Another race, another victory for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the Chinese GP

SHANGHAI – Another Formula 1 race. Another victory for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The three-time champion won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday from pole, his fourth victory in five races this season and his 23rd in the last 27, stretching back to last season.

Only brake failure last month at the Australian GP in Melbourne probably prevented him from sweeping all five.

Verstappen trailed by just a few laps after a pit stop. McLaren’s Lando Norris was around 14 seconds behind Verstappen in second – the eighth time he has finished second in his career while still seeking his first victory. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was third.

“It was incredible,” said Verstappen. “All weekend we were incredibly fast and it was really enjoyable to drive. The car was basically on rails and I could do whatever I wanted with it. This kind of weekend is amazing to feel.

The safety car came out twice in the middle of the race. Once, Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas stopped on the side of the track with a blown engine and again with two almost simultaneous incidents.

In one of them, Kevin Magnuessen hit Yuki Tsunoda and, in the other, Lance Stroll hit Daniel Ricciardo in the back.

Verstappen’s dominance in F1 also extended until Saturday, when he took part in the season’s inaugural sprint race.

This was the first F1 in China since 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s crackdown wiped out four races. Shanghai-born Zhou Guanyu finished 14th for Sauber, perhaps his last chance to race on home soil as teams next season will alter their driver line-ups.

The real competition in F1 for the rest of the season appears to be for the half-dozen places behind Verstappen and Perez. Mercedes’ George Russell called it “a fight” for the 3rd to 8th places.

“Small differences can have a big impact,” Russell said.

Domination is nothing new in F1. Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton ruled before Verstappen’s arrival – Schumacher and Hamilton winning seven season titles and Vettel four.

It’s a good bet that Verstappen and Red Bull will dominate next season. That could change in 2026 when new engine and chassis regulations come into force in F1.

The next GP will be in Miami, on May 5th, where there are usually celebrity shows. There was also a celebrity parade in China with former basketball star Yao Ming and two-time Olympic champion skier Eileen Gu posing for photos in the paddock and on the track before the race began.

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Formula 1 AP: