Chinese Grand Prix: George Russell claims victory in F1 sprint race
George Russell triumphed over Ferrari’s challenge to secure a captivating sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.
In the initial phases, the focus was on Russell and Lewis Hamilton as they swapped the lead six times within the first five laps in Shanghai, with Russell ultimately emerging victorious to maintain his perfect start to the new season.
Hamilton had to settle for third place as Russell – who claimed victory in Australia just six days prior – crossed the finish line 0.6 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Lando Norris finished in fourth, one position ahead of Russell’s Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. Max Verstappen, who began in eighth, ended up ninth after a poor start that saw him drop to 16th.
Russell now holds an 11-point lead over Antonelli in the championship standings.
Ultimately, the race was relatively straightforward for Russell, although the beginning was quite different. Hamilton, starting from fourth, reached the first corner ahead of Antonelli, who struggled to get off the line in his Mercedes and fell six places to eighth.
Hamilton overtook Norris at the long opening right-hander before turning his attention to Russell, and by the middle of lap one, he had passed the Mercedes driver. Russell regained the lead at the penultimate corner, but Hamilton utilized Russell’s slipstream on the main straight to move around the outside of the Silver Arrows at the first corner, with the new regulations and reliance on battery charge coming into play.
At the end of the following lap, Russell was back in front, diving underneath Hamilton at Turn 15, but his lead was short-lived as Hamilton overtook him at the start of the next lap.
On lap six, Russell attempted to pass at the first corner, but Hamilton remained steadfast. However, Russell executed a move beneath Hamilton’s Ferrari at the second-to-last bend, effectively ending Hamilton’s challenge. As Russell increased his lead, Hamilton found himself in a battle with Leclerc.
“I think Lewis is struggling,” Leclerc remarked before making his move for second on lap eight. Hamilton attempted to fight back through the opening corners of the next lap, and the two Ferrari drivers raced side by side, but Leclerc stayed in front before addressing his teammate on the radio: “Does he know how wide these cars are or not?”
By lap 11, Hamilton had dropped to fourth as Antonelli worked his way back through the field following his slow start.
Then, Nico Hülkenberg experienced a breakdown, prompting the deployment of the safety car. With five laps remaining, the leaders pitted for fresh tires.
Antonelli served a 10-second penalty for an earlier collision with Isack Hadjar, causing him to drop from third to eighth, while Norris passed Hamilton – who was delayed waiting for teammate Leclerc to be serviced.
When the safety car came in at the end of lap 16, Russell led Leclerc, Norris, and Hamilton. Hamilton overtook Norris for third on the penultimate lap, but it was Russell’s day in Shanghai.
“Lewis did an amazing job, and he caught me off-guard, but he was using his experience,” Russell stated.
Hamilton commented: “It was a close battle, and their speed on the straights was a bit too much. I fought hard, but I wore out my tires. The car is much improved, and I have contributed to its development. However, I was in the lead at one point, so finishing third is not ideal, but I gave it my all and will strive to do better later.”
Source: espn.com
