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Formula 1 was back in Shanghai for the first time in five years, and the fans were delighted to see the teams and drivers back in action - and to have a home favourite of their own in the line-up. The first Sprint race of 2024 added to the action, and there were some stand-out performances to praise - and a few to criticise!
Valtteri Bottas (Engine, Lap 19): 7.5/10
Valtteri Bottas has a positive Friday, finishing in the top ten in both the free practice and Sprint qualifying sessions which is quite the best that Sauber has looked all year since their conversion from the old Alfa Romeo branding. Unfortunately he lost out to his team mate Zhou Guanyu and to Haas' Kevin Magnussen at the start of the Sprint and subsequently to Daniel Ricciardo, leaving him a long way from the points paying top eight. He was back in good form for the main qualifying session, successfully making it into the final round, only to lose out to Lance Stroll at the start of the Grand Prix. Even so, he was still 11th after the first round of pit stops when his engine failed leaving him stuck in gear by the side of the track, the cause of Sunday's first safety car.
Yuki Tsunoda (Accident, Lap 25): 6/10
Yuki Tsunoda has been RB's star performer so far this season with two consecutive points finishes in the most recent races, but he was distinctly off-colour in China. For once, he never looked up to speed or a match for his team mate Daniel Ricciardo. He missed the first cut in Sprint qualifying by a mile and had to start the Sprint from the back row. He quickly got past Alex Albon, and benefitted from Nico Hulkenberg's decline and Fernando Alonso's retirement to move up to 16th by the finish. Things were no better in the Grand Prix where he once again started from P19 and then got tipped into a spin by Kevin Magnussen at the first safety car restart which put him out of the race. He was probably happy to get an early taxi to the airport and fly home by this point.
