Chinese GP: Dominant Verstappen wins Chinese GP, Norris denies Red Bull one-two
Max Verstappen, the triple world champion, won Formula One's first Chinese Grand Prix in five years on Sunday, with McLaren's Lando Norris finishing a surprise second to deny dominant Red Bull a one-two.
Verstappen's crushing victory from pole at a Shanghai circuit that last hosted a grand prix in 2019 was his fourth in five races in 2024, following his win in the season's first Saturday sprint.
Mexican teammate Sergio Perez, Verstappen's closest championship rival but now 25 points behind, finished third after a dry race marred by two safety car periods.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with Mercedes' George Russell sixth and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso seventh, plus a bonus point for fastest lap.
Verstappen's victory marked his 58th career triumph, and Shanghai became his 26th winning track.
"It felt amazing. All weekend I think we were incredibly quick. It was just enjoyable to drive," said the 26-year-old who took the chequered flag 13.773 seconds clear of Norris.
"The car was basically on rails and I could do whatever I wanted to with it."
Team boss Christian Horner summed up the situation by describing Verstappen, who has won every race he has finished this year, as a "man driving on another planet."
Red Bull are now 44 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' standings.
With his 15th career podium and eighth second place, Norris ensured China was the season's first race without one team finishing first and second (Ferrari had taken the one-two in Australia and Red Bull had the rest).
"I just wasn't expecting today at all," said the Briton, who started fourth on the grid and was named driver of the day.
"I got everything ready to go home early and not be on the podium, so it's a pleasant surprise."
"I made a bet to how far behind the Ferrari we would finish today. I thought 35 seconds and I was very wrong by that. So happy to be wrong with myself, and my own bets."
His only mistakes came after the race, when Norris returned to the pit lane rather than parking alongside Verstappen and Perez on the straight, and later when he picked up the cap for the third-placed driver.
In his first home race, China's first and only driver, Zhou Guanyu, parked behind the Red Bulls and crouched in tears before saluting the crowd. The Sauber driver finished fourteenth.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished eighth, with Mercedes' seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton moving from 18th to ninth, and Nico Hulkenberg taking the final point for Haas.
The 56-lap race began with the Red Bulls on the front row, with Alonso taking second from Perez as Verstappen faded into the distance.
The Mexican regained the lead on lap five, with Verstappen already five seconds behind, and Norris passed Alonso on lap seven.
Norris took the lead on lap 13 when both Red Bulls pitted, with Verstappen rejoining in fourth and regaining the lead on lap 19.
The first safety car was deployed on lap 23 after a brief virtual period, when Sauber's Valtteri Bottas parked with a failed engine and marshals struggled to shift the car, which was stuck in gear.
Leclerc and Norris took advantage by pitting and passing Perez.
At the lap 27 re-start, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll collided with Daniel Ricciardo's RB, sending the Australian into compatriot Oscar Piastri's McLaren.
Kevin Magnussen from Haas and Yuki Tsunoda from RB collided as well, with the Japanese retiring and the Dane limping back to the pits with a damaged and sparking car.
Stroll and Magnussen were both given 10-second penalties for causing a collision, while Williams' Logan Sargeant received the same penalty for a safety car infringement. On lap 34, Ricciardo retired to the pits.
Norris adopted a one-stop strategy following the safety car period, with Perez unable to close the gap after passing Leclerc for third.
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