Max Verstappen denied Lewis Hamilton the first sprint win of his career after passing his rival to win in China on Saturday. (More Motorsport News)
Hamilton started second, and rolled back the years at the Shanghai International Circuit by beating pole-sitter Lando Norris off the line, and taking control of the 19-lap charge to the chequered flag.
But Verstappen, who started fourth, ended Hamilton바카라s dream of re-entering the winner바카라s enclosure for the first time in 867 days when he blasted past the Mercedes driver on the ninth lap.
Verstappen crossed the line 13 seconds clear of Hamilton with Sergio Perez taking third.
Hamilton joined Norris to form an all-British front-row in something of a topsy-turvy grid following yesterday바카라s rain-hit qualifying session.
The seven-time world champion was quicker away from his marks than Norris, and as they entered the first corner, he was fractionally ahead of his compatriot.
Hamilton hugged the inside line of the long, right-handed first bend, with Norris desperately trying to remain at least on level terms.
But off the racing line, Norris struggled for grip, and he slid off the track, dropping back down the field to seventh.
Hamilton, who has endured the worst-ever start to a season in his misfiring Mercedes machine, was back in the lead of an F1 race, with Fernando Alonso tucked in behind and Verstappen being forced to fend off Carlos Sainz.
바카라Why is my battery flat,바카라 yelled Verstappen as he struggled to make any impression on Alonso ahead.
For a moment, it looked as though Hamilton could be in a position to take the victory 바카라 his first of any sort in F1 since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on December 5, 2021, only for Verstappen to sensationally unlock the speed in his all-conquering Red Bull machine.
On the seventh lap, Verstappen passed Alonso at the penultimate corner and then set about closing the 1.8-second gap to Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver was immediately on the radio. 바카라This thing won바카라t turn in the low-speed corners,바카라 he bemoaned, with Verstappen taking a second out of his lead in just one lap.
At the start of lap nine, Verstappen was crawling all over the back of Hamilton바카라s mirrors in scenes reminiscent of their championship battle for the ages back in 2021.
Hamilton바카라s race engineer Peter Bonnington came on the intercom to tell Hamilton that Verstappen was behind.
바카라Leave me to it, man,바카라 snapped Hamilton. 바카라I can see him.바카라
Verstappen moved into Hamilton바카라s tow on the 210mph drag to the last-but one corner before jinking to the right of the Mercedes and launching his Red Bull up the inside.
Hamilton was unable to afford any sort of resistance and Verstappen made the move stick. He then demonstrated the speed of his Red Bull by establishing a two-second lead in just one lap.
Further back, and Alonso, 43 this summer, was commendably keeping a gaggle of faster cars behind.
But his resistance ended on a fascinating 16th lap which saw him go wheel-to-wheel with the Ferrari of Sainz.
Alonso and Sainz even banged wheels through the seventh corner with Perez able to sneak ahead of the duelling duo. Charles Leclerc followed through, too, as Alonso lost three places in one lap before diving into the pits with a front-right puncture. He later retired the car.
Sainz then appeared to force team-mate Leclerc off the road as they battled for fourth position in the closing stages.
바카라What the f***,바카라 yelled Leclerc who managed to pass his team-mate a few corners later to finished fourth. Sainz crossed the line in fifth with Norris sixth.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton said he was pleased with the result.
바카라This is the best result I have had in a long time so I am super happy,바카라 he said.
바카라This is a huge step and a huge improvement. The rain helped yesterday. The race was tough and if I started further back I would have struggled to make progress.바카라
