Here’s Giles Richards’ report of today’s race …
Anyway, that’s me done for the morning. Unsurprisingly, Max Verstappen cruised to victory – his first in China – but there was some feisty racing behind him, and Lando Norris, driver of the day, produced a consummate drive to take second place.
Giles Richards’s race report will drop imminently, so stick around for that. And thanks for your emails and for reading. Enjoy the rest of your day. Bye.
How they finished
1 Max Verstappen (RED BULL)
2 Lando Norris (MCLAREN)
3 Sergio Perez (RED BULL)
4 Charles Leclerc (FERRARI)
5 Carlos Sainz (FERRARI)
6 George Russell (MERCEDES)
7 Fernando Alonso (ASTON MARTIN)
8 Oscar Piastri (MCLAREN)
9 Lewis Hamilton (MERCEDES)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (HAAS)
11 Esteban Ocon (ALPINE RENAULT)
12 Alexander Albon (WILLIAMS MERCEDES)
13 Pierre Gasly (ALPINE RENAULT)
14 Zhou Guanyu (KICK SAUBER)
15 Lance Stroll (ASTON MARTIN)
16 Kevin Magnussen (HAAS)
17 Logan Sargeant )WILLIAMS MERCEDES)
DNF: Daniel Ricciardo (RB HONDA); Yuki Tsunoda (RB HONDA); Valtteri Bottas (KICK SAUBER)
“Bad British losers talking about Verstappen ‘always winning, bad for the fans’” writes Xuma Bloem. “I never heard these sounds in the past when Hamilton was “always winning.” True up to a point but monopolies of this type aren’t great in any sport. Look at the general yawning at the prospect of another Manchester City title for example.
Some words with the podium finishers
Max Verstappen says he “felt amazing” today. “It was just enjoyable to drive – every single tyre worked, and I could do whatever I wanted to with it and to achieve what we did today was fantastic.”
Man of the day Lando Norris professes surprise at his finish: “I feel good – surprised and happy for the whole team. They deserved it. I wasn’t expectiong it to be the kind of race we had today but the car felt food good day. I’m surprised by many things – the lack of pace by Ferrari, our good pace, and we got everythingh right. I was ready to go home early and not be on the podium. I was just thinking about how far behind Ferrari we’d be today – I had 35 seconds.” How wrong he was.
Sergio Pérez says Red Bull “got a bit unfortunate with the safety car. We lost two places and did most of the race on hard tyres. We didn’t read the conditiions as perfectly as we could”.
Lando Norris has just got one thing wrong – pulling into parc ferme rather than parking up on the grid as podium finishers are now apparently supposed to. The crowd meanwhile are going wild for Zhou, who just casually parks up in front of the grandstand to salute the fans.
Updated
“Well done Max, great day’s work,” the winner is told over the radio. And that’s just what it is these days. Lewis Hamilton meanwhile can’t get in front of Oscar Piastri and has to settle for ninth.
Max Verstappen wins the Chinese Grand Prix
Never really in doubt, a 14-second win, as Lando Norris takes an excellent second from Sergio Pérez in third.
Lap 55/56: Verstappen complains over the radio about track debris on his tyres but this is first-place-problem stuff. He’s about to win again, and Norris is looking good for second.
Lap 54/56: This hasn’t been the most dramatic of races but there’s been some feisty battles at the back – Magnussen v Gasly, everything Zhou does (he moves back up to 14th but sustains some wing damage in a scrape with Magnussen) and more. Verstappen meanwhile cruises into a 13-second lead.
Lap 53/56: It’s meandering towards the inevitable out front, but Norris is edging closer to a superb second place. He has around five seconds on Perez with three laps remaining.
Lap 52/56: Gasly calls Sergeant “an absolute idiot” after appearing to be forced into the gravel. Both continue, in 13th and 16th now respectively. Hamilton in ninth is closing a tad on Piastri but time is running out.
Lap 51/56: Verstappen’s lead is now 11 seconds and Norris is holding on for second against Perez at the moment, though the Mexican has cut the gap slightly. It’s around 4.8sec. Leclerc and Sainz aren’t pulling up trees for Ferrari particularly either.
Lap 50/56: So here’s where they stand after 50 laps: 1 Verstappen 2 Norris 3 Perez 4 Leclerc 5 Sainz 6 Russell 7 Piastri 8 Alonso 9 Hamilton 10 Hulkenburg
Alonso just scraped some gravel there, escaped unscathed, and manages to move in front of Hamilton.
Lap 49/56: Alonso has driven very well since emerging from the pits, easing into ninth and threatening Hamilton’s eighth. Podium may be beyond him though, which isn’t what he would have wanted at the start.
