The standings tightened after the Chinese Grand Prix as Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team maintained the lead, with Scuderia Ferrari closing the gap and several midfield teams scoring key points.
Mercedes remains in first place, with Ferrari close behind. Behind them, McLaren and Haas occupy third and fourth place.
Williams and Alpine, thanks to Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto, scored points, while Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Sergio Pérez’s Cadillac have yet to earn any points this season.
Pos. Team Points
1 ) Mercedes: 98pts
2) Ferrari: 67pts
3) McLaren: 18pts
4) Haas: 17pts
5) Red Bull: 12pts
6)Racing Bulls: 12pts
7) Alpine: 10pts
8) Williams: 2pts
9) Audi: 2pts
10) Cadillac: 0pts
11)Aston Martin: 0pts
What happened at the Chinese Grand Prix?
The second race of the year was once again marked by a string of retirements and DNFs due to mechanical issues. In the opening minutes, it was announced that Gabriel Bortoleto and Alexander Albon would not start the race, and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri also failed to start the Grand Prix.
At the start, with four cars already out (DNF), Lewis Hamilton took the lead, with Charles Leclerc also moving up to third place. Franco Colapinto also gained a few positions, though others like Sergio Pérez weren’t so lucky, as the Mexican driver ended up colliding with Valtteri Bottas, his teammate.
It didn’t take long for Mercedes to reclaim the lead, and by the third lap, Kimi Antonelli had taken the race lead. The positions seemed to stabilize until, on lap 11, Lance Stroll retired from the race, triggering a Safety Car deployment.
Colapinto decided to stay out, which allowed him to move up the grid. At the restart, the Argentine dropped to fifth place, while Antonelli remained in the lead. On lap 25, two intense battles broke out on the track, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fighting for third place, while further back, Franco Colapinto tried to defend his fifth-place position from Esteban Ocon.
By lap 29, Russell had returned behind Antonelli after easily passing the Ferraris, who were still battling each other, while Colapinto had moved back up to eighth place, though he still hadn’t pitted. It was on lap 33 of the race that Franco pitted, though upon exiting the pits he encountered Ocon again, resulting in a collision that sent Franco down to 12th position.
Toward the end of the race, the string of DNFs continued, and it was Fernando Alonso who ultimately had to retire due to vibrations in his Aston Martin. A few laps later, Max Verstappen also retired due to mechanical issues.
Leclerc decided not to battle Hamilton for the final podium spot, while Antonelli held onto P1 and returned to Italy with an F1 victory, his first since 2006.
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