Hamilton returns to podium, as Russell storms to win in chaotic Chinese GP sprint

The Sprint race in Shanghai kicked off in a similar manner to the Australian Grand Prix, with the Scuderia Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc recording another strong start at lights out.

Hamilton, starting from fourth place, stormed to second, while teammate Charles Leclerc moved into fourth place.

The pair soon cleared out Lando Norris, who was in the mix for the early podium, and Hamilton soon passed Russell for first place. As many as five lead changes occurred within the first four laps, with both British drivers battling fiercely in the early stages of the race.

Russell, however, soon cemented his place at the top after reclaiming the lead from Hamilton. The race was then shaken up following a safety car incident caused by Nico Hulkenberg, who suffered a technical failure in his car.

The yellow flag prompted several pit stops, including for the front runners who had to change their tyres due to excessive graining.

Amid the chaos of the 19-lap shootout, Arvid Lindblad was forced to retire from the race, with the British driver unable to complete the 19-lap event following an early-race start kerfuffle.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was also handed a 10-second penalty after being involved in a lap-one collision with Isack Hadjar.

Antonelli served his penalty during the safety car period, which saw him drop to fifth place in the session.

The Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were also involved in their fair share of incidents, with the former noted for an infringement and the latter retiring shortly after Hulkenberg suffered a technical problem.

However, it was Russell who again was dominant up front, claiming victory, ahead of Leclerc, who beat Hamilton to second place. Norris finished fourth, followed by Antonelli, Liam Lawson, and Oliver Bearman, who rounded out the points-scoring position.

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