3 minute read
If Max Verstappen's rivals spied a vulnerability in his defences with his retirement from the Australian Grand Prix last month, his return to the top step of the podium at Suzuka brought them back down to earth.
A commanding win from pole position, coupled with a fastest lap, secured 26 points for the world champion as he headed a Red Bull one-two, summing up the constructor's superiority at engine-supplier Honda's home track.
Their latest display of dominance saw Verstappen extend his lead at the top of the drivers' championship to 13 points from team-mate Sergio Perez, with the Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc scrapping for best of the rest status.
Leclerc's impressive drive from eighth on the grid to fourth at the flag was one of the bright spots of the Suzuka race, the red car once again showing a benign level of tyre usage which could pay dividends at tracks better suited to its strengths.
One of those tracks could be the Shanghai International Circuit, to which the F1 circus returns after a five-year absence.
The track is renowned for putting more stress through a car's front tyres than its rears, benefiting those cars with good turn-in and oversteer characteristics.
This year's Ferrari should fit those criteria and it's tempting to back qualifying specialist Leclerc to take pole position for Sunday's Grand Prix.
Verstappen has been on pole at every race this season so far, but circumstances have conspired against both Sainz and Leclerc in at least a couple of those Q3 sessions.
Leclerc particularly represents decent value considering his record in shoot-outs across the last couple of seasons. He took 14 poles across the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, only five fewer than Verstappen.
At 6/1 the Monegasque looks worth a speculative punt to head the grid once again at a track which should exploit his SF-24's balance and poise in slow, short-duration corners.
The rest of the action could be taking place adrift of the Red Bull-Ferrari battle, with only McLaren's Lando Norris (2/1) priced at single-figure odds to finish on the podium.
Certainly, it appears that the man who triumphed in the last edition of the Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, made the right call in moving to Maranello to join Leclerc next season.
Hamilton is available as long as 66/1 to end a winning drought that stretches back to 2021 and is even 14/1 to colpete a podium finish in Shanghai. Neither he nor Mercedes team-mate George Russell can be backed with any confidence in what is arguably only the fifth-fastest car at present.
The multiple world championship-winning team will be looking to develop their way into contention, but punters might have to wait at least until the paddock heads back to Europe in a month before they make any appeal in the betting markets.
