After years of dominance, the four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen threatens to lose the connection early in the season. In the approximate McLaren double success of Oscar Piatri in front of Lando Norris, the Dutch did not get out of fourth place in the weakening Red Bull. In the fight for the podium places at the Grand Prix of China, Verstappen was without a chance.
Norris defended the leadership in the World Cup ranking in Shanghai a week after his triumph in Australia. Behind the British George Russell in Mercedes as third again on the podium. The Australian Piatri achieved the third Grand Prix victory of his career and made the optimal start to the season for McLaren in the second run.
McLaren confidently from the start
Piatri confidently defended his first place at the start. On Saturday, the 23-year-old fought for the first time in his career, the pole position for a Grand Prix. Teammate Norris quickly took the persecution and pushed past George Russell in second place.
The overall leader had made some mistakes the day before, was only eighth in the sprint and a few hours later in qualifying. After his success in the previous week, Norris was the big favorite for the next triumph, but gave away World Cup points by mistakes.
Behind the top trio, Ferrari's newcomer Lewis Hamilton made pressure at least at the beginning. The record world champion won the first sprint of the year over a good 100 kilometers around 24 hours earlier. The 40-year-old showed his change from Mercedes to the second race on the second race weekend in the short race. In Melbourne it had only been enough for tenth.
While Piatri and Norris give the pace at the top, world champion Max Verstappen had big problems over long distances. After less than ten out of 56 rounds, the Dutch lost its connection and, as a sixth, had to look for the longest that it would not fall further back. The prospects are “not so good,” said the 63-time Grand Prix winner Verstappen before starting on the way to his car at Sky: “We are too slow.”
The dominator of the past few years was right with fear. In Australia, the 27-year-old helped a chaotic race and still stimulate second place behind Norris. In dry conditions and without incidents, the Red Bull was too weak and was not a competition for McLaren. After all, he was able to assert himself against the Ferrari and first overtake Hamilton and shortly before the end Charles Leclerc.
It became more turbulent when changing tires. Russell pushed itself over the two McLaren thanks to the perfect processes in the silver arrows and pulled past Norris. But that didn't last for a long time and Norris went hunting for Piatri again. The drivers of the traditional British team continued, with Norris not having a danger to the strong Piatri.
Just like Norris, the former Formula 2 champion had complained before the start that the new car was quite difficult to drive. But despite the obvious peculiarities, the car is superior to the competition and may also be difficult to beat in two weeks at the upcoming race on the high -speed course in Suzuka in Japanese.
The long -standing industry leader Red Bull meanwhile has another major problem in addition to the lack of performance of the car. Verstappen teammate Liam Lawson has so far been a big disappointment. The successor to the Mexican Sergio Pérez became the last in the qualification and did not get any World Cup points in the second run away from the top ten. It is already speculated that the 23-year-old New Zealander could be replaced quickly.
