ANTONELLI DOMINATES IN CHINA IN A MERCEDES 1–2, FIRST PODIUM IN RED FOR HAMILTON

Antonelli dominated the Chinese weekend and claimed his first victory in F1. Russell won the sprint and settled for second place behind his teammate. First podium with Ferrari for Hamilton. The Maranello team collected many valuable points, also thanks to second and third place in the sprint race. First retirement of the year, and second for Red Bull, for Max Verstappen. Disaster for McLaren, with both cars unable to start the GP due to technical problems. Bearman delivered a standout performance, finishing fifth, while Colapinto also scored points.

GIOVANNI’S DRIVER RATINGS
Mercedes continues its dominance, securing important points in the championship charge. With this car, the title fight seems destined to be between their two drivers. Antonelli was almost perfect; the only blemish was the sprint race penalty following contact with Hadjar. A 9.5 rating for the driver from Bologna, hoping it soon becomes a perfect ten. Russell was less impressive than in Australia but still earns an 8.5.

At Ferrari, Hamilton returns to the podium. A solid 9 for the Briton, who has silenced many of the criticisms he received last year. Leclerc gets an 8.5: very strong in the sprint and engaged in a duel with his teammate during the race, but ultimately had to give way to the seven-time world champion. Ferrari still needs to work to close the gap to Mercedes, which for now remains quite large. The championship is long, and anything can still happen.

McLaren was disastrous. After a promising start in qualifying and the sprint, the main race was one to forget. Second DNS for Piastri. After two years of victories, perhaps they became a little too confident. The drivers did well in the early sessions, but overall they receive no rating.

Red Bull faces its second retirement of the season. Verstappen is not happy but still always gives his best. Until the technical problem occurred, the Dutchman had been delivering a very good race. Despite not finishing, he receives a passing grade for what he showed up to that point. Hadjar is the first driver not to be humiliated by Verstappen, although his behavior after the incident with Antonelli wasn’t particularly impressive. The Frenchman should keep driving like this given the results—7.5 for him.

Racing Bulls performed better than their Austrian parent team. Lawson was in the mix and scored points again, earning a solid 7. Lindblad made several mistakes, resulting in a slight failing grade since points were well within reach, though the rookie status offers some mitigation.

Finally, thanks to McLaren’s downfall, Alpine returns to the points with both drivers. Gasly was fast all weekend and competitive—an 8 for the Frenchman. Colapinto gets a 6.5, also slowed by contact with Ocon.

Haas continues to be competitive. The American team took advantage of McLaren’s collapse to finish behind the top teams this year. Bearman was fantastic—an excellent 8 and great work from the Briton. Ocon, who had a positive result within reach, made mistakes that also compromised Colapinto’s race. A 4 for the French driver.

Williams returns to scoring points thanks to Sainz’s experience and the retirements of Verstappen and the McLarens. A 7 for Sainz after a very positive performance. No rating for his teammate, who did not take part in the race.

Aston Martin’s difficult period continues. Stroll once again failed to impress—rated 4—and retired after just a few laps. Alonso tried to give it everything before being forced to retire due to technical issues. A 7 for Fernando, who still pushed hard despite the car. The team must work a lot together with Honda to start finishing races.

Audi had a rather anonymous weekend. This time it was Bortoleto who was left stranded due to a malfunctioning car. His teammate never fought in the positions that matter and was disappointing. A 5 for the German, who failed to take advantage of the retirements ahead to enter the fight for points.

Finally, Cadillac. They are the newest team on the grid, and it shows. The team itself is not to blame and still needs to gain experience. The drivers certainly didn’t help—both receive a 4 after colliding with each other and failing even to fight for thirteenth or fourteenth place.

Author: Gabriele Bovio