F1: Max Verstappen wins Chinese sprint race as Lewis Hamilton secures P2

Verstappen started the race in fourth position. He won despite a difficult qualifying session interrupted by rain.

Max Verstappen capitalised on errors made by Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to secure a commanding 12-second victory in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. Starting behind Norris, Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso, Verstappen managed to overtake the trio as Norris fell back after the first corner while battling Hamilton, and Alonso struggled to defend against the faster Red Bull. Hamilton, who briefly led the race for Mercedes, had a moment that allowed the reigning world champion to close the gap and eventually take the lead, opening up a substantial advantage in just 10 laps. This marks Hamilton's first top-six finish of the season.

Behind the leading pair, an intense battle unfolded between Spanish drivers Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr, with Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in close pursuit. Sainz attempted to pass Alonso, but the two-time world champion's unsuccessful counter-attack resulted in contact between the two. This incident worked in favour of Perez and Leclerc, with the former securing third place and the latter overtaking his teammate despite minor contact.

Hamilton overtook Norris at the race's start. This move caused Norris, the McLaren driver, to make a mistake. As a result, he fell back from the lead pack.

Alonso, unfortunately, suffered a puncture and had to retire from the sprint on the penultimate lap. Sainz, also carrying damage, managed to hold onto fifth place, fending off Norris, who had dropped to sixth after his first-corner battle with Hamilton. Oscar Piastri brought the second McLaren home in seventh, ahead of George Russell, who impressively completed the entire race on soft tyres.

Local favourite Guanyu Zhou finished ninth, delighting the home crowd, while Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top ten. Daniel Ricciardo had his best race of the season, finishing 11th, comfortably ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who could only manage 16th. Valtteri Bottas secured 12th, with Esteban Ocon leading the charge for Alpine in 13th, ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly in 15th. Lance Stroll, piloting the sole remaining Aston Martin, finished 14th. Williams drivers Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant finished 17th and 18th, respectively, while Nico Hulkenberg had a challenging race, finishing 19th.

The focus now shifts to the main qualifying session later in the day, which will determine the grid for tomorrow's race. In a welcome change to the rules, the FIA is permitting teams to adjust their car setups based on the data gathered from the sprint qualifying, race, and FP1.

Final Classification:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +13.043

3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +15.258

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +17.486

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +20.696

6. Lando Norris (McLaren) +22.088

7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +24.713

8. George Russell (Mercedes) +25.696

9. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) +31.951

10. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +37.398

11. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) +37.840

12. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +38.295

13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +39.841

14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +40.299

15. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +40.838

16. Yuki Tsunoda (Toro Rosso) +41.870

17. Alexander Albon (Williams) +42.998

18. Logan Sargeant (Williams) +46.352

19. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) +49.630

DNF

Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – lap 18 – puncture