Another Formula 1 race, another win for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at Chinese GP.
The defending champion won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday from pole position, his fourth win in five races this season and his 23rd in the last 27 races stretching back to last season.
A brake failure at the Australian GP in Melbourne last month likely prevented him from winning all five races.
After a pit stop, Verstappen only trailed for a few laps. Lando Norris of McLaren finished about 14 seconds behind Verstappen in second place, marking the eighth time he has come in second in his career as he still pursues his first victory. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez came in third.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari finished fourth and fifth respectively, holding off Mercedes driver George Russell and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who came in sixth and seventh.
Following behind were Oscar Piastri of McLaren, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, who finished in tenth place to earn points.
Verstappen now leads the standings with 110 points, followed by Perez (85), Leclerc (76), Sainz (69) and Norris (58).
Verstappen expressed his delight, saying, “It felt amazing. All weekend we were incredibly quick and it was just enjoyable to drive. The car was basically on rails and I could do whatever I wanted to with it. Those kind of weekends are amazing to feel.”
When asked if this was the most dominant victory of his career, Verstappen simply responded, “It was a good one, yeah.”
The next GP is Miami on May 5. Will Verstappen continue his winning streak in that street race?
“It’s a completely different track,” he said, pointing out the differences in tires and track surface. “So you never know.”
During the race, the safety car was deployed twice. Once after Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas experienced a blown engine and stalled at the edge of the track, and again following two nearly simultaneous incidents.
One incident involved Kevin Magnuessen clipping Yuki Tsunoda, and in the other, Lance Stroll ran into the back of Daniel Ricciardo.
Verstappen’s dominance in F1 also continued on Saturday when he won the inaugural sprint race of the season.
Verstappen, who was critical of the sprint race in China after winning in Japan two weeks ago, hasn’t changed his mind much.
“The sprint format was better,” Verstappen commented. “But let’s not overdo it. We are already doing 24 races, including six of these sprint events. I get it. I guess it sells better, but it also puts more stress on the mechanics.”
“We accept it. We have to deal with it. But we don't need 12 because it will also take its toll on people.”
Norris shared Verstappen's concerns, saying, “The main point is the toll it has on mechanics and engineers. It’s not healthy for them.”
“I don’t think it’s too bad for us as drivers, honestly. I don’t think we can be the ones to complain at all. The hundreds of mechanics and engineers here that have to travel so much. It’s not healthy for them.”
This was the first F1 race in China since 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s clampdown wiped out four races. Shanghai-born Zhou Guanyu finished 14th for Sauber, possibly his last opportunity to race at home as teams will shuffle their driver lineups next season.
He crouched on the runway after the race and hid his face, while the crowd loudly cheered “Guanyu, Guanyu, Guanyu.”
The actual competition in F1 for the remaining part of the season seems to be for the few places after Verstappen and Perez. Mercedes’ George Russell described it as “a battle” for positions No. 3 through No. 8.
“Minor variances can have a significant effect,” Russell stated.
Dominance is not a new thing in F1. Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton were the dominant forces before Verstappen arrived – Schumacher and Hamilton each winning seven season titles and Vettel four.
It’s quite probable that Verstappen and Red Bull will reign next season. This might change in 2026 when new engine and chassis rules come into effect in F1.
Miami will have a star-studded paddock. There was also a display of celebrities in China with former basketball star Yao Ming and double Olympic champion skier Eileen Gu posing for photos in the paddock and on the track before the start of the race.
SHANGHAI — Yet another Formula 1 race. And a victory for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen once more.