumph of the young Italian who was not yet born when on March 19, 2006 Giancarlo Fisichella won a Grand Prix in Malaysia, the last Italian to do so. A success born from the boy's abilities, the gamble of Toto Wolff, the team boss, and the quality of the German cars, unbeatable at the start of this season.

Antonelli, after securing the pole position, the youngest ever to achieve it, dominated the race after giving some space to the Ferrari cars at the start, and once he crossed the finish line ahead of his teammate, George Russell, he could not hold back tears of emotion and joy. Ferrari also smiles, with Lewis Hamilton on the podium for the first time and Charles Leclerc in fourth place, after a spectacular duel between them during the race.

Antonelli, the second youngest winner in Formula 1 after Max Verstappen (who at 18 years and 228 days won in Spain in 2016), set aside the coolness and maturity shown on the track to break down in tears during his first interview as a winner: "I am very happy, I wanted to bring Italy back to the top. I almost had a heart attack at the end because of that lock-up while braking, but it was a great race," said the Bolognese, who skillfully crafted his first victory in a race of 56 laps filled with overtakes and retirements. Starting from pole, he was overtaken by the Ferrari cars but then managed to regain the lead without letting it go and keeping Russell, equally fast with the W17, at bay, but not fast enough to threaten him, and who nonetheless leads the standings with 51 points, four ahead of him.

The Ferraris put on a show, with Hamilton and Leclerc swapping positions several times amidst overtakes and counter-overtakes, creating anxiety in the pits but bringing smiles to the two drivers, with the Brit ultimately coming out on top to secure a spot on the podium. "It was incredible: we were wheel to wheel, we even touched a bit. In terms of battling, it was one of the best races I've ever had," said a very satisfied Lewis, also happy to share the podium with Antonelli, who was not even a year old when he won his first GP. "Congratulations Kimi, I'm so happy for you and to share this moment," said the 41-year-old seven-time world champion. "Lewis was stronger from the first practice session, he deserved the podium - admitted Leclerc - I gave it my all. I had fun but the pace of the Mercedes is impressive."

"There's work to do because they are ahead," said Frederic Vasseur, who was nonetheless comforted by the Chinese race. Certainly more than the bosses of other teams, who are facing unprecedented situations after the revolution brought by the new cars. The McLarens driven by world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unable to even start, stuck in the pits due to mechanical and electrical issues. It was no better for Max Verstappen, forced to retire in the final stages of the race while in sixth after a rollercoaster race. The two Aston Martins also retired, with Oliver Bearman being the closest to the best, finishing fifth with the Haas powered by Ferrari, but nearly a minute behind, while for Red Bull, there was the eighth place of Isack Hadjar and the Alpines occupied two spots in the top 10 with Pierre Gasly, sixth, and Franco Colapinto, tenth.

The World Championship will resume in two weeks in Japan, with Antonelli looking to repeat his success, before stopping for all of April due to the confirmed cancellation of the GPs in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the war in the Middle East.