Overview
- The 19-year-old converted his record as F1’s youngest polesitter into victory in Shanghai, leading a Mercedes one‑two over George Russell.
- Lewis Hamilton earned his first Ferrari podium after a close fight with teammate Charles Leclerc for third place.
- McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri did not start due to separate electrical and power‑unit issues, highlighting widespread reliability problems across the field.
- Max Verstappen retired late with power‑unit trouble as Red Bull struggled with starts, balance and overall drivability through the weekend.
- Formula 1 canceled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix because of the Middle East war, creating an almost five‑week gap, with private test days reported as under consideration but not confirmed.