Hamilton the cautious winner, Vettel excited, Verstappen astonished: podium reactions!

Hamilton regains glory but doesn’t get carried away

Imperious, the Mercedes driver delivered a remarkable performance to claim another Chinese Grand Prix, the fifth in his personal collection, setting a local record in the process. The winner of the day first expressed satisfaction at having avoided the pitfalls of the early laps.

« It was an incredible race. Today, it was very complicated for all of us at the start. The track was both dry and wet in some corners. So we started with intermediate tires: we had to heat them up enough but also not wear them out! »

In full control, Hamilton was able to respond to the distant attacks from Max Verstappen, then Sebastian Vettel, who returned to second position midway through the race. Concerned on a few occasions over the radio, the number 44 was never directly threatened, leading all 56 laps of the race. As often, the triple world champion had very appreciative words for Mercedes, who have not eased up on their efforts after the defeat in Melbourne.

« I am proud of the team surrounding me and making this all possible. »

« Bravo to Sebastian and to this young man » he added in the process, teasing Max Verstappen, who finished third. The winner of the day is quite amazed by the impressive comeback of the Red Bull driver.

« This guy easily overtook the other cars on the wet. We need to watch the videos and see what he’s doing! »

From a broader perspective, Lewis Hamilton is back at the top of the championship standings. He won’t be sharing the spotlight with Sebastian Vettel for very long. The decider between the two men will take place as early as next Sunday on the Sakhir track. Looking ahead, the Englishman refuses to see this victory as a sign of superiority.

I think it’s going to be the tightest championship I’ve ever competed in! Ferrari has done an amazing job, but so have we, I must say!

Vettel was hardly bored.

The Scuderia driver did not repeat his feat from two weeks ago. However, the German tried, right from the start, by slightly adjusting his position. Just enough not to arouse the suspicions of the stewards. « My start was correct, but I quickly realized that the intermediates had a lot of degradation. »

From then on, the four-time world champion took advantage of Stroll’s exit and the Virtual Safety Car to swap his intermediate tires for soft ones. An aggressive strategy against Lewis Hamilton, which he defended to Martin Brundle, present on the podium.

I was happy to take that risk (note: changing the tires)! But the Safety Car came out just as the conditions were improving. I didn’t really get to use that advantage.

Coming out sixth in the race (fifth after Bottas’s spin under the Safety Car), Vettel had to get past three cars. After overtaking his teammate on the 20th lap, he managed to get past the Ricciardo bottleneck two laps later. The former Red Bull driver reflected on this daring overtaking move, exiting the sixth corner, wheel to wheel.

« I was a little bothered coming out of the turn, but I showed my strength. He really squeezed me! »

He then hardly waited any longer to pass Verstappen, who self-sabotaged after a failed braking maneuver.

Alas for him, the gap was already made with Lewis Hamilton.

« I experienced an incredibly exciting race. I tried to catch up with Lewis, but he was able to hold on well. »

Even if there is a slight feeling of unfinished business, even if Mercedes takes back the lead in the constructors’ standings by one point, this second place will certainly be accepted by the Maranello team. The new Ferrari is indeed in the running! To confirm this impression, the Italian team can now look forward to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Vettel will attempt to emulate Fernando Alonso, Ferrari’s last winner on this track a little over 7 years ago.

Verstappen, another remarkable race in the rain

What a beautiful comeback! The Red Bull driver was out of the running after the Qualifications, due to a recalcitrant engine. This time, his machine left him in peace. His skillful driving in the rain was immediately evident. Starting 16th, the youngest Grand Prix winner had climbed back to 9th position on the first lap. An almost unreal feeling for the person most concerned:

« I think I overtook 9 cars on my first lap. I felt like I was in a video game! »

Helped by a somewhat botched strategy regarding Kimi Räikkönen, Verstappen seized the opportunity. However, his race end was not easy, with his ultra-soft tires. His tenacious defense against Ricciardo in the last lap allowed him to hold his position.

An unexpected result, all in all! A performance that did not go unnoticed by the fans, who voted him driver of the day during the second race of the season.

« It was a very good race today! I didn’t have much time on track to adjust my car’s balance. So, it’s very rewarding to finish the race. I didn’t expect this podium at all! »

100 not out! 👊 Max’s stunning drive secures our 100th podium in F1! 🏆👏👏👏 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/53C9kRjDh2

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 9, 2017