How the Chinese GP history gives Verstappen’s rivals hope

Max Verstappen has been able to celebrate 57 wins in Formula 1, at the most diverse circuits on the F1 calendar. Only a single Grand Prix is missing from his rich record. The race in China is one of them. Why has he not succeeded at the Shanghai track? An overview.

Of course, there is a small 'but' here. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Chinese Grand Prix has not been held. Even after the rest of the world had gone back to business as usual by mid-2022, the Chinese government decided to keep the borders closed for quite some time. Organising a Grand Prix was already completely out of the question.

It is only next week that Verstappen and his colleagues will make their return to Shanghai. Verstappen does so as a three-time world champion, titles he only managed to win after his last time on Chinese soil. Nor did he win in Shanghai. For instance, his race ended early during his debut season with the Toro Rosso, although the Dutchman was still classified 17th.

Memorable races for Verstappen in China in '17 and '18

A year later, Verstappen was eighth at the same track. That was the last time he finished in the points on behalf of Toro Rosso, not much later the Dutchman moved on to Red Bull Racing. For the Austrians, Verstappen drove a truly heroic race in 2017. He started the race in 16th place, but in wet conditions, Verstappen managed to work his way up to second place. Incidentally, he lost that to Sebastian Vettel after making a mistake on the 29th lap. But after his pit stop, Verstappen regained steam. In the end, he finished third, ahead of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who could not pass Verstappen with any ease.

A year later, the race was also memorable for Verstappen, but not in a positive way. In his hunt for the race lead, Verstappen knocked Vettel off the track on the 43rd lap, which earned the Dutchman a 10-second time penalty. Partly as a result, Verstappen finished fifth, where with a little more patience in the fight with Vettel, a victory would certainly have been possible.

In 2019 - the last time Formula 1 was active in China - Verstappen missed the podium again. His Red Bull was no match for the power of the two Mercedes', who grabbed a one-two. Third place - which went to Vettel - was never seriously within reach either. A fourth place fell to Verstappen, a position he would certainly not want in 2024.