Verstappen without rivals, Sainz-Leclerc sparks

F1 puts on a show in the Shanghai Sprint Race, with Max Verstappen always at the top. What a duel between the two Ferraris.

F1 has officially returned to China, where the Sprint Race was held on the Shanghai track during the Italian night. Max Verstappen dictated the comeback by winning after starting fourthfinishing with a margin of over 12 seconds on the Mercedes Of Lewis Hamilton. The standard bearer of Red Bull he put in yet another show of strength, with an absolutely unsustainable pace that put him in the lead before halfway through the race.

As mentioned, the seven-time F1 champion concluded a great race in second place, after having led for a long time thanks to a furious start, in which he overtook Lando Norris’ McLaren. The podium was completed by Sergio Perezwhich preceded the Ferrari Of Charles Leclercwith Carlos Sainz fifth after a tough duel with his teammate. Norris has to settle for sixth place, followed by Oscar Piastri And George Russell. Completing the top ten we find the Sauber Of Guanyu Zhou and the Haas Of Kevin Magnussen.

F1, Sainz and Leclerc take on the challenge

The qualification of the first Sprint Race of the F1 world championship for 2024 had predicted a different epilogue than usual, with Max Verstappen forced to start from fourth place. However, the world champion climbed to third place right from the start, taking advantage of the furious duel between Lando Norris and Lewis Hamiltonwith the pilot of the McLaren which ended up wide, losing several positions.

At that point, second place was inherited byAston Martin Of Fernando Alonso, who held second place for several laps. Afterwards, the Spaniard did nothing to repel Verstappen’s attack, who thus flew in search of Hamilton. Even Sir Lewis had to give up, and on the ninth lap he had to give up, in the presence of the one who is the absolute master of today’s F1.

In the second part of the race, a great battle broke out between Alonso and the Ferrari Of Carlos Sainz, with the two-time world champion acting as a stopper, defending himself in every way. However, the Asturian then suffered a puncture after a contact, seeing his points hopes dashed. At that point, it was Sainz and Charles Leclerc who guaranteed the showchallenging hard for fourth place, with the Monegasque able to overtake his teammate.

After the match, there was also some small controversy, with Sainz later apologizing for defending too aggressively. Verstappen took victory ahead of Hamilton and Sergio Perezwith a Red Bull absolutely dominant, but also an exceptional ride from the world champion. Ferrari is licking its wounds and one must hope that the dispute ends here. The race will start at 09:00 tomorrow Italian time.