In one of the most boring races in recent memory, McLaren proved why everyone considered them to be the towering contenders before the season.
Oscar Piastri could wait for the start from the most prominent position, and the Australian did not let go of the lead. Behind him, there was a serious fight, George Russell and Lando Norris were killing each other, and finally Norris pulled himself past Russell and caught up behind Piastri. Last season's leader, Max Verstappen, did not fare so well, losing two places immediately, and then, with a slight exaggeration, actually faded into the field by the end of the race. Charles Leclerc did not do so well, although his front wing was damaged in the big fight after the start, but despite this he was able to set a higher speed than his teammate, the seven-time world champion.
Soon the first message “Lewis, Charles is faster than you, let go” was heard on the radio, which Lewis Hamilton complied with, albeit with great difficulty. We also arrived at the first pit stops, but the overall picture of the race did not change significantly after this: the McLaren duo was in the lead in the order of Piastri – Norris, with Russell on the podium behind them. Further back, the two Haas and Alexander Albon were moving very encouragingly on the hard compounds, the latter clearly playing for a pit stop. As we mentioned in the introduction, this was not the race of the season to put it mildly, but the different tactics brought interesting battles here and there.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, who had been promising all weekend and was pushing for the Red Bull seat, was even pulled by the branch: the Japanese driver had a piece of his front wing break off without physical contact, thus ruining all his chances of scoring points. The last essential moment was the highlight of the day, when Verstappen and Hamilton found each other, and, invoking the spirit of 2021, they fought hard through the corners for the position, which eventually went to the Dutchman. Apart from this, a smooth start-finish victory at the quickly forgettable Chinese Grand Prix was won by Oscar Piastri, where he overtook Lando Norris and George Russell. Praise also goes to Haas, who came out with a great double points score!
Photo: AP/F1
