SHANGHAI REVIEW BY BEN STEVENS
Sunday
Rain may have played less of a factor
than we’d expected, but there’s no denying the
Chinese Grand Prix delivered on all accounts.
After a lukewarm start to the season in
Melbourne, Shanghai was a much-needed
barnburner. An epic Verstappen comeback,
a slew of hard-fought passes, some last-
lap drama between the Red Bulls, and even
Fernando Alonso cracking a (virtual) smile –
there’s certainly plenty to talk about.
Let’s start first with the winner, Lewis
Hamilton. The man may not be able to
dress casually to save his life, but there’s no
denying his quality behind the wheel.
The third Grand Chelem of his career was
a virtuoso performance, no better exemplified
than by a two-lap sequence between himself
and Sebastian Vettel on laps 43 and 44. His
Ferrari on super-softs, Vettel set a 1:35.670
fastest lap that Hamilton immediately
lowered by .292s on the slower soft tyre – how
he pulled that out of his arse I’ll never know,
but it illustrates how on it he was.
That said, Ferrari fans have to be
encouraged considering Vettel had to make
his way back from P5 to second, and still
only finished 6.250s off the lead. At least on
race pace, Mercedes and Ferrari seem neck-
and-neck, and the prancing horse might even
be in front.
However while it was a good day for
Hamilton and Vettel, the same can’t be said
for their teammates.