At the Chinese Grand Prix, there was a moment when it seemed like Lewis Hamilton could finally secure his first Formula 1 victory since December 2021. However, Max Verstappen quickly put an end to that possibility with his dominant performance. Nevertheless, the battle for third place provided the most exciting races of the 2024 season so far, showcasing the potential of sprint races, especially with a mixed-up grid.
Lando Norris, who started on pole position, had a brief stint in the lead. However, Hamilton’s better start allowed him to take the lead at turn 1, leaving Norris struggling and finishing the first lap in seventh place. Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin emerged in second place and, for a few laps, it seemed like we would witness a battle between Hamilton and Alonso for the win. They managed to create a two-second advantage over Verstappen, who was facing issues with the settings of his Red Bull engine.
Once Verstappen sorted out his problems, he quickly regained his dominant form. Alonso, who initially kept up with Hamilton, fell behind and made a mistake at the hairpin, allowing Hamilton’s lead to shrink. Midway through the race, Verstappen easily overtook Hamilton at the hairpin and built a huge 13-second lead for the rest of the race.
Meanwhile, Hamilton had a relatively quiet race, while Alonso faced intense pressure from Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc. Initially, these drivers were stuck in a DRS train, unable to pass each other. However, when the battle finally broke out, it was spectacular. Sainz made a bold move to secure third place, but Alonso retaliated with an even bolder move, resulting in contact and giving Perez the opportunity to pass both.
Sainz then fought against Alonso, but ended up losing to both Ferrari cars. Alonso later made a pit stop due to a tire puncture, while Sainz and Leclerc continued their battle. Leclerc managed to overtake his teammate, despite the initial frustration over the team radio. Norris, who couldn’t take advantage of the chaos, finished in sixth place behind Perez, Leclerc, and Sainz, with a comfortable lead over his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri.
George Russell, the only driver on soft tires, advanced from 11th on the grid to finish in eighth place. On the other hand, Valtteri Bottas, after a promising qualifying session for Sauber, dropped from ninth to 12th place. However, Bottas’ teammate, Zhou Guanyu, secured Sauber’s first top 10 finish in the challenging season, finishing in ninth place, although this result did not yield points in the sprint.
