For the first time in Formula 1, Kimi Antonelli is victorious. After a mature display on Saturday that saw him claim his maiden pole position, the teenager resisted the advances of both his teammate and the Ferraris to win his first grand prix. Visibly emotional at having finally done it, Antonelli was scarcely able to express himself. At 19 years and 203 days old, Antonelli is the second youngest driver ever to win a Formula 1 grand prix just behind Max Verstappen. It remains to be seen if this win was a flash in the pan or the start of a possible title challenge. What is clear is the sense of relief this win has provided for both team and driver.

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Meanwhile, Antonelli’s teammate George Russell completed a commendable recovery drive. Starting second after completing just a single flying lap in Q3 on Saturday, Russell found himself fourth after the opening lap, behind both the Ferraris.

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Undeterred, Russell managed to hang on to them during the opening exchanges and used the Mercedes’ superior straight-line speed to blast past Charles Leclerc at the start of lap three, before doing the same to Lewis Hamilton a lap later.

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Lance Stroll retired with a battery issue on lap 10, following which the safety car was deployed. The top four all dove into the pits, and when the action resumed, Russell was repassed by Hamilton as the pair hit traffic on lap 14. The Mercedes driver then lost out to Leclerc, who slipped past at turn one on lap 15, following which we were treated to an epic duel between the two Ferraris. Hamilton took second from Leclerc at the hairpin on lap 26, only for Leclerc to take back the position two corners later. The pair ran side by side through turn seven, following which Leclerc retained the place thanks to a well-timed switchback on the exit of turn ten.

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Russell, who had been in close attendance to the Ferraris throughout this duel, took third from Hamilton on lap 27, before passing Leclerc on lap 29, and this time, the championship leader was able to establish himself in second. Russell held the position to the chequered flag, while Hamilton was able to pass his teammate on lap 40 to claim third. His first podium since Las Vegas in 2024 and his first grand prix podium for Ferrari. Hamilton congratulated his team for their efforts but insisted there was more pace to be found. Having spent much of last season struggling to make sense of a car he didn’t help develop, Hamilton now seems to be back on the pace.

Behind the leading quartet, Ollie Bearman survived a close call with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar on the opening lap. After passing him off track at turn 11, Bearman was forced to let Hadjar through, only for the Red Bull driver to spin at the very next corner, which forced Bearman to take evasive action. The British driver survived the resulting contact and held firm to claim a remarkable fifth place. A result that has allowed Haas to pass Red Bull for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

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In contrast to the action up front, Pierre Gasly has a quiet but fruitful run to sixth, his best result of the season so far. Liam Lawson took seventh, despite pitting before the early safety car, while Isack Hadjar was able to carry on and claim eighth place.

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After qualifying a lowly 17th, Carlos Sainz managed a rapid getaway that saw him break into the points. After opting for a one-stop strategy, the Williams driver managed to come home ninth and secure both his and the team’s first points of the season. Despite expressing satisfaction at the result, which he referred to as a “mini win”, Sainz remained realistic about Williams’ tough start to the year.

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Franco Colapinto survived a collision with Esteban Ocon on lap 33 to take tenth. His first points finish since the 2024 U.S. GP as well as his first for Alpine.

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Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th ahead of Arvid Lindblad, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon, who accepted responsibility for the incident with Colapinto. Sergio Perez spun after colliding with his teammate on lap one and was the last car over the line.

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Having spent much of the race toiling in the midfield after yet another poor launch, Max Verstappen was forced to retire with gearbox issues just ten laps from the end. A sad end to a difficult weekend for both him and Red Bull.

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Incredibly, four of the 22 entrants failed to start the race. Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto both suffered hydraulic issues. While McLaren suffered the ignominy of a double DNS as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were forced to withdraw with battery problems. With reliability issues now on the rise, there will be questions surrounding these new regulations.