F1 Chinese GP | Wolff: "Many have spoken ill of Kimi, today he's making history."

The Saturday of the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 will remain etched in the annals of motoring as the day of the definitive consecration of Kimi Antonelli. On the track of Shanghai, the pilot of the Mercedes Benz achieved the first pole position of his career. At 19, the Bolognese became the youngest poleman in the history of the Formula 1, beating a record that had stood for years and that belonged to Sebastian Vettel. For Italy, this is a return to the Saturday summit that has been missing since 2009, when Giancarlo Fisichella brought the Force India in front of everyone on the circuit Spa-Francorchamps.

Mercedes' day was triumphant but complex, characterised by a monopolised front row which however had to overcome many obstacles, both during the Sprint Race in the morning than in the hectic stages of qualifying. In fact, Antonelli will start alongside George Russel, author of a great performance despite serious technical problems with his single-seater.

The morning: a sprint race of comebacks and penalties

The day opened with the first short race of the season. The 19-lap Sprint race saw the two Mercedes drivers starting from the front row. However, the start wasn't the best for either driver from the Brackley team. On medium tyres, Russell e Antonelli They suffered an attack from the Ferraris during the first lap: the Englishman slipped to second place, while the Italian suffered more, dropping to seventh position.

Despite a difficult start, George Russell showed impeccable tire management. With superior race pace, he managed to regain the lead of the race, successfully resisting the advances of Lewis Hamilton e Charles Leclerc who tried to worry him until the checkered flag. On the contrary, Antonelli's race was marked by a contact with the Red Bull di Isaac Hadjar during the first lap. The stewards deemed the 19-year-old responsible for the collision, handing him a 10-second penalty.

The deployment of the Safety Car, however, reshuffled the cards. Most teams opted to switch to the soft compound, and Antonelli used the pit stop to serve his penalty. At the restart, while Russell consolidated his lead, Antonelli found himself in seventh place. Thanks to a series of decisive overtaking moves in the final three laps, Kimi managed to climb to fifth place, demonstrating top speed and uncommon determination.

Chinese GP Qualifying: The Electrical Failure and Antonelli's Masterpiece

In the afternoon, the qualifying session for Sunday's Grand Prix confirmed the superiority of the Mercedes W17, although it did not deprive the garage of moments of intense tension. During Q3, the decisive phase that assigns the top ten positions, George Russell's car suffered a sudden battery problem right on the launch lapThe car stalled several times, forcing the driver to make an emergency return to the pits for a systems reset.

With very little time left, the mechanics managed to send the Englishman back out for a single timed attempt. Russell, holding his nerve, managed to post an exceptional time that earned him second place, securing yet another full front row start for the team.

On the other side of the garage, Kimi Antonelli drove with surgical precision. The Italian left no room for his rivals, posting the fastest overall time in both his first and second attempts at Q3. His consistent progress annihilated the competition, giving him a historic pole position start that put to rest the doubts raised by some observers at his debut in the series. Also noteworthy is Payton Westcott's excellent sixth-place finish in the F1 Academy's debut race, signaling a near-perfect weekend for the entire Mercedes universe so far.

The word to Toto Wolff

The Mercedes team principal commented with great pride on his drivers' results, not hiding his satisfaction at having bet on the young Italian talent. Regarding Antonelli's record, Toto wolff He said: “I think Kimi’s pole position represents much more than just a personal best; we are facing a moment that will rightfully enter the history of Formula 1.”

"Setting the record as the youngest polesitter ever is an achievement I would call extraordinary. We often forget that he's just finished his first season as a rookie, yet he's already capable of producing performances of this level. With this result, he has proven beyond any doubt that those who had doubts about his age or lacked confidence in his potential were greatly mistaken when we decided to promote him to a factory driver. I'm proud to have had the courage to make this decision."

On Russell's qualifying and Ferrari's threat for tomorrow's race, Pools He added: “As for George, it's a real shame that a technical issue with the battery prevented him from expressing the car's full potential. Despite this, he delivered an exceptional performance in a very difficult situation, still managing to secure a full front row start for us.”

"He was flawless during this morning's Sprint and has a very solid race pace, so he will certainly be one of the contenders for victory tomorrow. In any case, we mustn't underestimate the Ferraris, who have looked extremely competitive all weekend. We won't have any margin for error, as they are ready to exploit every little mistake we make. We are ready for tomorrow's race and for the battle that awaits us on track."

Finally, analyzing the criticisms received in the past and the possible internal duel, Toto wolff He concluded: “Many argued that Kimi was still too young to drive a Mercedes and that we should have managed his development differently, but today he gave a clear answer to his value. I'm thrilled with his pole, although I admit I would have liked to see a direct and close battle between our two drivers to see how the boy would have fared against George.”

"Unfortunately, Russell suffered an electrical failure with his power unit, which cut out and restarted three times; honestly, I wasn't even sure he'd be able to complete the session. Tomorrow we'll be watching the start line closely: the Ferraris will be pushing extremely aggressively, and it looks set to be a very eventful start."