Kimi Antonelli breaks down after winning Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton joins him on podium: “I'm so happy for you”

It was a day of several firsts in Shanghai as Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli turned emotional after winning his maiden F1 race at the Chinese Grand Prix. The 19-year-old also became the youngest pole-sitter after a wonderful qualifying performance on Saturday. Not only that, George Russell secured his third consecutive podium after winning the Australian GP and the Chinese Sprint, while Lewis Hamilton claimed his first podium with Ferrari after finishing third.

Kimi Antonelli turns emotional after winning the Chinese Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli won the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday and got emotioinal as he tried to soak in the moment. “I'm speechless, I'm about to cry to be honest. Thank you to the team for helping me achieve this dream. I really wanted to bring Italy back to the top and we did today. Even if I gave myself a little bit of a heart attack with the flat-spot, we did it.”

“It was not an easy start, I covered too much on the inside and gave too much room to the Ferrari. But we were able to bring it home,” he added, as per F1.

Kimi Antonelli’s father reacts to his first win

Kimi Antonelli’s father, Marco Antonelli, was present to witness his son’s first F1 victory. He said, “We tried to do the best for our son, but Mercedes did the big job and I can only say thank you [to Toto Wolff].”

When asked if his son is ready to become an F1 world champion, Marco replied, “I don't know, he is young but he is not perfect. He is a good driver, but George Russell is a super driver with a lot of speed and it will be difficult to beat him.”

Toto Wolff was equally delighted with Antonelli’s maiden win. Expressing his emotions, he said, “That was one of the best moments for me - the three of them with Bono right in the middle, who was with Lewis forever and then took over with Kimi and helped make Kimi what he is today. It is rare that I am overwhelmed but I am at the moment. [His win] has maybe come earlier than I expected. Second race - bam - he controlled it today. His trajectory is a bit better than I thought. He was calm and jovial before the race but on the grid, you see the eyes…”

Lewis Hamilton happy to share the podium with Kimi Antonelli

Lewis Hamilton was also happy to share the podium with Antonelli. After securing his first Ferrari podium, the seven-time world champion said, “I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi. I'm so happy for you, Kimi, and I'm so pleased to be sharing this moment with him. I had so much fun. We had a great start but just couldn't keep these guys behind. It was one of the most enjoyable races I have had in a long time, if not ever. The battle with Charles was awesome, wheel-to-wheel but fair. I think there was one moment when we did touch but it was subtle - just a kiss, so it was okay.”

Interestingly, none of the top three drivers from last season, including title winner Lando Norris, his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen, managed to finish the race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Also read: Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix cancelled, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali says “We cannot wait to be back”

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