In one of the most boring races in recent memory, McLaren proved why everyone considered them the clear favorite before the season.
Oscar Piastri started from the most prestigious position and the Australian did not let the lead be taken away. Behind him, a passionate battle was going on, George Russell and Lando Norris eliminated each other, in the end Norris forced his way ahead of Russell and closed in on Piastri. Last year's champion Max Verstappen did not fare so well, losing two places and actually, to put it mildly, losing ground in the field until the end of the race. Charles Leclerc, however, did not fare so well, although his front wing was damaged in a big battle after the start, but he was still able to set a better pace than his seven-time world champion teammate.
Soon the first message “Lewis, Charles is faster than you, let him go” was heard on the radio, which Lewis Hamilton, although with great difficulty, complied with. We also reached the first stops, but the overall picture of the race did not change after that: the McLaren pair was in the lead in the order of Piastra – Norris, followed by Russell on the podium. Then the two Haas and Alexander Albon moved very promisingly on the hard tires, while the latter were clearly playing for one stop. As we mentioned in the introduction, to put it mildly, it was not the race of the season, but different tactics brought interesting battles at times.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, who had been moving promisingly all weekend and was aiming for a place in Red Bull, was hit even harder: the Japanese driver lost a piece of his front wing without physical contact, which meant he lost all chances of scoring points. The last crucial moment was the light of day, when Verstappen and Hamilton found each other and, in the spirit of 2021, fought hard for the cornering position, which the Dutchman eventually won. In addition, Oscar Piastri won the race with a smooth start and finish in China, where he overtook Lando Norris and George Russell. Kudos also to Haas, who presented themselves with a great double points win!
Photo: AP/F1
