Championship leader Max Verstappen wins the Chinese Grand Prix

Formula 1 world championship leader Max Verstappen won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, the country’s first F1 race since 2019. The Dutchman, who started from pole position in Shanghai, won ahead of Britain’s Lando Norris ( McLaren) and his colleague. Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez, third. This is the 58th GP victory for the three-time reigning world champion and the fourth of the season in five races (out of 24). On the other hand, he never won in China.

Starting from the pole in front of the packed and heated stands for the return of the Chinese GP after a five-year absence due to Covid-19, nothing seemed able to stop Verstappen’s rocket, not even the intervention of two cars security followed recently. before half way. “The feeling was amazing (…), the car was on the rails, I could do whatever I wanted,” said the Dutchman. Already the day before, the unstoppable “Mad Max” had won the first of the six sprint races scheduled this season.

Charles Leclerc finishes 4th

Behind him, Norris’ McLaren, who was not expected to perform well this weekend, gave the British team its best chance of the year. “I didn’t expect that,” Norris replied when he arrived. “I was surprised by many things – Ferrari’s lack of speed, our good pace, us compared to the Red Bulls…” The Ferraris, who we expected to be at the forefront in China, completed the Top 5 – Monegasque. Charles Leclerc beating the Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

In the drivers’ championship, Verstappen now leads by 25 points over his runner-up Pérez. Among the French, Esteban Ocon finished close to the points with his Alpine. Eleventh in the race – the team’s best result of the season – Normand arrived in China with a new chassis and flat bottom, improvements intended to lift the French team from the bottom of the standings. His teammate and partner Pierre Gasly, who has yet to benefit from these improvements, finished 13th.

Praised by his public since the start of the weekend, Zhou Guanyu finished 14th at the wheel of his Sauber. The Shanghai native, who arrives on the elite list in 2022, is the first Chinese in history to compete in Formula 1 in China.

Charles Leclerc finishes 4th

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