Reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen claimed victory in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race after passing Lewis Hamilton for the lead on the ninth lap.
The championship leader appeared out of sorts in the opening flurry of laps as he struggled to charge his battery with the selected hybrid settings, but a series of changes on his steering wheel appeared to rectify the issue. With greater forward momentum, Verstappen pulled himself out of third with a simple DRS overtake on the second-placed Fernando Alonso, and then pounced on a Turn 14 lock-up from Hamilton to close in for victory.
In the meantime, Alonso had dropped out of the race with a puncture after his contact with Sainz. Norris, after his first-lap wide moment, was in touching distance with the pack in contention for third but could not work his way into the thick of that battle, but at least was well ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri in seventh place. George Russell completed the top eight with a gamble on soft tyres, finishing 6.2s clear of home hero Zhou Guanyu to collect the final point on offer.
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