By Joe Murphy
As Formula 1 heads back to China for the first time since the Covid saga started, fans are relishing for the next installation of the 2024 F1 season. As expected Max Verstappen leads the way, but Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are not too far behind at this stage and are in a tantalising battle for second place in the standings.
Mercedes have had a poor season, accumulating less points at this stage of the season than any other over the past decade. McLaren look to be a dead set in third and it’s good to see the orange car still challenging for podiums like the end of 2023.
So, what could we expect in China? With a lot of straights and overtaking opportunities, Williams could have a better race experience than their last couple of Grand Prix. The car has potential for this kind of track so expect Alex Albon to at least be there of there abouts when it comes to the lower points positions.
At the front, there’s no reason to suggest that Red Bull’s dominance is going to cease anytime soon. Max and Checo will be clear favourites for P1 and P2 when the race ends on Sunday afternoon. It’s more than likely a Ferrari will join them, potentially Charles Leclerc who could really do with topping his teammate in the next race.
Mercedes will probably have to settle with finishing around the same kind of positions as Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso again. Whatever strides the team thought they made in Japan clearly didn’t last very long.
As we saw when Daniel Ricciardo won the Chinese Grand Prix at this very venue, a late safety car can change everything. This circuit has seen its fair share of incidents and crashes in previous outings. The neutral will hope that this time around is no exception.
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