In the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, there was a moment where it seemed like Lewis Hamilton might finally secure his first Formula 1 victory since December 2021. However, Max Verstappen quickly put an end to that possibility with his dominant performance. Despite this, the battle for third place provided the most exciting racing of the 2024 season so far, showcasing the potential of sprint races, especially with a mixed-up grid.
Lando Norris, who started in pole position, had a brief stint near the front. However, Hamilton’s better start allowed him to take the lead into Turn 1, leaving Norris to struggle and ultimately finish the first lap in seventh place. Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin emerged in second place, and for a few laps, it seemed like we might witness a Hamilton vs Alonso battle for victory. They managed to create a two-second gap to Verstappen, who was facing issues with his Red Bull’s engine settings.
Once Verstappen resolved his issues, he quickly regained his dominant form. Alonso, who had initially kept up with Hamilton, fell behind and made an error at the hairpin, allowing Hamilton’s lead to diminish. At the halfway point of the race, Verstappen effortlessly overtook Hamilton at the hairpin and built a massive 13-second lead for the remainder of the race.
Meanwhile, Hamilton had a relatively uneventful race as 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 erupted, it did so in a spectacular fashion. Sainz made a daring move to secure third place, but Alonso retaliated with an even bolder maneuver, resulting in contact and giving Perez an opportunity to overtake both of them.
Sainz then fought back against Alonso, but ultimately lost out to both Ferraris. Alonso later pitted due to a puncture, while Sainz and Leclerc continued their battle. Leclerc managed to pass his teammate, despite initial frustration over the team radio. Norris, who was unable to take advantage of the chaos, finished sixth behind Perez, Leclerc, and Sainz, with a comfortable gap to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
George Russell, the only driver on soft tires, made progress 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. However, Bottas’s teammate Zhou Guanyu secured Sauber’s first top 10 finish of the challenging season, finishing in ninth place, although this result did not earn any points in the sprint.