Verstappen cruises to Chinese Grand Prix win, Norris takes second

Max Verstappen continued his dominance in the 2024 Formula 1 season with his fourth victory in the first five races, triumphing in the highly anticipated Chinese Grand Prix, which returned to the championship after a 5-year absence.

The race at the Shanghai International Circuit proved to be dynamic, featuring two safety car deployments that significantly impacted team strategies.

The first safety car period occurred on the 23rd lap following the clearance of Valtteri Bottas’s damaged car from turn 11. The race resumed on lap 27, but a series of contacts in the midfield prompted another safety car deployment.

The safety car remained on track until the end of lap 31, with Verstappen leading the field ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Norris and Leclerc capitalized on the safety car period to make strategic pit stops, vaulting them into podium positions ahead of Sergio Perez.

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Despite Perez’s efforts to reclaim a podium spot by overtaking Leclerc, Norris held firm to secure second place behind Verstappen, preventing a Red Bull double victory for the first time this season.

It was also the first time in 2024 that a Formula 1 race concluded without a double victory for a single team. Previous races had seen Red Bull and Ferrari secure double wins, but Norris’s podium finish broke the streak.

Ferrari’s drivers, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, finished fourth and fifth respectively, while George Russell claimed sixth place. Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the points-scoring positions.