Oscar Piastri clinched his first victory of the season, fending off team-mate Lando Norris to win the Chinese Grand Prix. The latter survived a ‘critical’ brake issue to hold off George Russell. There were big changes at the race start. Norris gained a position on Russell after he was pinched to the inside by polesitter Piastri.

Behind the leading trio, Lewis Hamilton gained a position on Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc was forced to jump on the brakes to avoid a heavy collision with his team-mate. Leclerc suffered front wing damage as a result of the contact with Hamilton but that did little to impact his pace as the Monegasque racer hounded his team-mate for fourth place. At the front, Piastri fended off early pressure to defend his position.

Tyre management was the name of the game during the middle portion of the race as Piastri stretched out his lead. Russell gained a position on Norris with a well-executed undercut, but the McLaren driver quickly restored his position.

Further back, Hamilton conceded the fourth position to Leclerc, letting his team-mate hunt down Russell ahead. The Ferrari star failed to make up significant ground, though and eventually slipped back towards Verstappen.