Verstappen dominates an animated F1 Sprint in Shanghai. Hamilton and Pérez finish second and third.
Lando Norris takes the lead at the start of the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint, the first of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The McLaren F1 driver managed to clock a time more than a second faster in the rain than Lewis Hamilton, who joins him on the front row.
In the second row, we find Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen, who had two of his three SQ3 laps cancelled and managed to limit the damage at the end of qualifying. But never has a Sprint, since their introduction in 2021, seen a driver win from outside the top 3. The triple world champion will therefore have the chance to push back a statistic.
Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez are in the third row ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, followed by the Stake F1s of Valtteri Bottas and local hero Guanyu Zhou. George Russell is 11th ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg, then Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, and the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, and Logan Sargeant complete the grid.
Unlike the Sprint Shootout qualifying, the track is dry and the sun is out, although the temperatures are not high. Only the EL1 was seen in these conditions, and it is difficult to tell who will be favored by them.
4:45: The FIA has revealed that it has no particular concerns about a risk of repeating the fires that occurred at turn 7 on the circuit’s grass yesterday, but notes that the grass will be watered before each remaining session, and firefighters will be deployed around the track at that location.
4:52: The track temperature is 27 degrees, and the air temperature is 20 degrees.
4:58: Russell starts on soft tires, while the rest of the grid has opted for medium tires. A bold choice for the Briton! More likely, it’s a chance for Mercedes to test the durability of the more fragile tires under race conditions.
| 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 19 Laps |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 13.043s |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 15.258s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari | 17.486s |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Scuderia Ferrari | 20.696s |
| 6 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren F1 Team | 22.088s |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren F1 Team | 24.713s |
| 8 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 25.696s |
| 9 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 31.951s |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 37.398s |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | 37.840s |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber | 38.295s |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 39.841s |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 40.299s |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 40.838s |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | 41.870s |
| 17 | Alex Albon | THA | Williams Racing | 42.998s |
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Racing | 46.352s |
| 19 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 49.630s |
| Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | DNF | |
2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Race Results. 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Race Results
Start: Hamilton gets the best launch over Norris, who tries to resist on the outside but the McLaren driver slides and loses big off the track!
Lap 1: Alonso takes second place ahead of Verstappen then Sainz, Pérez, and Leclerc, who have all passed Norris who is now seventh. Piastri is eighth ahead of Zhou and Magnussen, followed by Bottas and Russell. Behind, Ricciardo has passed Hülkenberg and Ocon has overtaken Gasly. Tsunoda has passed Albon.
Lap 2: Stroll complains of being pushed off the track by Hülkenberg, but race control does not mention it for now. Hamilton is seven tenths ahead of Alonso, and Verstappen is 1.6 seconds behind, still under threat from Sainz who tries to overtake but lets the Red Bull back through.
Lap 3: Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race at 1’40″626, and Alonso is slightly slower. Verstappen and Sainz are about a second behind, with Pérez and then Leclerc closely following, as well as Norris who is close to the Ferrari. Behind, Russell and Bottas are battling for tenth place, and the Mercedes driver currently has the upper hand.
Lap 4: Hamilton sets the fastest lap at 1’40″420, beaten by Verstappen at 1’40″331. The Dutchman is concerned about having a flat battery but his engineer provides a solution. Further back, Magnussen has passed Bottas and Stroll has overtaken Hülkenberg.
Lap 5: Hamilton has a 1.5-second lead over Alonso, who has a 1.2-second margin over Verstappen. Sainz is 1.6 seconds behind the Dutchman, with Pérez less than a second behind him. Leclerc is one second behind the Mexican and has Norris within his DRS zone. Piastri, the last driver currently in the points of this Sprint, is 1.5 seconds behind his teammate and has a 1.8-second margin over Zhou.
Lap 6: Verstappen closes to within a second of Alonso, while Hamilton maintains the same lead over the Spaniard in the lead. Leclerc is within a second of Pérez and feels the pressure from Norris.
