Lewis Hamilton has dismissed George Russell's complaints about the start of the Chinese Grand Prix, after the Mercedes driver lost positions early in the race. Kimi Antonelli claimed his debut Formula 1 victory at the Shanghai International Circuit, having qualified on pole, but both he and Russell were overtaken by Hamilton's Ferrari in the opening laps.
In the cool-down room after the race, Russell lamented losing three positions at the start, telling Hamilton: 'I lost to you.' However, Hamilton quickly shut down the complaint, replying: 'But look where you ended up, that's how quick you are.' Russell finished second, while Antonelli recovered from an early setback to win.
Antonelli, 19, was emotional after his first F1 win, saying: 'I'm speechless. I'm about to cry to be honest. Thank you so much to my team. They helped me to achieve this dream.' He added that beating Russell would require significant effort, calling his teammate 'an incredible driver, very strong on all aspects.'
Hamilton, who finished third, praised Antonelli and acknowledged Mercedes' current pace advantage. Speaking to F1 TV, he said: 'I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi. I'm so, so happy for you buddy. They're really pulling ahead at the moment and we've got a lot of work to do to try to keep up.' He described the race as 'one of the most enjoyable I've had in a long, long time.'
