Verstappen passes Hamilton for straightforward sprint race win · RaceFans

Max Verstappen won the first sprint race of the 2024 season in Shanghai after chasing down and passing Lewis Hamilton to take victory.

The championship leader used DRS along the back straight to close up on the Mercedes driver before passing him at the hairpin, going on to win by over 13 seconds.

Sergio Perez claimed the final podium position in third after prevailing in a multi-car battle involving him, the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, who dropped out of the race after a puncture.

All drivers opted for medium tyres for the 19 lap race, aside from George Russell in 11th on the grid, who chose softs. Hamilton and pole winner Lando Norris ran side-by-side through the opening corner at the start, the McLaren running wide at turn two and dropping down to seventh place.

Hamilton led ahead of Alonso in the early laps, with the Aston Martin sitting inside a second of the leader until lap four, when Hamilton managed to escape DRS range. Verstappen caught and passed Alonso on the seventh lap, having 12 laps to make up just under two seconds to Hamilton ahead.

However, Verstappen was soon on the back of the Mercedes, helped by Hamilton locking up into the hairpin on lap eight. Verstappen used DRS on the next lap to close up on the leader down the back straight before out-braking Hamilton into the hairpin to take the lead.

Verstappen quickly pulled away from the Mercedes behind over the remaining laps, ending up over five seconds ahead by the end of the 13th lap. By the time he reached the chequered flag to claim the first sprint race victory of the season, Hamilton was 13 seconds behind.

Perez finished in third, two further seconds behind Hamilton. The second Red Bull driver had picked up third after passing both Sainz and Alonso at the same corner while the two Spaniards battled each other. Alonso suffered a puncture in the skirmish after contact with Sainz and was forced to pit before eventually retiring.

Leclerc finished ahead of team mate Sainz in fourth after the two Ferraris made minor contact with each other at the hairpin. Sainz’s contact with both Alonso and his team mate are to be investigated by the stewards.

Norris finished sixth and apologised to his team over the radio for “fucking up turn one”. Oscar Piastri took seventh behind his McLaren team mate, while Russell used his soft tyres to climb up to take the final point in eighth. Although he missed out on points, Zhou Guanyu finished in…