- Max Verstappen moved 15 points away from the top of the F1 drivers’ standings
- Lando Norris admitted frustrations after pole sitter finishes sixth
- Fernando Alonso was forced to retire after contact with Sergio Pérez
Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton to claim a hard-fought victory in the first sprint of the 2024 season at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Dutch driver, who started the 19-lap race in fourth position, made his way past Fernando Alonso and Hamilton to seal the victory. He is now 15 points clear of teammate Sergio Perez at the top of the Formula One drivers’ standings.
Lando Norris had started from pole position, but went off the track after a costly mistake on the first lap, while trying to defend himself from the advances of the Mercedes driver. The British driver eventually dropped to sixth place, in what he admitted was a frustrating session.
Meanwhile, Hamilton took second place and hailed his performance as the “best result” he has had in a long time.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez fended off the advances of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to finish third on the podium after an intense battle in Shanghai.
Alonso would also be forced to retire after making contact with Pérez, with the two going side by side into turn seven, before the Spaniard fell back onto the field.
Hamilton, who narrowly missed the chance to end an 867-day wait for victory, told sky sports: “That’s the best result I’ve had in a long time.”
‘I’m super, super happy and grateful. Of course we couldn’t fight against the Red Bulls, but this is a big step and a big improvement.”
However, it was a tough day on track for Norris, who spoke about the incident that saw him go off the track under pressure from the Mercedes driver in the opening corners of the race.
“I just lost it, there’s nothing more to say,” Norris said of his battle with Alonso. “Obviously I tried to keep it outside, but just with this asphalt, [just ran] Tires a little wide, cold and I just lost the rear.
‘It’s a shame, but it happens. A little frustrating, but I think we had a lot of problems with our pace anyway.”
He added: “Tough race, not what we expected, but a few points and I think we probably would have finished in a similar position, but Lewis finished much further ahead.” I feel that they [Mercedes] They were faster than us, but not by much. “There were definitely more points on the line, but obviously some mistakes cost me.”
More to continue…