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Mercedes driver Kimi
Antonelli won his first-ever Grand Prix. After becoming the youngest-ever
pole sitter on Saturday, Antonelli converted his pole position into a
victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. The last time an Italian driver
won a Formula 1 race was back in 2006, when Giancarlo Fisichella triumphed
at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Just as in the season opener, the early
stages of the Chinese Grand Prix featured a brilliant battle at the front
between the Ferraris and the Mercedes drivers. However, Antonelli remained
composed and used the restart after the first Safety Car period to pull away
from the competition, who continued to fight amongst themselves. This
battling caused both Ferrari drivers and Russell to lose significant time to
Antonelli, who steadily increased his lead. Once Russell managed to clear
both Ferraris, Antonelli maintained the gap to his teammate despite a small
error in the closing laps, ultimately securing his first Grand Prix win.
Antonelli achieved this by opting for a one-stop strategy, a move
mirrored by Russell. Both drivers started on the medium tyre and switched to
the hard compound during a Safety Car period on lap ten. They managed their
tyres effectively, removing the need for further pit stops. Behind the
Mercedes duo, the Ferrari drivers followed the same strategy, as did Oliver
Bearman, who finished in a superb fifth place.
While the top seven
finishers all opted for a one-stop strategy (Medium to Hard compound), Isack
Hadjar finished eighth using a different approach. The Red Bull driver
started on the soft compound but headed straight to the pits for hard tyres
following a spin on the opening lap. The Frenchman then pitted again during
the lap ten Safety Car for another set of new hards. He ran these to the
finish, securing points for his team.
Antonelli and Russell were
joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton, who finished third just ahead of
teammate Charles Leclerc. The next race is scheduled for two weeks’ time,
when the F1 world travels to the legendary Suzuka circuit for the Japanese
Grand Prix.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kimi Antonelli on his first Formula 1
victory. It has been exactly twenty years since an Italian driver last
triumphed in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and this historic moment occurred today
in a race filled with overtakes and plot twists.
As expected, the
one-stop strategy proved to be the most effective in Shanghai, and the teams
did not change their approach even when a Safety Car neutralised the race on
lap nine. Instead, the pit window for those who had started on Medium was
brought forward.
The final stint on Hards for ten drivers exceeded 45
laps, with tyres that were clearly in the final stages of their wear yet
still capable of maintaining decent consistency. In fact, the winner himself
set the fastest lap of the race on lap fifty-two.
Those who had
chosen the white-banded compound at the start, on the other hand, had the
opportunity to stay out during the neutralisation, gaining a few positions.
However, it didn’t take long for rivals with fresh tyres to reclaim the top
spots.
Alpine, Haas and Racing Bulls, for example, are teams that
exploited these two strategies to create different opportunities for their
drivers. Soft were also used at the start, with the Red Bull drivers taking
advantage of the extra grip to attempt an early getaway as the lights went
out. We can conclude that all three tyre compounds proved to be valid
options for devising effective race strategies."
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