Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Prediction: Mystic China promises surprises

The new Formula 1 season started last weekend, and the "sprint season" began this weekend. The first sprint race is behind us, and Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari emerged as the winner. This was the first sprint victory for Hamilton and also the first victory for Ferrari in this format of racing. Oscar Piastri took second place in McLaren, which he earned in a battle with Max Verstappen in Red Bull. The Dutchman finished third. Behind the leading three were George Russell in Mercedes in fourth and Charles Leclerc in Ferrari in fifth. Another solid edition was had by Yuki Tsunoda in Racing Bulls, finishing sixth. Behind him in seventh place he kept Kimi Antonelli in Mercedes. The lap of sprint points winners was closed by Lando Norris in McLaren with eighth place. The round of the top ten was closed by Aston Martini – Lance Stroll finished ninth and Fernando Alonso tenth.

Piastri gets first starting position in Shanghai

The sprint race showed that it is easier to manage from the leading position with tires that, due to their wear, soon pose a problem for the drivers, especially the front left. It was, therefore, crucial to take the best possible starting position for Sunday's race. Oscar Piastri in McLaren reached his first pole position in his career, and George Russell in Mercedes will start next to him. Lando Norris in the second McLaren will start third.

Which strategy and which tires should be used to win the Chinese GP?

Saturday at the Chinese Grand Prix was very interesting. First, a sprint race was held, in which Lewis Hamilton won in a Ferrari, and a few hours later, the qualifications were held, in which the drivers fought for the best possible starting positions in the Sunday Grand Prix race. On that occasion, Oscar Piastri in McLaren was the fastest on the track, and he was joined in the first starting row by Mercedes driver George Russell. The sprint race was probably a good example of what awaits us on Sunday. The drivers had a lot of problems on the medium because the degradation of the tires was accentuated, and already somewhere in the middle of the sprint race, the appearance of graining, i.e., the disintegration of the tires, could be observed. Piastri commented that degradation and graining to this extent has not been seen in Formula 1 for quite some time. It was obvious that the first position means a lot in this regard. Hamilton managed to protect his tires better in clear air than the drivers behind him. Verstappen's tires were in very bad condition toward the end of the sprint, and Piastri took advantage of that to take over the second position. In Sunday's 56-lap race, the harder C2 tires will be at the fore. All drivers made it to the final segment this weekend with a minimum of two unused sets of those tires.

Expert Betting Tips

It is expected that strategy and tire protection will play a very important role in Sunday's race on the track in Shanghai. However, after the race in Australia and the qualifications and sprint race in China, I believe that Lando Norris can move from the third position and win this GP. It’s true, Russel in Mercedes and his teammate Piastri will be difficult opponents, but I think that Norris has more patience, approaches more mature to the difficult situations, and can win this race in his incredibly fast McLaren.

OUR PREDICTION: Lando Norris to win