Antonelli makes history in Shanghai but Verstappen’s record stands firm

The record, however, still belongs to Max Verstappen, who claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix on his Red Bull debut following Daniil Kvyat’s demotion, aged just 18 years, seven months and 15 days.

Antonelli can now see his name placed second on that special list, having triumphed in Shanghai aged 19 years, six months and 19 days — making him, alongside Verstappen, the only driver to win a Formula 1 race before turning 20.

As things stand, only Arvid Lindblad was in a position to overtake Verstappen in the opening two races of the season, although with a car that is not among the frontrunners, reaching the top step of the podium in the near future would still have been a tall order.

Completing the podium of the youngest drivers ever to win a Formula 1 race is Sebastian Vettel, who famously triumphed at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix with Toro Rosso aged 21 years, two months and 11 days.

Although he did not surpass the four-time world champion, Antonelli still set a record during the Shanghai weekend, becoming the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history.

After the race, Antonelli struggled to hide his emotions following the first Grand Prix victory of his career. Despite the historic result, the young Italian was quick to point out that beating his far more experienced teammate Russell consistently will still be a major challenge.

Antonelli acknowledged the Briton’s strength across all areas and explained that working alongside him is proving extremely valuable for his development, as he continues to learn from one of the most complete drivers on the grid.

While celebrating the breakthrough win, he also stressed that the season remains long and that his focus will remain firmly on taking things one race at a time.