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Kimi Antonelli led the story of the 2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix after converting pole position into victory and becoming the second-youngest race winner in Formula 1 history. George Russell finished second and Lewis Hamilton took third, ending a 26-race podium drought at Ferrari in a weekend that also offered another early look at the sport’s new regulations.
Below are the driver ratings from the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, based on qualifying, the race, execution across the event and performance relative to each teammate.
Antonelli And Hamilton Stand Out In Shanghai
Kimi Antonelli — 9/10
Antonelli did not have the cleanest sprint segment, but the Grand Prix was decisive. Once the Mercedes driver cleared Lewis Hamilton, he controlled the race well and took a landmark first Formula 1 win.
George Russell — 8.5/10
Russell was strong in the sprint and produced important damage limitation with a front-row start for the Grand Prix. The race itself was less convincing, but second place still represented a substantial result for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton — 9/10
Hamilton looked comfortable again at a circuit that treated him well in 2025. The Ferrari driver edged Charles Leclerc for third and delivered his first podium in 26 races with the team.
Charles Leclerc — 7.5/10
Leclerc left Shanghai with a sprint podium and fourth place in the Grand Prix. He appeared to be the slower Ferrari driver over the weekend, and the error that opened the door for Hamilton ultimately cost him a place on the podium.
McLaren Misses Out While Red Bull Endures Another Difficult Weekend
Lando Norris — 6/10
Norris had built a respectable weekend before the Grand Prix unraveled. Reliability became the defining issue, overshadowing what had otherwise been a useful few days for McLaren.
Oscar Piastri — 6/10
Piastri’s weekend followed a similar pattern. The Australian had shown enough before the car failed before the start of the race, extending a difficult opening stretch to the season.
Max Verstappen — 6.5/10
Verstappen endured poor starts in both key sessions and then had to recover ground. Another Red Bull power unit problem hurt his chances further, and the overall execution lacked the precision usually associated with him.
Isack Hadjar — 5/10
Hadjar again showed encouraging pace in his Red Bull spell, but the first-lap error on Sunday compromised the race. The weekend had positives, though it was not especially clean.
Midfield Gains For Sainz, Lawson, Bearman And Gasly
Carlos Sainz — 7.5/10
Sainz had limited mileage across the weekend but remained composed when it mattered. The Williams driver delivered points and opened the team’s account for 2026.
Liam Lawson — 8/10
Lawson responded well after being outshone by his rookie teammate in Australia. The Racing Bulls driver made the most of his package and secured a strong points return.
Ollie Bearman — 8/10
Bearman continued an impressive start to the season with another strong midfield drive. He again looked sharper than Esteban Ocon and continued to build a convincing case as one of the standout drivers outside the front-running teams.
Pierre Gasly — 8/10
Gasly appears fully at ease with Alpine’s progress in 2026. The Frenchman made the most of the improved car and continued his encouraging early-season form.
Frustration Elsewhere Across The Grid
Alex Albon — 5/10
Albon’s weekend ended without a race start, leaving the work from earlier sessions unrewarded.
Arvid Lindblad — 5/10
After a strong debut in Australia, Lindblad came back down to earth in Shanghai. Limited mileage and several mistakes across the sprint and race made it a more difficult second outing.
Fernando Alonso — 6/10
Alonso was restricted by the Aston Martin package and then forced out by vibrations. There was little room for him to influence the weekend beyond that.
Lance Stroll — 4/10
Stroll was well short of Alonso and left another difficult day behind him. The result reflected Aston Martin’s broader struggles and a flat weekend on his side of the garage.
Esteban Ocon — 4/10
Ocon’s season continued in awkward fashion. Safety car timing and the incident with Franco Colapinto damaged his race, but the overall picture remained underwhelming.
Nico Hülkenberg — 7.5/10
Hülkenberg put together a solid weekend and banked more useful laps for Sauber. The safety car hurt him, but the underlying performance was steady.
Gabriel Bortoleto — 5/10
Bortoleto was a little off Hülkenberg’s pace and then missed out on even taking part in the race. It was an unfortunate end to the weekend for the Brazilian.
Franco Colapinto — 6.5/10
Colapinto was unlucky that the contact with Pierre Gasly hurt his race, but the broader comparison with his Alpine teammate still points to more work ahead.
Valtteri Bottas — 7/10
Bottas delivered a respectable race for Cadillac and generally had the edge over Sergio Perez. At this stage of the project, that represented a useful return.
Sergio Perez — 5.5/10
Perez brought the Cadillac home after an untidy early incident with Bottas. Beyond that, the race was largely about maximizing what the car could offer.