Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P4) 8/10
As ever, the defending Champion wrung the absolute maximum out of his Red Bull in China, which looked even more of a handful than it did in Australia. Tyre wear was a clear issue on the RB21, as Verstappen lost a position from his starting slot in the Sprint. The Grand Prix started much in the same way, as the Dutchman was nowhere compared to the McLarens, Ferraris and Russell. But the second half saw grip levels suddenly improve, as Verstappen got back past both Ferrari drivers to snatch P4 at the death.
George Russell, Mercedes (P3) 10/10
Russell responded to the very real threat of his own teammate by absolutely demolishing him around the Shanghai International Circuit. The British driver did well to keep Leclerc behind him after overtaking him early on in the Sprint. He followed this up with a dazzling P2 Qualifying result, and performed admirably during the Grand Prix by battling it out with Norris on several occasions, just losing out to the McLaren by less than a second at the finish line.
