A good race from Charles Leclerc, who finished in fifth place after damaging his front wing in the opening corners.
Another performance below expectations for Ferrari, who, after the great result in the sprint race with Lewis Hamilton‘s victory, could only manage fifth and sixth places, with Charles Leclerc ahead of the British driver. The Monegasque, involved in a race contact with his teammate after just a few corners, had a solid race considering the damaged front wing.
A significant issue for Ferrari’s number 16, who raced in Shanghai with 20/30 points less front-end downforce. At the end of the Grand Prix, the Monegasque analyzed his race as follows: “Everything was very difficult to manage. I’m disappointed because I think the victory was within reach today. The pace was really good, and unfortunately, what happened at the start is nobody’s fault.”
Leclerc then analyzed the contact with Hamilton after the opening corners: “I positioned myself on the inside, intending to overtake, but I didn’t expect Lewis to come back on that side. It’s not his fault; he had every right to do it. Being in the blind spot of the rearview mirror, we made contact. Fortunately, it wasn’t the end of the race.”
On lap 21, following a team order, he overtook Hamilton, but then it was impossible to fight with Russell, despite having a better pace for about ten laps. Charles commented: “Then we had a good pace, good tire management. The Mercedes was a missile coming out of turn 12, making it impossible to overtake, especially at that point where we were struggling the most. And indeed, Verstappen didn’t take long to pass. We got the most out of it with the damage I had.”
Photo: X Scuderia Ferrari