After his Sprint triumph on Saturday, World champion Max Verstappen was not to be denied in Shanghai on Sunday, winning a Grand Prix at the venue for the first time in his career to secure the Red Bull star a victory double for a third successive Sprint weekend. But Verstappen wasn’t the only driver racking up some interesting numbers. Here’s our takeaways from the Chinese Grand Prix…
• Verstappen’s victory today was his 21st win in the last 23 Grands Prix (Carlos Sainz has won the other two).
• Verstappen has now won on 26 different circuits, only five behind Lewis Hamilton’s all-time record.
REPORT: Verstappen charges to victory over Norris and Perez in action-packed Chinese GP
• This weekend saw Verstappen win the Sprint and the Grand Prix on the same weekend for the third successive Sprint weekend.
• Verstappen has only been beaten in a Grand Prix twice in the last 357 days (both times by Sainz).
• Thanks to Lando Norris taking P2 for McLaren, today was the first time this season that one constructor has not finished one-two in a Grand Prix.
• It was Norris’ 15th career podium finish without winning, tying Patrick Depailler, Jean Alesi, Mika Hakkinen and Eddie Irvine, all of whom scored 15 podium finishes before their first win.
• It was also the eighth second place in his F1 career, seven of which have come in the last 18 Grands Prix.
• P2 was McLaren’s highest finish in Shanghai since Jenson Button finished second in 2012.
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Superb P2 drive in Shanghai gets your vote for Norris
• Oscar Piastri was P8, meaning both McLarens have scored in every Grand Prix and every Sprint this year.
• With Sergio Perez in P3, both Red Bulls were on the podium in Shanghai for the first time since 2011.
• Perez had never previously finished higher than eighth in Shanghai in his F1 career.
• Today was his fourth podium finish in the first five Grands Prix this year (he only scored two podium finishes in the final 10 Grands Prix last year).
• Charles Leclerc took P4 for Ferrari and is the only driver to have finished in the top four at every race in 2024.
READ MORE: Verstappen hails ‘amazing’ weekend in China as he takes victory amid multiple restarts
• Leclerc has finished fourth in three of the first five races in 2024.
• It was Leclerc’s 14th consecutive point-scoring weekend when including Sprints.
• Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz was P5 – the first time he has finished off the podium when he has started a Grand Prix this year.
• It was Sainz’s first-ever top-six finish in Shanghai.
• With George Russell their lead finisher in P6, Mercedes do not have a top-four finish in the opening five races for the first time since 2011.
• Mercedes had never finished outside of the top five in Shanghai before.
• Coming home in P7, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished lower than he started for the fourth time in five Grands Prix this year.
• Alonso finishes in the same position as he did in his last Chinese Grand Prix start, for McLaren in 2018.
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the Chinese Grand Prix as Verstappen takes victory while Safety Car sparks dramatic restart
• Hamilton finished in P9 in the second Mercedes after he started 18th on the grid.
• It was the third time he has finished ninth in the last four Grands Prix.
• With P10 for Haas, Nico Hulkenberg scored points for the third time in the last four Grands Prix (he only scored in one Grand Prix in the entire 2023 season).
• Hulkenberg is now tied with Andrea de Cesaris on 208 F1 starts without a win.
• Esteban Ocon’s P11 result was Alpine’s best finish of the 2024 season.
News Summary:
- FACTS AND STATS: Max Verstappen hits a hat trick of Sprint weekend doubles
- Check all news and articles from the latest Cricket updates.