Lap 47/56: Perez is struggling to make inroads on second at the moment, much of which is testament to Lando Norris, who bemoaned the predictability of Verstappen always winning yesterday. He’s done his bit today.
Lap 46/56: Alonso zips into 19th, as he tries to work his way back on his soft mediums. Further up, Norris seems to be holding off Perez for now; it’s a gap of around 4secs.
Lap 44/56: Alonso stops to get some medium tyres fitted as forewarned. He comes out in 12th and has work to do, having begun this race so well. Norris has 3.9secs on Perez in that battle for second.
Updated
Lap 43/56: It looks as if Alonso, the only driver in the top 10 on soft tyres, will pit again, as he’s been discussing new tyres on the radio. Perez meanwhile is beginning to gain on Norris.
Lap 42/56: Right, here’s the scores on the doors: 1 Verstappen 2 Norris 3 Perez 4 Leclerc 5 Alonso 6 Sainz 7 Russell 8 Piastri 9 Hamilton 10 Hulkenburg
Lap 41/56: Hamilton, for all his discontent, is now driving well and he’s not to be denied, taking that ninth from Hulkenburg. Verstappen now leads by 6.1sec. Write yer headlines now.
Updated
Lap 40/56: Piastri is complaining of damage to his car, having brushed with Ricciardo earlier. This could be ominous for him as meanwhile Hamilton tries a cutback to get ahead of Hulkenburg, can’t quite manages it but stays within range. This is gripping stuff. Meanwhile Zhou pits again.
Updated
Lap 39/56: Local boy Zhou sparks exulation in the crowd by zipping past Sergeant in the 13th as Perez finally does overtake Leclerc, assertively taking third. Can his formidable machine catch Norris? Alonso meanwhile is looking at going the rest of the race on these tyres.
Confirmation on those penalties:
Stewards have handed out three 10-second penalties 🔴⏱️
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 21, 2024
Sargeant: Safety Car infringement
Stroll: Causing a collision
Magnussen: Causing a collision #F1 #ChineseGP
Lap 37/56: Verstappen stretches his lead over Norris to around 3.2sec and no sooner had I scoffed at Perez than he moves within DRS range of Leclerc, but doesn’t make a move at this point, with Leclerc defending adeptly.
Lap 36/56: Stroll is in the pits, informed of his 10-second penalty which he derides as “just a joke”. Meanwhile, the Red Bull one-two is in jeopardy with Perez not really making an impact back in fourth.
Lap 35/56: Magnussen and Stroll are scrapping for 16th like title contenders, the latter being overhauled then taking it back. In other news, Verstappen leads by 2.2sec
Lap 34/56: Lando Norris is looking good for a podium finish here, stretching his lead over Leclerc in third to around two seconds. As Stroll and Sergeant are given a 1o-second time penalty, joining Magnussen on the penalty naughty step. Ricciardo is in the pits with a knackered defuser and he too is out of the race.
Updated
Lap 33/56: Sergeant and Hulkenurg are also being investigated by a safety car infringement, as Hamilton, buoyed by Andrew Benton’s prediction, moves into the top 10 for the first time. Ocon passes the toiling Ricciardo into 11th.
Lap 32/56: Finally, the safety car does one. And we’re back racing. Verstappen leads from Norris in second with Leclerc in third. Perez is fourth and Alonso fifth. Verstappen burns rubber stright away, setting the pace and taking his lead back over a second.
Lap 31/56: The Magnussen-Tsunoda kerfuffle has been referred to the stewards as we continue behind that safety car. For some reason. The track now looks clear.
Lap 30/56: “It was the best of tyres, it was the worst of tyres - surely a better title for Hamilton’s autobigraphy?” quips Andrew Benton of a recurring theme. “Great to see Shanghai back again, and Alonso a bit more in the running than he usually is. And are we seeing the return of the battling Lewis Hamilton of old? I reckon he’ll bound up to fourth if the car holds out.” He’s got ground to cover though – he’s 11th currently.
Lap 29/56: Magnussen and Stroll have been able to rejoin the race – right at the back mind. Tsunoda is out though, joining Bottas on the sidelines. Verstappen’s lead was around 1sec when the safety car came out.
Updated
Lap 28/56: Tsunoda spins off the track – he’s out; Magnussen, with whom he clashed in front of him, too, the latter culpable for the way he blocked. There also seems to have been a bump between Stroll and Ricciardo. It’s all got a bit chaotic and the safety car is back.
Lap 27/56: The safety car ends, with the genuine expectation that only Alonso and Ricciardo may need to pit again. We’re racing again.
