Max Verstappen wins Chinese F1 GP Sprint Race. The Dutch Red Bull driver won by around 12 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who after an excellent start which had seen him take the lead, had to give in to his old rival. Third is Sergio Perez, who took advantage of an all-Spanish duel between Alonso and Sainz at the end to earn the podium.
The two Ferraris finished in fourth place with Leclerc and fifth with Sainz, also protagonists of a heated duel at the end of the race. At the end of the race the Monegasque opened up on the radio, complaining about how his teammate “You fight more with me than with others”. Norris, who started from pole, finished only sixth after a wrong start, while Piastri and Russell closed out the points.
Race report
After yesterday’s Sprint qualifying, Norris and Hamilton start from the front row, followed by Alonso and Verstappen. At the start Hamilton is very bad, alongside Norris who widens in turn 1, ending up off the track and returning only behind Leclerc. Hamilton thus finds himself in the lead followed by Alonso, while behind them Sainz is the most aggressive towards Verstappen: the Dutchman, after a couple of laps in difficulty due to some battery problems, manages to shake off the Spaniard , going after Alonso.
On lap the Dutchman passes Alonsothus climbing to second position. In two passes he comes back on Hamilton, overtaking him at the end of the long straight to take the lead. Once he overtook Hamilton, the reigning world champion began to have an unplayable pace for the others, effectively eliminating any desire for victory for the others.
Behind the leading duo, a small train is created fighting for third position, which sees Alonso, Sainz, Perez, Leclerc and Norris. The Aston Martin driver, despite the lack of DRS, manages to have excellent traction when exiting corners, especially at number 13 before the long straight, which allows him to resist the drivers behind him.
The defense lasts until lap 16, when Sainz vehemently attacks his compatriot: the two Spaniards get into a brawl, and Perez takes advantage of this, passing them both to move up to third position. Sainz then also loses his position against Leclerc after a very heated duel, while things go even worse for Alonso, with a puncture on the front right tire which forces him to retire. In the last two laps Norris tried to pass Sainz, but was unsuccessful.
The rankings of the Sprint Race of the Chinese F1 GP
The victory in the Sprint Race brings Verstappen to 85 points, followed by Perez at 70, Leclerc at 64, Sainz at 59 and Norris at 40. In the constructors’ standings, Red Bull reaches 155 points, with Ferrari at 129 and McLaren at 74 Now the appointment is with the qualifications for the race, scheduled for 9 in the morning.
Alfredo Cirelli
Tags: Chinese Sprint Race Verstappen wins Hamilton
