Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari win the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race on Saturday with a terrific performance full of pace and tire management. Lewis held off Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen for the win.
Despite a great result for Lewis, the Sprint was an interesting exercise in tire management as the champ had to work his way through some tire graining and the same was true for Max Verstappen and many other drivers struggling through tire wear, graining and a punished front left tire.
Watching the dark lines on the tires and the graining was interesting and I suspect it is an insight to what me may be in store for on Sunday when the cars are heavier with fuel fuel.
The good news for Ferrari is that their challenge in recent years has been tire wear but they seem to have managed some of that during the Sprint. Particularly the rears in the past but Lewis seemed to manage the tires well while his teammate, Charles Leclerc, struggled a little more with tire wear.
The other key factor I found interesting from Australia was how quickly the McLaren’s could generate heat in their tires and keep that tire in the window of performance. Oscar seemed on pace but Lando Norris struggled for grip.
There is a lot to keep our eyes on during Sunday’s race. The new asphalt offers much more grip and Pirelli have responded with higher air pressure mandates to protect the tires. A lot to watch for on Sunday.
Chinese GP Sprint:
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 19 | 30:39.965 | 8 |
2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +6.889s | 7 |
3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | +9.804s | 6 |
4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 19 | +11.592s | 5 |
5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 19 | +12.190s | 4 |
6 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 19 | +22.288s | 3 |
7 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 19 | +23.038s | 2 |
8 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +23.471s | 1 |
9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +24.916s | 0 |
10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +38.218s | 0 |
11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +39.292s | 0 |
12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 19 | +39.649s | 0 |
13 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 19 | +42.400s | 0 |
14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | +44.904s | 0 |
15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +45.649s | 0 |
16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +46.182s | 0 |
17 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +51.376s | 0 |
18 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +53.940s | 0 |
19 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +56.682s | 0 |
20 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | 19 | +70.212s | 0 |
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