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The 2024 F1 Chinese GP saw Max Verstappen win his fourth race of the season, followed by Lando Norris in his McLaren. The race saw the safety car make an appearance on multiple occasions and as a result, have an impact on the final results and the strategies implemented by everyone.
Norris benefited from a mid-race virtual safety car and safety car period, which helped him leapfrog Sergio Perez, while Max Verstappen just had an ominous pace with which nobody could compete. The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were P4 and P5, respectively, while George Russell got his Mercedes to P6 in the 2024 F1 Chinese GP.
In a race weekend that featured the season's first sprint weekend, what did we learn? Let's take a look at the key takeaways of the 2024 F1 Chinese GP.
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2024 F1 Chinese GP: Key Takeaways
#1 Red Bull and Max Verstappen have just no competition
Red Bull and Max Verstappen truly unleashed themselves after the safety car period, when the Dutch driver just pulled the plug on the competition. What happened next? Well, nobody had an answer. Max pulled out a 14-second gap in 24 laps over Lando Norris in the F1 Chinese GP.
This is close to half a second per lap and that kind of advantage is massive in F1 terms. For the 2024 F1 season, it might be a case of smooth sailing for the team and the driver, as the advantage is just too big.
#2 Ferrari got a reality check
The manner in which Charles Leclerc was left trailing by both McLaren and Red Bull is a reality check for Ferrari. The team has almost been belligerent when it comes to talking up its changes as a frontrunner. Since the win in Melbourne, the confidence has been sky-high, and the team has made quite a few bold proclamations.
After the F1 Chinese GP, these proclamations need to wait, and the team needs to bring new parts to the car, especially since even McLaren got the jump on Ferrari in Shanghai.
#3 McLaren's first upgrade is going to be important
McLaren was around half a second, if not more, slower than Red Bull in race pace if we compare Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the F1 Chinese GP. The two drivers are brilliant but what's even more interesting is that the Woking-based team is expected to bring what would be a major upgrade soon.
If the upgrade is anything close to being the 2023 style upgrade, we could see McLaren maybe challenging Red Bull in the future, and hence everyone will be keeping a close eye on it.
#4 Mercedes is in bad shape, and Lewis Hamilton is worse
Lewis Hamilton came out to the media after his qualifying elimination on Saturday and once again tried to blame the setup changes on the car. Not only was he promptly called out in the commentary by former teammate Nico Rosberg but the further evidence suggests contrary to what the Mercedes driver claimed.
On his final fast lap in Q1, when Lewis overshot the braking point, he lost almost half a second to his teammate, and before that, he was less than a tenth slower than George Russell. When that is the case, it's not the setup being wrong, it's the driver making the mistake that cost him.
The gulf between what Lewis does on track in 2024 and what his teammate is doing continues to get bigger, and that's just not ideal for the German outfit.
#5 Aston Martin has to be honest with itself now
How long will Aston Martin continue to be a single-driver outfit? In Lance Stroll, the team is carrying a major liability and there will have to be a moment when the team finally takes a call on having a more robust line-up.
If the team wants to win in F1, this is the need of the hour now, and it cannot continue with Fernando Alonso dragging results out of a car while the other driver just ends up being a menace and contributes nothing.
#6 Alpine is starting to make progress
Alpine was ever closer to scoring a point in the F1 Chinese GP and the signs are there that a points finish is not too far away. This is quite impressive from the French team considering where it was in Bahrain. The next round of upgrades should surely help the team make further progress up the field.
#7 Daniel Ricciardo showed impressive form at the F1 Chinese GP
Daniel could have scored a point in the F1 Chinese GP if not for the collision with Lance Stroll, but even before that, the level of performance was quite impressive.
This was a weekend where he had the measure of Yuki Tsunoda quite convincingly which should be a boost for him as it coincides with the new chassis that has been introduced for his car.
#8 Nico Hulkenberg repaying the faith Haas put in him
Hulkenberg has scored points in 3 of the 5 races this season and was very close to getting that done in the other two. The German has been very consistent this season and with the Audi rumors intensifying, he's put himself in a prime position to grab the opportunity in 2025 should it present itself.
#9 Williams has definitely taken a step back
Williams has been very close to scoring a point this season on multiple occasions but the consensus appears to be that the team is not in the same shape that it was last season. The straightline speed advantage that the car had last year has been nullified in favor of a more rounded car but because of that, a few selected tracks at which the car was good is not the case anymore.
The team is going through a process of rebuilding, and it will be interesting to see when it makes some tangible progress.
#10 Sauber/Future Audi had a positive weekend overall
Both drivers in the top 10 in sprint and Bottas in the top 10 in qualifying for the F1 Chinese GP is a step up for Sauber. The team is slowly starting to find its mark and was especially impressive here.
There are a few areas, including the drivers where the team needs an upgrade and will get one in 2025, but for a change, after a few years, the outfit is starting to show progress.
