Red Bull’s Max Verstappen made his way to the front during Saturday’s Sprint race at Shanghai International Circuit, transforming a modest fourth-place start into a dominant win.
Throughout the 19-lap race, Verstappen slowly climbed positions, capitalising on Lando Norris’s off-track mishap on the first lap, then passing Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and finally Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
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Hamilton secured second place, while a heated contest for third eventually favoured Sergio Perez after Alonso suffered a puncture. The Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, along with McLaren’s Norris and Oscar Piastri, and George Russell—who adopted an audacious strategy with soft tyres—rounded out the point scorers.
The revised format for the 2024 season saw Friday afternoon’s Sprint Qualifying session determine the lineup for the 100km race, awarding points to the top eight finishers.
Norris clinched pole following a remarkable lap during the intensely competitive, rain-affected SQ3 phase, outpacing a formidable lineup including three past world champions: Hamilton with seven titles, Alonso with two, and Verstappen with three.
On race day, with improved conditions and tyre blankets removed, it was clear that most drivers opted for the medium compound tyres, except Russell, who chose the riskier softs.
At the race start, Hamilton made a swift getaway to challenge Norris at the first two corners, where Norris slid wide on the second corner and dramatically dropped back.
By the end of the first lap, Hamilton led Alonso, Verstappen, Sainz, Perez, and Leclerc, with Norris in seventh, trailed by teammate Piastri and Zhou Guanyu, who was in ninth after teammate Valtteri Bottas had a troubled start.
Verstappen, frustrated with a technical issue, vented over the radio, “Why is my battery flat?” as he fell nearly two seconds behind the leading duo of Hamilton and Alonso, just as DRS was activated, heralding a looming battle for the lead.
Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, made effective use of his soft tyres, advancing to 10th with a smooth overtake on Kevin Magnussen’s Haas at the final hairpin, though the durability of his tyres for the full race remained uncertain.
During the early laps, the stewards also investigated two incidents: one involving Zhou and Bottas at Turn 6 for potentially gaining an advantage off-track, and another with Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg for forcing a driver off the track—both incidents were swiftly dismissed.
A third into the Sprint, Hamilton had extended his lead over Alonso to about 1.5 seconds, while Verstappen overcame his battery issues to increase pressure on Alonso.
On Lap 7, Verstappen made use of Alonso’s slipstream along the back straight and made a clean pass at the hairpin for second place, setting his sights on Hamilton who was struggling with his car’s handling in low-speed corners, reporting, “this thing won’t turn.”
Hamilton’s difficulties became apparent a lap later when he ran wide at the hairpin, allowing Verstappen to close the gap to just half a second. As they started the next lap, Verstappen relentlessly pursued Hamilton, quickly making another pass at the hairpin.
With clear air ahead, Verstappen pushed on, immediately lapping 1.6 seconds faster than any other driver on the track, pulling away. Meanwhile, the focus shifted to the intense competition unfolding behind as the final laps approached.
While Hamilton maintained a comfortable second place, Alonso found himself increasingly pressured by Sainz, Perez, Leclerc, and Norris, all vying for the final podium spot. In the distance, Piastri held onto the last scoring position, with soft-tyre starter Russell behind him.
By Lap 14, the competition intensified. Leclerc tried to overtake Perez around the outside at the final hairpin, and despite a repeat attempt on the next lap, a heavy lockup at the apex prevented any change in their positions.
The battle heated up further when Sainz made a move on Alonso into Turn 6, pulling alongside and briefly touching as they raced side-by-side through Turn 7. This contact allowed Perez to capitalise, overtaking both at Turn 8 as Alonso suffered a puncture from the clash, dropping back in the final sector.
The drama continued with the Ferraris coming perilously close at the final hairpin, eliciting a frustrated radio call from Leclerc. Shortly afterwards, Sainz went wide at Turn 2, allowing Leclerc to pass.
The leading positions stabilised thereafter, with Verstappen clinching the win followed by Hamilton and Perez. Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, Piastri, and Russell rounded out the top eight, securing the available points.
Zhou finished ninth in his debut race in front of his home crowd, with Magnussen, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, Bottas in the second Sauber, Alpine’s lead driver Esteban Ocon, and Stroll, the sole finishing Aston Martin after Alonso’s retirement, trailing him.
Pierre Gasly came in 15th for Alpine, with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’ Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg completing the field after his earlier incident with Stroll.
Chinese GP Sprint Race Results
2024 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race, 20 April 2024
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | 32:04.660 | 8 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 19 | +13.043s | 7 |
| 3 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | +15.258s | 6 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 19 | +17.486s | 5 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 19 | +20.696s | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +22.088s | 3 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +24.713s | 2 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 19 | +25.696s | 1 |
| 9 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +31.951s | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +37.398s | 0 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 19 | +37.840s | 0 |
| 12 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +38.295s | 0 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 19 | +39.841s | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +40.299s | 0 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 19 | +40.838s | 0 |
| 16 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 19 | +41.870s | 0 |
| 17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +42.998s | 0 |
| 18 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +46.352s | 0 |
| 19 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +49.630s | 0 |
| 20 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 17 | DNF | 0 |
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