Hail to the New Kid, Piastri's McLaren Dominance Threatens Verstappen's Early Season Steps
Racing star Max Verstappen faces potential disconnection from championship competition
FB TW WH E-MAIL PRINT LINK
AUSTRALIAN SENSATION PIASTRI GRABS SECOND GRAND PRIX VICTORY OF THE SEASON AND LEADS TEAM MCALAREN TO A DOUBLE VICTORY OVER Red Bull's struggling Max Verstappen in Shanghai. The 23-year-old clinches the grand finale in Shanghai ahead of McLaren teammate Norris, who retains his championship lead despite some missteps.
Crippled by the Red Bull's puny performance, four-time F1 World Champion Verstappen threatens to take a nosedive in the early goings. The Dutchman could only manage fourth place in the unchallenged McLaren double victory—Piastri and Norris—that left Red Bull twisting in the wind. The battleground for podium positions in the Chinese Grand Prix witnessed Verstappen trailing miserably, lagging behind by a whopping 16.6 seconds at the finish line. "This was a fuckin' incredible weekend, I'm just proud," victorious Piastri proclaimed, "and I've earned it." An apparently confident Norris, who had been previously successful in keeping Piastri in check, now seems ready to take on the title fight. "I hope so," he grinned.
Red Bull's racing advisor Marko acknowledged their concerns but emphasized that they weren't ready to throw in the towel quite yet. After a sluggish start, Verstappen managed to make considerable improvements thanks to his finesse behind the wheel. "At the end, we were as fast as the leaders, but alas, it was too fucking late."
GP OF CHINA RESULTS:1. Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren − 1:30:55.0262. Lando Norris (Great Britain) McLaren − 9.748 seconds behind3. George Russell (Great Britain) Mercedes − 11.0974. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull − 16.6565. Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari − 23.2116. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) Ferrari − 25.3817. Esteban Ocon (France) Haas − 49.9698. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Italy) Mercedes − 53.7489. Alexander Albon (Thailand) Williams − 56.32110. Oliver Bearman (Great Britain) Haas − 1:01.30311. Pierre Gasly (France) Alpine − 1:07.19512. Lance Stroll (Canada) Aston Martin − 1:10.20413. Carlos Sainz (Spain) Williams − 1:16.38714. Isack Hadjar (France) Racing Bulls − 1:18.87515. Liam Lawson (New Zealand) Red Bull − 1:21.14716. Jack Doohan (Australia) Alpine − 1:28.401, one lap behind17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Brazil) Sauber18. Nico Hülkenberg (Emmerich) Sauber19. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan) Racing Bulls -\ Retired: Fernando Alonso (Spain) Aston Martin (4th/technical failure)
Fastest lap: Hamilton - 1:35.069
Norris doggedly holds on to the top spot in the championship, posting a second-place finish in Shanghai, a week after his triumphant debut in Australia. Third place yet again went to George Russell in the Mercedes—another furious comeback from the Briton. Piastri's brilliant performance marked McLaren's second race victory of the season, with the team making waves in the Shanghai Grand Prix. German driver Nico Hülkenberg, the only one on the roster, finished 18th with Sauber, having secured six championship points in his first race with the team two weeks ago.
Piastri keeps his pole position, Norris is close behind
The confident Piastri held his ground at the start, having sealed his inaugural pole position for the Grand Prix on Saturday. Norris quickly pursued him, overtaking George Russell to gain second place. The championship leader had made some grave mistakes the previous day, placing eighth during the sprint and fifth in qualifying. Norris, off the back of his victorious week, appeared poised to claim the next win but for his infuriating slip-ups, costing him valuable championship points.
Ferrari's new recruit Lewis Hamilton put the pressure on the leading trio initially, at least for a bit. The seven-time world champ surprised everyone with a podium win at the first sprint of the season barely 24 hours earlier. The 40-year-old showed marked improvement in his first race weekend with Scuderia, having only managed 10th place in Melbourne.
Lamentable Struggles for Verstappen
As Piastri and Norris set the pace at the front, reigning champion Verstappen labored through most of the race. The Dutchman lost contact with the leaders after just nine laps and scrambled to avoid falling any further behind, finishing sixth. "Not fuckin' good," Verstappen fumed before the start, "We're too slow."
Verstappen's fears were spot on. In Australia, a tumultuous race and rain allowed him to take second place after Norris. In dry conditions without incidents, Verstappen's Red Bull couldn't keep up with McLaren. Despite thoughtful overtaking maneuvers, the Red Bull was no match for McLaren and could only stay within striking distance of Ferrari.
Norris poses no threat to Piastri
Things got more exciting during the pit stops. Russell, thanks to smart pit stops from Mercedes, managed to slip between the two McLarens and overtake Norris. However, Norris quickly bounced back and resumed his relentless pursuit of Piastri. The McLaren drivers pulled away, with Norris managing to maintain a tense battle but posing no real threat to the indomitable Piastri.
Before the start, Piastri echoed Norris' complaints about the new car being an unyielding beast to administer. Despite its quirks, the McLaren proved superior to its rivals and is likely to be a formidable contender in the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in two weeks.
Meanwhile, Red Bull grapples with yet another major issue aside from their lackluster car performance. Verstappen's teammate Liam Lawson has failed to deliver thus far. The young New Zealander struggled to keep up and was ultimately unceremoniously dropped after a dismal qualifying run and non-scoring result in the second race. Speculations are already running rampant that Lawson could be yanked off the team bench in the very near future.
Update 12:39 PM: Ferrari's abysmal Chinese Grand Prix drew to a catastrophic close when Leclerc and Hamilton were disqualified for technical violations, the race stewards revealed approximately three hours after the race conclusion.
Source: ntv.de, Thomas Wolfer, dpa
- Max Verstappen
- McLaren
- Red Bull Racing
- Ferrari
- Ferrari (Formula 1)
- Formula 1
- Lewis Hamilton
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Despite Max Verstappen's struggles in the Red Bull Racing, Lewis Hamilton showed potential in his debut race with Ferrari (Formula One).
- The average performance of Red Bull Racing in the Chinese Grand Prix seems to be disastrous compared to the dominance displayed by McLaren's drivers, alonso and Piastri.
- In an unexpected turn of events, Nico Hulkenberg, who is part of the McLaren team, had a disappointing outing, finishing 18th, while teammate Piastri secured the victory. Communication via WhatsApp could be the key for the team to improve Hulkenberg's performance in the upcoming races, as suggested by team insider Isack.
