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Max Verstappen had remarkable pace in the closing stages of the Chinese Grand Prix but fell adrift of the top five in the closing laps. Where did the pace come from?
Pirelli’s tyres were the main topic of conversation ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, as a result of the brand-new surface at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The sprint race showed that graining in the main race would be a key issue, something which ended up being completely accurate.
Oscar Piastri started on pole ahead of George Russell, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen; however, the Dutchman knew he did not have a chance of victory.
Verstappen’s expectations were entirely accurate in the opening laps, as he quickly fell from fourth to sixth and several seconds adrift of the top five.
Sixth quickly looked set to be the four-time world champion’s finishing position, with his pace having remained slow after pitting for a set of hard tyres.
Interestingly, the Ferraris could not match Verstappen for the entirety of the second stint, with Lewis Hamilton having switched to a two-stop strategy – the ideal strategy according to Pirelli.
This promoted Verstappen into fifth, before he overtook Leclerc for fourth with a brilliant move at the third corner for fourth.
Remarkably, a one-stop strategy turned out to be the best strategy, with Verstappen having looked much stronger in the closing stages when his fuel load was low.
After the race, it was discovered that Red Bull had opted for a too conservative first stint and focused on tyre management.
If Verstappen had been ordered to push more in the opening laps, then perhaps beating Russell for third would have been possible. The big question, though, is where did Verstappen’s late pace come from?
View the lap times and race pace of the top drivers below. The text continues after that.
