f1 results today delivered a dramatic Chinese Grand Prix weekend — Kimi Antonelli claimed pole and went on to take his first Formula 1 victory in a Mercedes one-two with George Russell, while four cars failed to make the start and Alex Albon was consigned to a pit-lane begin after his team broke parc fermé to change set-up.
Official Shanghai Starting Grid
The race began with an all-Mercedes front row: Kimi Antonelli on pole alongside George Russell. The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc lined up immediately behind that pair and were poised for a fast start. The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had qualified next, followed by a surprise placing for Pierre Gasly in an Alpine, who out-qualified the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Haas driver Oliver Bearman completed the top 10.
At the back of the order, Aston Martin and Cadillac cars occupied the lower grid positions: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were listed in the lower slots, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez filling other rear places. Alex Albon, who had originally qualified in P18, did not line up on the grid but instead prepared to start from the pit lane after his team made changes to the car.
F1 Results Today: Race Incidents and Non-Starters
The weekend was further disrupted when four cars could not take the start. Both McLaren entries encountered dramas and were unable to start the race; Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also hit terminal trouble and did not make the start. Alex Albon joined that group on the non-starter list after hitting terminal trouble that left him starting from the pit lane. The event was described as having four cars miss the start overall.
Despite the pre-race issues, Antonelli led home his team-mate to deliver a Mercedes 1-2, claiming his first grand prix victory after surviving a late-race scare to hold off George Russell.
Albon’s Pit Lane Start and Williams’ Set-Up Changes
Alex Albon began the weekend having qualified in P18, but Williams broke parc fermé to alter the suspension set-up of his FW48 and made further set-up changes ahead of the race. Those interventions consigned him to a pit-lane start for the event — a repeat of the same circumstance faced earlier in the weekend. The pit-lane decision mirrored earlier changes and left Albon starting from the pits rather than his original grid slot.
The Williams pair had struggled through qualifying, with neither driver progressing out of the early segments of qualifying. Albon had finished the sprint in P16 earlier in the weekend, and neither he nor his team-mate scored points in the opening round of the season. The team’s car weight and competitiveness were noted as ongoing challenges for the squad.
The Chinese Grand Prix weekend combined a landmark personal victory and achievement for a youngest-ever polesitter with a raft of technical and reliability problems that reshaped the race start and final classifications.
