The 2024 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix concluded at the Shanghai International Circuit on the afternoon of 21 April, Beijing time. It was F1’s first visit to China in five years and coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Grand Prix. The circuit became a festival venue throughout the weekend, with packed grandstands and a sea of flags and cheers. INKA Sports’ special correspondent witnessed the eagerly awaited race at the circuit.
Before the race, the drivers’ parade gave spectators a chance to interact at close quarters with 20 of the world’s leading drivers. Cheers rang out from the grandstands, before the opening ceremony and national anthem raised the atmosphere to another level. The pre-race forecast suggested a chance of rain, adding an element of uncertainty, but conditions remained favourable throughout the Grand Prix. The teams needed only to leave some room in their set-ups and strategies for a possible change in the weather.
In the pit lane, each team’s preparations proceeded in an orderly fashion. Pillars marking the Chinese Grand Prix’s 20th anniversary stood in front of Ferrari’s two garage bays, with Carlos Sainz’s and Charles Leclerc’s cars neatly parked inside. The red garage remained striking even beneath the overcast sky.
On the other side of the pit lane, McLaren’s papaya equipment racks were particularly eye-catching. The upstairs hospitality viewing area was already crowded, the big screens repeatedly showed images of the teams’ drivers, and reminders of the 20th anniversary could be seen throughout the paddock and beyond.
Inside the Mercedes garage, mechanics gathered around a car with its front wheels removed to make the final set-up adjustments. The Shanghai 2024 marking was clearly visible on the floor.
In the nearby Williams garage, a mechanic sat in Alex Albon’s cockpit to configure the steering wheel, making the final preparations for the approaching race.
When the lights went out, pole-sitter Max Verstappen retained the lead, while Lando Norris and the other drivers fought for position behind. On the opening lap, Yuki Tsunoda passed Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu in succession to climb to 16th. Fernando Alonso initially overtook Sergio Pérez for second, but subsequently lost the position again. In the middle phase of the race, Valtteri Bottas stopped at the exit of Turn 11 with an engine failure. Race Control first deployed the Virtual Safety Car, then brought out the full Safety Car when the car could not be moved. The neutralisation periods lasted approximately 17 minutes in total. Almost every driver took the opportunity to pit, completely reshaping the teams’ tyre strategies.
Around the lap-27 restart, Daniel Ricciardo, who had stayed out during the Safety Car stops, was ninth and Tsunoda was 15th, but both RB cars became involved in collisions. Stroll ran into the back of Ricciardo at the hairpin before the restart. With severe rear-end damage, Ricciardo continued for several laps but dropped down the order, retiring after completing 33 laps. After the restart, Magnussen hit Tsunoda’s right-rear wheel, spinning him out of the race. The stewards gave Magnussen and Stroll 10-second penalties each, while Logan Sargeant also received 10 seconds for overtaking under the Safety Car.
Most drivers started on medium tyres. Hamilton, Lance Stroll, Sargeant and Tsunoda chose softs, while Magnussen started on hards. The top ten finishers made different numbers of pit stops: Norris, Sainz and Leclerc completed the race with one stop; Verstappen, Pérez, George Russell, Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg stopped twice; and Alonso made three stops. After switching to fresh medium tyres on lap 43, Alonso launched an intense recovery drive, making a series of overtakes and setting the fastest lap. He eventually finished seventh, demonstrating impressive driving skill and adaptability.
Verstappen led for most of the race and crossed the line 13.773 seconds clear to claim his first Chinese Grand Prix victory. It was his fourth win in the first five races of the season and his 58th victory from 190 Grand Prix starts, while Red Bull secured its 117th win. Norris finished second for his 15th career podium, with Pérez third for his 39th. Hamilton recovered from 18th on the grid to finish ninth.
The most moving moment belonged to Zhou. As China’s first F1 driver, he started his home Grand Prix debut from 16th. Despite damage to his front wing, he fought determinedly to finish 14th. As he crossed the finish line, tens of thousands of fans in the main grandstand rose to applaud, their cheers and applause continuing long afterwards. It was a moment destined for the history of Chinese motor sport. After the race, the drivers returned to the paddock through the pit-lane access passage, waving to the fans waiting on either side to bring a memorable weekend for Chinese racing to a close.
