Formula 1 2024: Chinese Grand Prix

Track Insights:

Welcome back to China. The last time a Grand Prix was held here, 2019. The Formula One Chinese Grand Prix is a highly anticipated event on the F1 calendar, typically held at the Shanghai International Circuit. The track's unique layout challenges drivers with its combination of long straights and technical corners, making for exciting racing moments. Over the years, the Chinese Grand Prix has witnessed some intense battles, unexpected upsets, and memorable victories that have kept fans on the edge of their seats. The event not only showcases the pinnacle of motorsport technology but also exposes the drivers' skills and endurance as they navigate the circuit at high speeds. With a diverse fan base and a vibrant host city, the Chinese Grand Prix continues to be a significant highlight in the world of Formula One.

This track sees drivers go through 16 of some of the hardest corners and turns on the schedule. There are 2 DRS zone and a lap length of 5.451km. Drivers are tasked with circling this track 56 times for a total of 305.006km.

Starting Grid:
Pole: Max Verstappen: Red Bull
P2: Sergio Perez: Red Bull
P3: Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin
P4: Lando Norris: Mclaren
P5: Oscar Piastri: Mclaren
P6: Charles Leclerc: Ferrari
P7: Carlos Sainz: Ferrari
P8: George Russell: Mercedes
P9: Niko Hulkenberg: HAAS
P10: Valtteri Bottas: Sauber
P11: Lance Stroll: Aston Martin
P12: Daniel Riccardo: VCRB
P13: Esteban Ocon: Alpine
P14: Alex Albon: Williams
P15: Pierre Gasly: Alpine
P16: Zhou Guanyu: Sauber
P17: Kevin Magnussen: HAAS
P18: Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes
P19: Yuki Tsunoda: VCRB
P20: Logan Sargeant: Williams

Race Highlights:
Let’s get this out of the way real quick- Max won. Again. Not surprising. 13 seconds ahead of a very surprising second place finisher. But for real, 13 seconds? Who can compete with that? His own teammate doesn’t even have that pace. Anywho. Let us get to the interesting stuff. To start- a shocking Q3 out in the form of Lewis Hamilton starting from P18 after finishing 2nd in the Sprint race just 24 hours earlier. He stated that both he and George made drastic changes to their set up and his made an already unreliable car worse. He would eventually battle his way back up into the points with an unexpected 9th place finish- continuing to bring points to a struggling Mercedes team- also worth noting that George did finish sixth.

There were strong drives from many in the field. Mclaren saw another podium finish- their second this season with Lando Norris having a practically perfect race, coming in 13 seconds behind Verstappen and 19 seconds ahead of his Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull for second place. His teammate Oscar Piastri also brought home some points in eighth place. Both Ferraris also placed in the points- keeping consistent with a 4-5 finish, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz respectively. Fernando Alonso also continued his top 10 finish streak coming in seventh and the HAAS of Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the points coming in 10th. Notably, it was also an incredibly emotional day for one driver who, just 20 years ago was a fan in the stands. Hometown Hero Zhou Guanyu got all the feels- as he should- after he finished an impressive 14th.

For the fun bit. On the other end of the spectrum, there were a couple teams that were not having a good day. Notably the Visa Cashapp Racing Bulls who saw DNF’s from both Daniel Riccardo (seen above) and Yuki Tsunoda after they were both involved in separate crash incidents. During a safety car on lap 33, the Aston Martin driven by Lance Stroll was very clearly not paying attention and when other drivers braked due to a lock up by his teammate Fernando Alonso, Stroll went right up the tail end of Riccardo’s VCRB- causing too much damage for him to continue. Earlier in the race, the HAAS of Kevin Magnussen made contact with Yuki Tsunoda’s VCRB causing him to spin out and ultimately DNF as well on lap 26. Sauber’s technical issues persisted today as well. Valtteri Bottas was the unfortunate recipient of their bad luck when his engine completely went out. His race ended after just 19 laps.

Podium:
1st: Red Bull: Max Verstappen (25)
2nd: Lando Norris: Mclaren (18)
3rd: Red Bull: Sergio Perez (15)