The 19-year-old Italian, who also became the sport's youngest-ever pole-sitter on Saturday, briefly yielded the lead to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at the start. However, Antonelli reclaimed the top spot shortly thereafter and maintained a commanding lead for the remainder of the event.

Mercedes celebrated its second consecutive one-two finish of the season as George Russell secured second place following a robust defensive drive against both Ferrari cars. Hamilton finished third, marking his first podium appearance since his high-profile move to the Italian stable.

Only Max Verstappen, who was 18 when he won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, has achieved a victory at a younger age than Antonelli.

McLaren Double Retirement

The race was marred by pre-start drama for McLaren, as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were forced out of the event due to technical failures just minutes before the lights went out.

Piastri, who was slated to start fifth, was removed from the grid following an electrical malfunction on the formation lap. Norris, qualified sixth, remained confined to his car in the pits while mechanics worked unsuccessfully to resolve a separate power unit issue.

"Unfortunately, we identified separate issues on both cars, which prevented them from starting the Chinese GP, with Oscar's being removed from the grid shortly before the formation lap. We will now work to identify each issue," the McLaren team said in a statement.

The result marks a frustrating second consecutive "did not start" for Piastri, who was also unable to compete in last week's Australian Grand Prix following a pre-race accident.

Calendar Disruption

The Grand Prix took place just hours after Formula 1 officials announced that next month's events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled. The decision was made as the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East continues to render international sporting events in the region untenable.

With inputs from AP