In one of the most boring races of recent times, McLaren proved why everyone considered them the overwhelming favorites before the season.
Oscar Piastri started from the most prestigious position and the Australian did not let go of the lead. Behind him, a serious tussle was going on, with George Russell and Lando Norris battling fiercely, and eventually, Norris powered past Russell and closed in behind Piastri. The reigning champion, Max Verstappen, did not fare as well, losing two positions right away and, with a bit of exaggeration, blending into the field until the end of the race. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, did not follow this path; although his front wing was damaged in the big tussle after the start, he was still able to maintain a pace superior to that of his seven-time world champion teammate.
Soon, the first message “Lewis, Charles is faster than you, let him through” was heard on the radio, which Lewis Hamilton, albeit with great difficulty, complied with. We also reached the first pit stops, but the overall picture of the race did not change significantly after that: the McLaren duo led in the order of Piastri – Norris, with Russell behind them on the podium. Further back, the two Haas cars and Alexander Albon were moving very promisingly on the hard compounds, clearly playing for a single pit stop. As mentioned in the introduction, to put it mildly, this was not the race of the season, but the differing strategies here and there brought some interesting battles.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, who had been promising all weekend and was eyeing a seat at Red Bull, was dealt a tough hand: a piece of his front wing broke off without any physical contact, thus losing all chances of scoring points. The last significant moment came when Verstappen and Hamilton found each other, evoking the spirit of 2021, and fought hard for position through the corners, which ultimately went to the Dutchman. Aside from this, Oscar Piastri secured a smooth start-to-finish victory in a quickly forgettable Chinese Grand Prix, where he overtook Lando Norris and George Russell. Praise also goes to Haas, who made a remarkable double points finish!
Photo: AP / F1
