China - Sprint

The sprint race, although short, did not disappoint when it came to the tensions and emotions on track. As soon as the lights went off Norris and Hamilton, the two drivers starting from the front row, began their fight for the lead. It didn't last too long as, at the very first turn, Norris went off-track. While Hamilton soared into the lead, Norris ended up at P7. The top three consisted of Hamilton, Alonso, and Verstappen.

It was rather surprising to see that a gap began building up between Verstappen and Alonso. For a while, instead of trying to overtake the Aston Martin, the Red Bull driver had to hold off Sainz. He reported an issue with his batter which seemed to be the reason behind his slower-than-usual driving. When it was fixed, he caught up to the Spaniard and quickly overtook him. After that, the only person standing between him and victory was Lewis Hamilton. His chance to grab the lead came when the Mercedes experienced a wheel lockup. Verstappen seized the opportunity and drove into P1 at lap 9. He would stay in the lead until the end of the race. 

While the fight for the top step of the podium might have been over, it didn't mean that there was no more fighting on the track. Alonso gave Hamilton some advantage by keeping off a DRS train consisting of Sainz, Perez, Leclerc, and Norris. It worked until he felt the pressure put on him by Sainz. As the Ferrari decided to attack and the Aston did everything in its power to defend, Perez decided to take advantage and overtake both of them, driving into P3. During the battle of the Spaniards, the cars made contact. Alonso reported a puncture and drove into the pit. He was forced to retire from the race. 

With the top three secured, the remaining drivers fought for a spot within the points. Leclerc and Sainz battled for 4th with the Monegasque coming out on top in the end. Interestingly enough, after the race he used his radio to say 'Yeah, let's speak after. He's fighting me more than the others', a sentence seemingly about his teammate. Norris and Piastri were both within points, as was Russel who managed to finish the race in 8th.

Another win was added to Max Verstappen's ever-growing collection. This time, the driver managed to win after starting from 4th and building up a 12-second lead in a race that was only 19 laps long, a performance that is just incredible. When it comes to the home driver, Zhou Guanyu, he finished just outside a points but put in a great performance that leaves his fans hopeful for Sunday. 

Order of the grid

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lewis Hamilton

3. Sergio Perez

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Carlos Sainz

6. Lando Norris

7. Oscar Piastri

8. George Russel 

9. Zhou Guanyu

10. Kevin Magnussen 

11. Daniel Ricciardo

12. Valtteri Bottas

13. Lance Stroll

14. Esteban Ocon

15. Pierre Gasly

16. Yuki Tsunoda

17. Alex Albon

18. Logan Sargeant

19. Nico Hulkenberg

DNF Fernando Alonso