Chinese Grand Prix: Highlights
Max Verstappen secured his first victory in China after F1’s return to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first-time since 2019.
Joining the Belgian-Dutch driver were McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez who took home second and third, respectively. Perez’s third place finish comes after a strategic decision to pit under the first safety car which saw him drop from second to fourth. Though the Mexican driver was able to overtake Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari for third, he was unable to get past Norris.
Image from: https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2024/04/21/6624dececa4741611b8b457e.html
Finishing just behind Perez were both Ferraris, with Leclerc taking home fourth while Carlos Sainz finished in fifth. This result comes after an intense battle between the teammates during the sprint race that saw them make contact.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso made quite the impression after dropping a few places due to a strategic decision to pit him after having put him on soft tires. The Spanish driver had to pit for mediums in order to finish the race and managed to finish in 7th after some impressive overtakes. At one point he went onto the gravel and looked like he was going to go into the barriers but managed to maneuver out of it.
The first yellow flag came after Valtteri Bottas in the Sauber car came to a stop at the exit of Turn 11 after a radio saying that his engine was gone, resulting in a DNF. The yellow flag eventually turned into a virtual safety and then into a full safety car after marshals were having trouble removing the car.
Image from: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/norris-splits-red-bulls-f1-2024-chinese-grand-prix/
Following the restart, another yellow flag and safety car was deployed after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll ran into the back of Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo was forced to retire from the race while Stroll had to pit for a front wing change and finished in 15th place. Shortly after, Ricciardo’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda spun out after Haas’s Kevin Magnussen made contact. Tsunoda had to retire the car due to extensive right rear damage while Magnussen experienced a front left puncture and had to go into the pits which saw him finish in 16th.
Image from: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/norris-splits-red-bulls-f1-2024-chinese-grand-prix/
Such chaos resulted in several penalties being handed out. Stroll was given a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Ricciardo while Magnussen was given a 10-second penalty for causing Tsunoda to spin out. Also penalized was Logan Sargeant in the Williams for a safety car infringement. Despite having 10-second penalties both Stroll and Magnussen engaged in an entertaining battle for 16th position on lap 35. They ran side by side and passed each other repeatedly before Stroll managed to maintain the position.
Zhou Guanyu, Sauber driver, managed to pass Sargeant for 15th near the end of the race, causing excitement among his home crowd. The Chinese driver also managed to pass Magnussen and finished his home race in 14th.
The next event is the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.
