Max Verstappen has continued his relentless march towards a fourth consecutive world title, as he claimed his fourth victory from the opening five races with a comprehensive win in the Chinese Grand Prix.
The reigning champion completed a dominant weekend for Red Bull as he cruised to a sprint victory, claimed pole and was never really challenged in first place as teammate Sergio Perez also finished on the podium in third place.
Two separate incidents caused Safety Car interruptions, but Verstappen managed to rebuild his advantage on both occasions to win for the first time in Shanghai as the Grand Prix returned to China for the first time since 2019.
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Meanwhile, Lando Norris completed an impressive drive to finish in second and claim the 15th podium of his Formula 1 career.
F1 China: Race results and standings from Shanghai
| Driver | |||
| 1. | Max Verstappen | 11. | Esteban Ocon |
| 2. | Lando Norris | 12. | Alexander Albon |
| 3. | Sergio Perez | 13. | Pierre Gasly |
| 4. | Charles Leclerc | 14. | Guanyu Zhou |
| 5. | Carlos Sainz | 15. | Lance Stroll |
| 6. | George Russell | 16. | Kevin Magnussen |
| 7. | Fernando Alonso | 17. | Logan Sargeant |
| 8. | Oscar Piastri | DNF | Daniel Ricciardo |
| 9. | Lewis Hamilton | DNF | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 10. | Nico Hulkenberg | DNF | Valtteri Bottas |
F1 China: Pre-race grid order
1. Verstappen, 2. Perez, 3. Alonso, 4. Norris, 5. Piastri, 6. Leclerc, 7. Sainz, 8. Russell, 9. Hulkenberg, 10. Bottas
11. Stroll, 12. Ricciardo, 13. Ocon, 14. Albon, 15. Gasly, 16. Guanyu, 17. Magnussen, 18. Hamilton, 19. Tsunoda, 20. Sargeant
MORE: F1 2024 standings
Who won F1 today? Chinese Grand Prix post-race analysis
Verstappen a cut above the rest
“It’s historic what we’re watching from Verstappen and it’s a historic performance from this car,” Nico Rosberg said in commentary as the Red Bull driver cruised to his maiden win in China.
It’s hard to argue with that assessment as Verstappen was twice brought back to the pack due to two Safety Car interruptions, only to brush off any and all challengers.
Verstappen finished 13-seconds ahead of Norris to seal his fourth win from five races this season.
“I would like to see him drive for someone else!” Karun Chandhok said on Sky Sports.
“It would be fun to see. How much is it Max versus this car?”
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS IN SHANGHAI 🏆
That’s Max’s first victory in China 🤩
Lando Norris takes second behind the Dutchman with Sergio Perez finishing third 👏👏#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/UasqOy8PG7
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 21, 2024
Norris denies Red Bull 1-2
While Verstappen was removed from all of the drama behind him, Norris was right in the thick of it as he benefitted from the Safety Car phases to nestle his way ahead of Perez and claim second place.
Norris was one of just three drivers to make one pit stop during the race with the McLaren driver claiming a podium finish, which he admitted came as somewhat of a surprise to himself.
“He’s a little bit the glass half empty guy,” Rosberg said.
“Pre-race betting that Ferrari are going to beat them, I don’t think that’s the best approach in general. I think positivity would be helpful.
“But, nevertheless, he did a phenomenal drive today. He drove so well. Certainly, together with Max, the best driver of the day for sure.”
Multiple incidents cause chaos in Shanghai
Two Safety Car interruptions punctuated the Grand Prix in China with an engine failure on Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber followed by a crash from the restart.
Lance Stroll collided into the back of Daniel Ricciardo upon the restart, causing the Australian to return to the pits before he retired due to the damage inflicted.
But that wasn’t the only drama in the day with Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen also colliding.
F1 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying recap
No one was in touching distance of Verstappen during qualifying, with the Dutchman securing his fifth consecutive pole of the season. The result also marked Red Bull’s 100th pole position in F1.
It was a thrilling battle for the other front-row spot, with Perez nabbing it late to secure a 1-2 for Red Bull. Piastri recorded a strong lap at the end of Q3 but was trumped by teammate Norris. Alonso then went even faster before Perez flew home to break Aston Martin’s hearts.
MORE: Who will Carlos Sainz drive for next season?
Lewis Hamilton made a costly error that saw him suffer a shock elimination in Q1, while the struggling Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon progressed through to Q2.
F1 live stream, TV channel
| Country | TV channel | Live stream |
| USA | — | FUBO, F1TV |
| Canada | TSN (English); RDS (French) | TSN Direct |
| UK | Sky Sports F1 | SkyGo, NOW TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports | Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports |
| India | — | F1 TV Pro |
