Due to rainy weather at the end of the sprint race qualifying for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen settled for 4th on the grid. Lando Norris took pole position and was in contention for his first victory in F1 history. With Lewis Hamilton starting second and Fernando Alonso third, Verstappen had some work to do if he wanted to climb to the top step of the podium.
By the ninth lap he was in the lead.
Hamilton’s incredible start gave the Mercedes driver an early advantage over his compatriot, but Norris slid off the track on the opening lap after a quick battle, dropping him to seventh. This means Hamilton will be leading the race, with Alonso behind him, raising the possibility of a matchup between two of the sport’s living legends.
But Verstappen was lurking.
And he didn’t lurk for long.
Verstappen slipped right behind Alonso after complaining about his battery level on the third lap, and then circled around Alonso on the seventh lap. Anyone expecting a struggle from Alonso, one of the sport’s greatest defensive drivers, may have been disappointed. But Alonso realized in that moment that his battle wasn’t with Verstappen, but that he needed to keep the powder dry for the sake of everyone else on the field.
This left Hamilton in front. And while the Mercedes driver was well aware of who was coming up behind him, Hamilton had no answer for how fast Red Bull was. Hamilton told his team over the radio that his W15 was having trouble turning in the slow corners (Shanghai International Circuit has many corners) and that his inability to turn the car in the slow corners had given Verstappen the door. I told them it was open.
The Red Bull driver burst through the door on lap nine and closed in on Hamilton, eventually pulling away from the pack and taking the win. When he took the checkered flag, he had a lead of more than 12 seconds over second place Hamilton.
An almost inevitable performance.
And if you recall that he passed Hamilton on lap nine and won by almost 13 seconds, this would be quite a warning to the rest of the field as to what to expect at the Grand Prix.
Here are the Chinese Grand Prix F1 sprint race results and other winners and losers.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
It was a slow and difficult start to the season for Mercedes. And for Hamilton, who arrived in China with just 10 points for the season.
The second-place finish nearly doubled that and earned him seven points heading into the 2024 season. But perhaps it deserves more attention? It was his first top-six finish in a race this season. Although he was unable to hold off Verstappen for his first victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, it was still a great result for Hamilton, who felt the warmth of the crowd after finishing.
“The crowd here, every time I’ve been here, the crowd has been so supportive,” Hamilton told Jessica Hawkins after the race. “This is a big step and a big improvement.
“I learned a lot about the car through this short stint, this short race. So I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Interestingly, when Hamilton got out of his W15 after taking the checkered flag, he walked right up to Verstappen’s RB20 and conducted his own post-race inspection.
Perhaps we’re trying to find answers as to what Red Bull and Verstappen are doing now. But no one knows whether such an answer will be found.
Winner: Sergio Perez
Things were calm up front and the biggest battle on track in the closing stages was for the last spot on the podium. As the laps progressed, a four-way battle between Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr. began. Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc were shaping up.
Alonso and Sainz were battling for third until Turn 7 on lap 16. However, as the two Spanish drivers lined up in competition, Perez took advantage of the battle between Alonso and Sainz to jump into third place.
After the sprint race, Perez said, “I thought I had a chance, so I went for it.”
This gives Perez yet another podium this season, joining three other riders who have already achieved P2 finishes in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
The year started with speculation regarding Perez and his future in F1. Conventional wisdom was that his seat at Red Bull was considered to be fairly warm, if not downright hot. With drivers such as Hiroki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson lurking, not to mention Sainz, who is on the verge of free agency, many believe Perez will end up being the odd driver at Red Bull. people believed.
But his solid start to the season completely quells that chatter.
Nothing has been officially announced yet, but it’s hard to believe that Perez has committed to another year on the inside track at Red Bull, maybe even more.
Loser: Fernando Alonso
At the end of the sprint race, the four-way battle for third place provided fans with a thrilling race.
However, it came at a price. Specifically, one of Fernando Alonso’s front tires. A puncture forced Alonso to retire his AMR24 in the closing stages, making it an unforgettable day that could have earned him points or even a podium finish.
However, the past 24 hours have not been all bad for Alonso.
Because Taylor Swift might have written lyrics about him.
That is correct.on track “take you back” from Tortured Poets: AnthologySwift sings the lyrics, “I’m the Aston Martin you drove straight into the ditch.”
The crossover F1 fans/Swifties among us were quick to hear rumors about Swift and Alonso’s relationship last year, before this cultural icon became the most popular. kansas city chiefs Fans on Earth. Was that line really a reference to Alonso, confirming one of the sport’s most tantalizing rumors a year ago?
Well, at least Aston Martin was having fun with it:
So Alonso does it well. that’s nice.
Winner: George Russell
When the sprint race began, 19 of the 20 drivers on the grid were using medium tires.
Was it the only one who didn’t? George Russell had soft tires on his W15.
Could he have made all 19 laps work? Or will the initial grip given to him be lost mid-stretch, watching him fade back through the field?
Somehow Russell made it work and moved up a few places to finish 8th and secure the final points for this sprint Saturday.
Perhaps more importantly, this result gives Mercedes a wealth of data on soft compounds to work on for the rest of the weekend. This could pay off big for the Silver Arrows later on Saturday in the Grand Prix qualifying session and the race itself. Depending on how qualifying goes, teams may be confident of starting Hamilton or Russell, or both, in a soft set to gain an early advantage.
This was a great result for Russell after a tough qualifying session.
Loser: Nico Hulkenberg
Heading into the sprint race, Haas was one of the teams to watch given the pace shown by Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg during FP1.
However, that didn’t translate into points in the sprint race, with Magnus finishing 10th and Hulkenberg finishing 19th, before Alonso held on for 1st. DNF.
Perhaps more concerning for Hulkenberg and Haas is the fact that there appeared to be an issue with his steering wheel, which the team had addressed ahead of the sprint race.
Does the team have any major issues to resolve before qualifying or the Grand Prix itself? only time will tell.
