Formula 1: Verstappen wins the sprint in China, Hamilton 2nd News

Max Verstappen, leader in the Formula 1 world championship, won the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday, the 5th round of the season out of 24, contested on the Shanghai track.

Starting from 4th place on the grid, the Dutchman was ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and his Red Bull teammate, Mexican Sergio Pérez.

On the wind-swept Chinese track, pole-sitter Lando Norris did not resist the onslaught of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) for long: second on the starting grid, the seven-time world champion took control of this race of 19 laps from the first turn while Norris fell to 7th place after making a mistake.

Chased by Verstappen halfway through the race, Hamilton finally ceded the sprint lead to the Dutch ogre. “It’s my best result in a long time!” Hamilton still rejoiced, acclaimed by the Chinese public. The Briton has not won a GP since the end of 2021.

The two Ferraris, that of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc ahead of the Spaniard Carlos Sainz complete the Top 5 of the race. Pole-sitter Norris ultimately finished 6th in this sprint race, ahead of his McLaren teammate, Australian Oscar Piastri.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), third in the race with three laps remaining -- but under threat from the Pérez-Leclerc-Sainz trio -- lost everything after contact with Sainz to win the race. third place. The Spaniard had to give up.

Thanks to his victory, Verstappen recovers eight additional points in the championship and widens the gap with his pursuer Pérez. Fifteen points now separate the Dutchman from the Mexican.

The Chinese GP, returning to the F1 calendar after five years of absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is the first of six rounds of the year to offer a sprint format, which modifies the course of the week -end.

Thus, the drivers only completed one free practice session on Friday before qualifying which determined the grid for the sprint race.

Saturday afternoon, the drivers will compete in “classic” qualifying (from 9:00 a.m. Paris time), which will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s GP.

On a circuit which significantly deteriorates the rubber, thus reducing grip, the Red Bull boss said before the start of the weekend that he expected Ferrari "to probably be [his] closest competitor" since the team Italian has shown itself to be particularly efficient on this type of surface in the past.

“We're starting from a blank slate because we haven't been here for five years, so we've never driven cars with ground effect”, dating from 2022, Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur preferred to temper. , interviewed Friday by AFP. Response Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. Paris time.

Sprint ranking:

1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 32:04.660

2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 32:17.703

3. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull) 32:19.918

4. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 32:22.146

5. Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Ferrari) 32:25.356

6. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 32:26.748

7. Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 32:29.373

8. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 32:30.356

9. Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Sauber-Ferrari) 32:36.611

10. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) 32:42.058

11. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Racing Bulls-Red Bull) 32:42.500