China – Race: Hamilton dominates Vettel and Verstappen

The start of the Chinese Grand Prix will take place on a wet track with light rain beginning to fall again. During the warm-up lap, Lewis Hamilton, who was on dry-weather tires, made a mistake on the back straight opposite the starting grid. It therefore seems unrealistic for the drivers to start on slicks this morning.

The start is set, and all drivers are beginning on Intermediate tires, except for Carlos Sainz who has made the bold choice to start on Super Soft slicks.

The red lights go out and Lewis Hamilton takes off perfectly. Behind, it’s more difficult for Sebastian Vettel, who is positioned off-kilter on the grid. He is also under investigation by the track stewards. Räikkönen was caught off guard by Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull.

Lance Stroll made a mistake on the first lap, pushed by Sergio Pérez, which caused a virtual safety car. Some drivers had already pitted to switch to slick tires, like the two Renaults of Jolyon Palmer and Nico Hülkenberg. Vettel and Felipe Massa also came in to change tires.

The race resumes on the 4th lap, and this is the moment Antonio Giovinazzi chooses to crash his Sauber into the wall at the last corner of the circuit, forcing all drivers to go through the pits to complete their lap under the safety car conditions this time. The Italian lost control of his car on the straight, during re-acceleration, as in the qualifying sessions.

Safety Car! Antonio Giovinazzi has crashed again on the pit straight! He’s okay and out of the car https://t.co/b3qcRtpmA2 #SkyF1 pic.twitter.com/eFHq7ryLSZ

— Sky Sports F1 🏎 (@SkySportsF1) 9 avril 2017

It is therefore a tire change ball taking place, and all drivers are switching to dry track tires. At this stage of the race, the Top 10 is as follows: Hamilton, Ricciardo, Räikkönen, Verstappen (who made an impressive comeback in the first laps), Bottas, Vettel, Alonso, Sainz, Kvyat, and Massa. Notably, both Red Bulls are on Super Soft tires.

The drivers are making a lot of mistakes behind the safety car. Sainz, but especially Bottas, spin just before the race resumes on the 7th lap. The Finn is now 12th! Meanwhile, Verstappen gets the better of Räikkönen’s Ferrari, who says he’s experiencing a possible issue with his car.

The battle rages between the two Red Bulls and the two Ferraris as Lewis Hamilton struggles to pull away at the front. Verstappen overtakes Ricciardo and strings together fastest laps to close in on the Briton’s Mercedes.

On the 20th lap, Vettel forcefully overtakes Räikkönen and immediately sets his sights on Ricciardo. Ahead, Verstappen is slightly losing ground to Hamilton, who would like to take his set of Soft tires to the end of the race. Vettel finally attacks Ricciardo and the two men engage in a very intense battle with slight contact between their wheels but no damage!

#Vettel double son coéquipier #Räikkönen 🔥#ChineseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/4hS0EWdiks

— La F1® sur CANAL (@LaF1SurCanal) 9 avril 2017

Vettel came back like a rocket on Verstappen who is under pressure and brakes too late at the end of the straight, allowing the German to pass him without any problem. The Dutchman has worn out his tires too much and has to pit at the end of the 29th lap to switch to Super Softs.

Ricciardo also stops on lap 34 and rejoins behind Bottas in 6th position, while Sainz and Alonso offer us a great overtaking duel for 7th place. The McLaren driver then encounters a transmission problem on his car and has to stop at the side of the track. A double retirement for the British team after Stoffel Vandoorne’s withdrawal at the beginning of the race.

LAP 35/56: @alo_oficial is OUT – reports technical issues with his @McLarenF1 #ChineseGP 🇨🇳 #F1 pic.twitter.com/I5xX95cxXt

— Formula 1 (@F1) 9 avril 2017

Sebastian Vettel changes tires on lap 35 and fits new Softs, which should force Hamilton to stop as well. The Brit follows suit two laps later and also puts on Soft tires. He returns to the lead of the race ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, who keeps complaining about his set of tires.

The Finn finally stops on the 40th lap and goes back out on Super Soft tires in 6th position. He will have to work hard to climb back into the Top 3 and aim for a podium. He has 16 laps left.

A fierce battle unfolds between Sergio Pérez and Kevin Magnussen for the 8th place. The Force India driver is holding off the Haas driver, while his teammate, the Frenchman Esteban Ocon, is currently securing a commendable 11th position, not far from Felipe Massa and ahead of the other Haas of Romain Grosjean, who is also enlivening the race with some well-timed overtakes.

Ocon takes on Massa’s Williams and grabs 10th place to enter the points zone. With fresh tires, the Frenchman made quick work of the Brazilian. His teammate is under threat from Magnussen, who is lapping a second faster than the Mexican. The Dane eventually passes him to secure 8th place.

The final laps of the race are animated by the battle between the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo. The Dutchman is under pressure and complains about the absence of blue flags. The fight between the two men is magnificent, with Ricciardo attempting to overtake his teammate at the end of the straight line before the finish but without success.

Lewis Hamilton wins ahead of Vettel and the two Red Bulls. Esteban Ocon clinches the point for 10th place and Magnussen, in 8th, becomes the second driver in Haas team history to score points for the American team.

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (LAP 56/56): After a frantic start, @LewisHamilton produces a flawless drive #ChineseGP 🇨🇳 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Em2zz7huhB

— Formula 1 (@F1) 9 avril 2017