Kate On Wheels

After the excitement of a rain affected race last time out in Melbourne, this weekend in China was rather less eventful, and that’s putting it politely.

Hamilton wins the sprint

Sir Lewis Hamilton put in a great performance, reminiscent of his glory days, to win the sprint race. It also marked Ferrari’s first sprint victory, as well as Hamilton’s first win in red.

Oscar Piastri finished in second for Mclaren, with Max Verstappen of Red Bull in third. Lando Norris brought the other Mclaren home in 8^th, having lost places on the first lap after a poor start.

Piastri wins from pole

I tend to judge a race by how much cross stitch I get done – the more exciting the race, the less stitching gets done (I like to balance out my high and low octane hobbies!). This weekend I added quite a chunk to my stitching!

In the main race Piastri kept out of trouble, winning from pole and securing more valuable points for Mclaren. His team mate Norris took second, a brake issue meaning he was unable to push for much of the race and just held of George Russell’s Mercedes in third.

Alex Albon led briefly during the pit stop window, a highlight on his birthday – it’s a mark of how little happened that that is noteworthy!

Post-race disqualifications

There was more action after the race, with three drivers being disqualified. Hamilton’s car had rearward skid wear 0.5mm below the permitted limit, while both Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and Piere Gasly’s Alpine were underweight.

Interesting little things

Hamilton held an obscure record, setting a fastest lap in 16 consecutive seasons, until this was deleted with his disqualification.

Ollie Bearman marked World Bear Day with bears on his helmet.

 Aston Martin paid tribute to the late Eddie Jordan with a heart shaped leaf on a shamrock design on both cars, a touching nod to the original team’s logo from 1991.

Facts and Figures:

Podium:                    1^st Piastri (Mclaren), 2^nd Norris (Mclaren), 3^rd Russell (Mercedes)

Retirements:             1 Alonso (Aston Martin)

Virtual safety cars:   0

Full safety cars:        0

Fastest lap:               Norris 1.35.454

Next race: Japan (6^th April 2025)