Max Verstappen continued his dominance in Formula 1 with another impressive victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. The Red Bull driver started from pole position and never looked back, securing his fourth win in five races this season and his 23rd in the last 27 races.
Verstappen faced little challenge during the race, only briefly trailing after a pit stop. Lando Norris of McLaren finished in second place, about 14 seconds behind Verstappen, while Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez took third.
The race was not without its incidents, as the safety car was deployed twice due to various incidents on the track. Valtteri Bottas stalled with a blown engine, and there were two separate incidents involving Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, and Daniel Ricciardo.
Shanghai-native Zhou Guanyu finished 14th for Sauber, possibly his last chance to race at home as teams prepare to shuffle their driver lineups for the next season.
Looking ahead, the competition in F1 seems to be for the positions behind Verstappen and Perez. Mercedes’ George Russell described it as a “fight” for places three through eight, emphasizing the importance of small differences in performance.
The next race on the F1 calendar is in Miami on May 5, known for its celebrity presence. In China, former basketball star Yao Ming and double Olympic champion skier Eileen Gu were among the celebrities spotted in the paddock and on the track before the race.
Verstappen’s dominance and the competitive battles behind him set the stage for an exciting remainder of the F1 season.