Lap 7: Verstappen is now within a second of Alonso, and it remains to be seen if the top speed of the Aston Martin is enough to fend off a DRS overtake. The matter is settled in the long back straight, where the three-time reigning world champion takes second place. However, he needs to be wary of Alonso’s powerful DRS.
Lap 8: However, Alonso is dropped in the first sector of the following lap, losing nearly two seconds in this eighth of the planned 19 laps. He comes within a second of Hamilton after a mistake by the Briton at the end of the long straight.
Lap 9: Verstappen is on Hamilton’s tail, while Russell overtakes Zhou for ninth place. Ocon gets past Hülkenberg for 15th position. And Verstappen does the same to Hamilton on the long straight, taking the lead.
Lap 10: Hamilton tries to resist but moves out of the second and DRS zone by the end of the first sector on lap ten. Alonso is 2.6 seconds behind Hamilton, and Sainz, Pérez, Leclerc, and Norris are still within DRS range of the drivers ahead. Piastri is 5.5 seconds behind his teammate and sees Russell approaching.
Lap 11: Verstappen has pulled 1.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton this lap, while the Briton’s time matches that of Alonso. Sainz, Pérez, Leclerc, and Norris are on par with the times of the Aston Martin, leaving a clear lead for Verstappen at the front. Gasly has passed Hülkenberg, and Tsunoda has done the same. It’s the first time we’ve seen a Haas struggle in a race this year, but it’s not due to the car itself since Magnussen is 11th.
Lap 12: Verstappen is 3.6 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who still has 2.4 seconds on Alonso. Sainz is close but Pérez is closer, and the Mexican tries to attack the Ferrari. However, he doesn’t have the ease of his teammate and struggles to make up ground.
Lap 13: Verstappen’s lead is over 5 seconds, while the gaps remain stable behind. Russell had closed to within 1.5 seconds of Piastri but seems to be losing pace.
Lap 14: Verstappen continues to push, now almost 7 seconds ahead of Hamilton. The Dutchman is likely testing the durability of the medium tires. Ricciardo overtakes Bottas, but the Finn defends. Leclerc attempts to pass Pérez but fails.
Lap 15: Hamilton is nearly 8 seconds behind Verstappen, with a 2.9-second lead over Alonso. Pérez complains of losing traction, and Leclerc tries again to overtake but is unsuccessful.
Lap 16: Sainz attacks Alonso, who continues to slow the group, and Sainz manages to pass on the outside at turn 7 and stays ahead on the inside at turn 8. Pérez passes both men, and both Ferraris overtake Alonso in the same turn, while Norris also passes him! Alonso pits, and Sainz forces Leclerc off the track!
Lap 17: Leclerc overtakes Sainz, while Norris looms threateningly over Sainz. Alonso suffers a puncture. Verstappen now has a 10-second lead over Hamilton, who is 4 seconds ahead of Pérez.
Lap 18: The gaps seem to stabilize in the top 8, which Russell joins after Alonso’s stop. Notably, Hülkenberg has been overtaken by the Williams and is second to last, ahead of Alonso, who retires. Leclerc is frustrated at being pushed off the track by his teammate.
Final lap: Verstappen continues to extend his lead and is 12 seconds ahead of Hamilton, gaining more than a second per lap since taking the lead. Pérez is closing in on Hamilton but is still 2.4 seconds back, too far to challenge for second place. Leclerc is 3 seconds ahead of Sainz, and Norris is 1.2 seconds behind the Spaniard.
Finish: Verstappen completes his dominant performance and wins the first F1 Sprint of 2024 by 13.043 seconds over Hamilton, who secures a strong finish. Pérez finishes 2 seconds behind the Brit, followed by Leclerc and Sainz, then Norris and Piastri.
Russell is the last to score points, with Zhou finishing just outside the points. Magnussen is in the top 10 ahead of Ricciardo, Bottas, Ocon—who overtakes Stroll—then Gasly, Tsunoda, Albon, Sargeant, and Hülkenberg.
Now, it’s time for qualifying for the Grand Prix at 9 a.m., with the parc fermé reopening for teams, allowing drivers to change their settings before the session.
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