Lap 26/56: Right, as we take a relative breather during the safety car period, here’s how the race looks: 1 Verstappen 2 Norris 3 Leclerc 4 Perez 5 Sainz 6 Alonso 7 Russell 8 Piastri 9 Ricciardo 10 Stroll.
The battle for second looks genuinely intriguing.
Lap 25/56: “The car’s just sliding around everywhere, it feels like something’s broken,” sighs Hamilton, in 14th, over the radio. We think debris on the track’s the reason for the full safety car being sent out. Piastri pits again meanwhile – it’s been hectic in that pit lane.
Lap 24/56: Bottas strolls off to consoling cheers from the grandstand. As the full safety car is deployed, it prompts Verstappen to hit the pits again, as does Alonso, getting a new set of soft tyres.
Updated
Lap 23/56: Hamilton goes into the pits again, and comes out in 17th. And Norris, finally, goes into the pits, taking advantage of the continued deployment of the virtual safety car. Norris comes out in third, still looking good for a podium place but if he’s planning a one-stop race he now has 33 laps on these tyres.
Lap 22/56: The virtual safety car is deployed, finally, and Leclerc pits. Norris does not though.
Lap 21/56: Valtteri Bottas has stuttered off the track at turn 11; engine failure by the sounds, as Sainz tries and fails to take on Stroll. We could be getting a safety car here … two yellow flags at the moment
Lap 20/56: Right, here’s the latest standings: 1 Verstappen 2 Norris 3 Leclerc 4 Perez 5 Alonso 6 Russell 7 Piastri 8 Stroll 9 Sainz 10 Hulkenburg
Hamilton watch: he’s 13th.
Lap 19/56: Verstappen is around 0.6sec behind Norris at the start of the lap but, just at the end of the straight, the champion passes him effortlessly. Normal service is resumed. Verstappen leads from Norris.
Lap 18/56: Norris and Leclerc are the two front runners who haven’t pitted and there’s talk they might go long and even try a one-stop race. The MacLaren man still leads ahead of Verstappen, with Leclerc in third.
Lap 17/56: Piastri pits, having been struggling overt the past few laps. His MacLaren teammate stays out though. Perez meanwhile locks up trying to take on Sainz, so the latter remains fourth. But Perez gets ahead of him at the second attempt. Sainz pits.
Updated
Lap 16/56: Verstappen takes on Leclerc at the hairpin, effortlessly, and Leclerc isn’t going to dispute it. The champion is back up to second behind Norris, who unlike him hasn’t pitted.
Updated
Lap 15/56: Verstappen, having switched to hard compound tyres, moves ahead of Piastri to take third. Hamilton is up into 14th.
Updated
Lap 14/56: The two Red Bulls pit, handing Norris the lead, Verstappen coming out in fourth, Perez sixth. Norris is driving well here, though you’d expect Verstappen to reclaim the lead in due course.
Lap 13/56: Right, amid this flurry of pitting, here’s how it looks: 1 Verstappen 2 Perez 3 Norris 4 Leclerc 5 Piastri 6 Sainz 7 Ricciardo 8 Magnussen 9 Alonso 10 Russell.
Hamilton moves ahead of Tsunada into 15th with a fine, assertive piece of driving, spying and taking advantage of a gap.
Lap 12/56: Alonso and Russell pit, swiftly. Verstappen leads by 9sec now, as Gasly has a bit of a clanger in the pits, almost striking mechanics and one takes a tumble.
Updated
Lap 11/56: “That was the worst tyre” it sounds like Hamilton is saying, back in 19th, as the focus returns to Russell’s defence of seventh from Sainz’s pursuit. Only a matter of time you’d think. And Leclerc overhauls Piastri to move into fifth.
Updated
Lap 10/56: Russell is struggling with his tyres. and has Sainz breathing down his neck as well.
Hamilton and Stroll have pitted too, the soft tyres not lasting well for the former. And the stewards will take no further action over the Hulkenburg/Albon incident.
Lap 9/56: Leclerc, who’s finished in the top four in every race this season, has work to do after a groggy start and after one attempt utilises DRS to zip ahead of Russell into sixth.
And an early pit stop for Zhou, Samoda and Hulkenburg.
Lap 8/56: Smart work from Norris as he nudges in front of Alonso, blocks him off adeptly and puts himself in a podium position.
So this is how they stand: 1 Verstappen 2 Perez 3 Norris 4 Alonso 5 Piastri 6 Russell 7 Leclerc 8 Sainz 9 Stroll 10 Hulkenburg. Hamilton is back in 17th.
