Another Victory for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at Chinese Grand Prix
Another Formula 1 race, another triumph for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The three-time defending champion clinched victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on April 21, starting from pole position. This victory marks his fourth win in five races this season and his 23rd in the last 27 races, extending through last season.
Verstappen's near-perfect streak was only marred by a brake failure last month at the Australian GP in Melbourne, which likely prevented him from achieving a clean sweep of all five races.
During the Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen briefly trailed following a pit stop but quickly regained the lead. Lando Norris of McLaren finished approximately 14 seconds behind Verstappen in second place — the eighth time he has finished as runner-up in his career as he continues to chase his first victory. Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, secured third place.
The safety car was deployed twice during the race, first after Sauber's Valtteri Bottas stalled at the edge of the track due to a blown engine, and then again due to two nearly simultaneous incidents. In one incident, Kevin Magnussen clipped Yuki Tsunoda, while in the other, Lance Stroll collided with the back of Daniel Ricciardo's car.
Verstappen's dominance in F1 also extended to Saturday when he emerged victorious in the inaugural sprint race of the season.
This marked the first F1 race held in China since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic and China's clampdown had canceled four races. Shanghai-born Zhou Guanyu finished 14th for Sauber, possibly his final chance to race at home before teams reshuffle their driver lineups next season.
As the season progresses, the real competition in F1 seems to be for the half-dozen places behind Verstappen and Perez. Mercedes' George Russell described it as “a fight” for positions No. 3 through No. 8, emphasizing how small differences can have a significant impact.
The next GP is scheduled for Miami on May 5, where the event is often a celebrity spectacle. In China, there was a parade of celebrities, including former basketball star Yao Ming and double Olympic champion skier Eileen Gu, who posed for photos in the paddock and on the track before the start of the race.