Oscar Piastri rebounded from a disappointing time in Australia by starting from the pole and cruising to victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, with Lando Norris finishing second to complete a 1-2 finish for McLaren. Rounding out the podium was George Russell, who started second but was overtaken by Norris and finished third.
Max Verstappen seem to lack pace all weekend. However, despite lacking pace and dropping from P4 to P6 on the opening lap to both Ferraris, Verstappen was able to fight back in the closing laps to finish fourth.
On the other hand, Verstappen’s teammate Liam Lawson qualified last for the second weekend in a row and finished 15th. His results seem to mirror Sergio Perez before he was let go by Red Bull at the end of last season. Red Bull’s patience with Lawson will likely be tested.
Ferrari, which seemed to have re-emerged thanks to a sprint race victory by Lewis Hamilton, also lacked pace, with Charles Leclerc and Hamilton finishing fifth and sixth respectively, but were both disqualified post race.
With only two races in the books, McLaren has already established itself as the clear favorite for the driver’s and constructor’s championship. But with a lot of racing still left, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes will need to improve if they plan on challenging McLaren.
