Shanghai: Max Verstappen added to his tally of wins by claiming a victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, marking his fourth win from five races so far this season.
Verstappen of Red Bull Racing had led off the line at the race start, while Fernando Alonso swept past Sergio Perez to take P2 into Turn 1, though the Spaniard lost the position in the laps that followed before slipping back further later on.
He maintained control for most of a tactical race at the Shanghai International Circuit, which included a Virtual Safety Car and two full Safety Car interventions. Throughout the unfolding drama behind him, the Dutchman remained composed at the forefront.
There was drama midway through the race when a Safety Car was called after Valtteri Bottas pulled off track with a mechanical issue. A flurry of pit stops slightly mixed up the order and, while Verstappen remained in the lead, it was all go further back upon the restart, with separate incidents unfolding between a number of cars, Formula 1 reports.
The events behind didn’t deter Verstappen, who sealed his fourth race win of the season ahead of Lando Norris in an impressive second for McLaren, while Perez rounded out the podium for Red Bull in third.
Charles Leclerc was the lead Ferrari in fourth from team mate Carlos Sainz in fifth and the Mercedes of George Russell in sixth. Alonso was seventh, with Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton – who had climbed up from P18 on the grid.
After his Q1 exit and some tyre-related struggles in the early laps, Lewis Hamilton worked his way up the order amid drama around him, and thanks to some smart overtakes, to wind up ninth, with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg claiming the final point on offer to complete the top 10.
–IANS