Charles Leclerc finished fourth at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, one place behind Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton, as the pair produced one of the race’s defining moments — a wheel-to-wheel duel that had them swapping positions almost a dozen times across the middle third of the race.

Victory went to 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who became the second youngest grand prix winner in Formula 1 history with a composed drive for Mercedes. The Italian, who had taken pole position the previous day — itself a record as the youngest ever pole-sitter — led team-mate George Russell home in a Mercedes one-two, with Hamilton third and Leclerc fourth. Antonelli, who fought back tears in his post-race interview, trails Russell by four points in the championship.

Leclerc and Hamilton’s race

Ferrari’s race began brightly. Both drivers made strong starts, with Hamilton briefly taking the lead ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc slotting into third ahead of Russell. A safety car on lap 10, triggered by Lance Stroll stopping on track, brought all four leading drivers into the pits for hard tyres. At the restart, Hamilton passed Russell aggressively to reclaim second, with Leclerc following suit — but Mercedes’ superior pace allowed Russell to reassert himself, leaving Hamilton and Leclerc to contest the final podium position.

What followed was one of the race’s highlights. The two Ferrari drivers traded position repeatedly in a battle that Leclerc described as a genuine product of the new technical regulations. “These new cars are really fun to race — it’s all about tactics and energy deployment, and you can really play with that to get ahead of your competitors,” he said. Hamilton ultimately came out on top, crossing the line three and a half seconds ahead of his team-mate. “Today was one of the most enjoyable races I’ve had in years,” Hamilton said. “Hard but fair battles, especially with Charles.”

Team principal Fred Vasseur admitted he had needed to check his heart rate during the duel but said he had no intention of ordering his drivers to hold position. “That would have been unfair. They are professionals and today’s battle was good for the team and good for the sport.”

The new cars divide opinion

The Chinese Grand Prix also threw the 2026 regulations into sharp relief, generating a debate that cut straight to the heart of what Formula 1 is. The new hybrid engines, with their 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, introduce boost and overtake modes that allow drivers to surge past rivals — but leave them temporarily short of battery charge and vulnerable to being re-passed. The result is a style of racing that has polarised the paddock.

Hamilton called it “awesome” and likened it to go-karting. Max Verstappen, who retired with an energy recovery system failure after a frustrating afternoon in the lower half of the field, was considerably less charitable, describing the new formula as “terrible” and comparing it unfavourably to Mario Kart. “This has nothing to do with racing,” he said. “I would say the same if I was winning races.”

Fernando Alonso, who retired with 23 laps remaining after suffering severe vibrations from his Honda engine — television cameras showed him removing his hands from the wheel on the straight to relieve the discomfort — called it simply “the battery world championship.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff took a different view, pointing to fan engagement data. “All the indicators say people love it,” he said. McLaren’s Andrea Stella acknowledged the philosophical tension. “Do we want to be faithful to the DNA of racing in a traditional sense? Do we accept that this counterintuitive situation belongs to the business or not? This is a high-level philosophical question.”

Retirements and results

Among the notable absentees, both McLarens failed to start — Lando Norris with an electrical problem before reaching the grid, Oscar Piastri with a separate issue that left his car unable to be started. Williams’ Alex Albon and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also failed to make the race.

The result consolidates Ferrari’s second place in the constructors’ standings on 40 points, though Vasseur acknowledged the gap to Mercedes remains significant. “We still have a long way to go,” he said. “We need to make progress in different areas.”

Next up: Japan

The championship resumes in a fortnight at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix — a circuit that, under the new regulations, has itself become a talking point after drivers noted that some of its most demanding corners are no longer being attacked at the limit of grip, with energy recovery taking priority over outright speed.

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Main photo source: Ferrari Media Centre