Lap 7/56: An incident between Gasly and Albon has been reported, with the latter alleged to have forced the former off the track. That’s being looked at. Verstappen now leads by 5.8 seconds …
Lap 6/56: And Perez duly goes down the inside at turn six and gets the place back from Alonso. It’s a Red Bull one-two once more.
Lap 5/56: Also toiling is Daniel Ricciardo, who started 12th but has lost three places to 15th. Up top, Perez is closing on Alonso for second, but hasn’t chosen to make a move yet. This could be the real quiz.
Lap 4/56: Hamilton makes a move, overhauling Zhou for 18th. Two well-supported drivers duking it out right at the back.
Lap 3/56: Verstappen meanwhile is absolutely streaking ahead already; he has 2.5sec on Alonso, with Perez third, Norris fourth and Piastri fifth.
Lap 2/56: Stroll has overtaken Hulkenburg into ninth. Hamilton sounds disconsolate and unhappy with his tyres over the radio.
Lap 1/56: Back in the pack, Hamilton loses a place already, dropping to 19th and Zhou overhauls Magnussen to the delight of the crowd but loses it swiftly. The Ferraris had a shocking start, both dropping a place.
Updated
Verstappen holds his lead but Alonso nudges into second straight off. That was a consummate piece of driving by the Spaniard
Lights out and away we go!
Off they go …
Updated
Tyre news: the front 10 are all starting off on medium tyres; Hamilton, with much ground to make up, starts on softs. And they’re off on the formation lap.
Max Verstappen is forewarning of drizzle over the radio …
Minor grid tweak:
A reminder of the grid 👀
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 21, 2024
One change, Logan Sargeant will start from the pit lane#F1 #ChineseGP https://t.co/Un8nacSayF
The Alonso car situation looks a little more troubling. The mechanics are still working on that floor – a bit of stone damage, we’re told. But this is the last thing you need 10 minutes out from the start when you’re third on the grid.
A quick word with local hero Zhou: “The energy [from the crowd] has been outrageous from the very first day, I’m gonna try my heart out. I’m confident we can make our way forward.” He starts 16th.
Updated
A bit of minor surgery is being carried out on the floor of Fernando Alonso’s car. Nothing major, by the likes, but can be a bit concerning. The Spaniard starts third on the grid and will fancy this.
And now, the Chinese national anthem
Updated
The general pre-race prognosis is that this is likely to be a two-stop race. The weather is overcast but dry.
Lewis Hamilton speaks: And blames himself for yesterday’s mishap. I should have been Q2, it’s entirely my fault. The team are doing a great job with what we’ve got and George [Russell] did a great job but I’ll try to make up for it today.” He’s got quite the following in Shanghai too today. "[This crowd] are the best, they’ve been so supportive for so many years, so it’s great to be back. The British GP is special and unique but they always bring some great energy here and I love this track.”
Will Verstappen’s dominance end up deterring new fans? Lando Norris fears it might:
“If you see the same driver winning every single time without a fight then of course it does start to become boring and that is obvious. You have got one of the best drivers ever in Formula One, in one of the most dominant cars and it is a combination that is deadly.”
Preamble
Morning/afternoon everyone. Much has changed since China last held a grand prix, in 2019, in pre-Covid times and before the cementing of the Verstappen/Red Bull supremacy. And for all Red Bull’s off-track turmoil, that supremacy was evident again in qualifying on Saturday, with the defending champion taking poll and pipping Lewis Hamilton to win the sprint race.
Hamilton then proceeded to have a nightmare in qualifying, out in Q1, and facing an uphill task today just to score any point at all from a starting place of 18th on the grid. He does at least have fond memories of this circuit, having won here six times, three times more than anyone else. Last time he won, five years ago, he had Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel for company with him on the podium. Times change.
Anyway, back in the present, there’s a good deal of home enthusiasm for F1’s return to the Shanghai International Circuit (and a home driver to cheer, in Zhou Guanyu) and there should be plenty to look out for over the course of today’s 56 laps.
Here’s how they line up:
1 Max Verstappen 2 Sergio Pérez 3 Fernando Alonso 4 Lando Norris 5 Oscar Piastri 6 Charles Leclerc 7 Carlos Sainz 8 George Russell 9 Nico Hulkenburg 10 Valtteri Bottas 11 Lance Stroll 12 Daniel Ricciardo 13 Esteban Ocan 14 Alexander Albon 15 Pierre Gasly 16 Zhou Guanyu 17 Kevin Magnussen 18 Lewis Hamilton 19 Yuki Tsunoda 20 Logan Sergeant
Lights out 8am BST.
