Formula 1 made a thrilling return to the Shanghai International Circuit after a five-year hiatus. With just one free practice session before the race, drivers faced the challenge of fine-tuning their setups, resulting in intriguing tyre strategies. Notably, George Russell caught the eye by opting for soft tyres from P11, a departure from the medium tyres chosen by the rest of the grid.

The race got off to an eventful start as pole-sitter Lando Norris faltered, losing his lead and allowing Lewis Hamilton to surge ahead. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, starting from P4, encountered initial battery issues while his teammate Sergio Perez received technical directives regarding engine mapping.

The action was relentless on the track, with Lance Stroll reporting being forced wide by Nico Hulkenberg and Russell executing a slick overtake on Kevin Magnussen. Drag Reduction System (DRS) trains quickly formed, with Carlos Sainz leading a group comprising Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris. Further back, another DRS train emerged, including Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly.

Verstappen's initial challenges subsided as he set the fastest lap and skillfully passed Alonso on lap 8. Meanwhile, Hamilton alerted his team via radio about his car's difficulty navigating the low-speed corners. This issue became evident when Hamilton's car ran wide at the hairpin, allowing Verstappen to capitalize and snatch the lead at Turn 9.

  • Intense on-track battles

The battle for third place unfolded as Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc were behind Alonso with DRS. Alonso, despite being at a disadvantage, managed to hold them off.

Leclerc attempted to pass Perez at Turn 14 but locked up and had to back off. Meanwhile, Perez tried to overtake Sainz, but despite Sainz locking up, Perez's attempt was unsuccessful. However, Sainz successfully passed Alonso using the switcheroo tactic. Alonso attempted to reclaim his position, but both drivers ran wide, allowing Perez to capitalize and pass both Spaniards.

As Sainz and Alonso found themselves side by side once again, Leclerc seized the opportunity to move up to fourth place. However, the intense exchange led to contact between Sainz and Alonso, resulting in a front puncture for Alonso and an early end to his race on lap 16. 

With Sainz now in fifth place, he became embroiled in a tense battle with his teammate Leclerc, who expressed dissatisfaction with Sainz's aggressive manoeuvres during the race.

Ultimately, Verstappen claimed victory in the Sprint race, crossing the finish line with a commanding 13-second lead, with Hamilton in second and Perez securing third place.

Reflecting post-race, Verstappen remarked, "The first few laps were quite hectic; they were pushing quite hard at the front, and I had Carlos behind with new tyres... we became stronger, and also, I felt a bit more comfortable with the balance of the car, and I could look after my tyres. Qualifying is important to get a good starting position that will help on the first few laps. The wind is changing every day."

Hamilton, who clinched second place, said, "That's the best result I've had in a long time; of course, I'm super happy and grateful. This is a huge step and a huge improvement. The race was tough, and if I was further back, I would have struggled to progress. I found out a lot about the car from this short stint. We're not as quick on a single lap as the Ferraris, the Red Bulls, and the McLarens are ahead of us. I don't anticipate we will be fighting for the front row. Hopefully, I can improve the car in the next few hours and have a better qualifying [than we've had]. 

Perez rounded out the top three and commented, "It was really difficult to get through Carlos and Fernando. We were fighting, and we all had high degradation following each other, and at some point, I had to defend from Charles into [turn] 14 and at some point, I managed to get by Fernando and Carlos."

Following the leading trio, Leclerc ended the race in fourth, followed by Sainz in fifth and Norris in sixth. Piastri and Russell rounded up the points, while Zhou narrowly missed out on scoring points, finishing ninth on home soil.