Chaotic start: Hamilton and Leclerc make contact, Verstappen drops places
08:12, 23 Mar 2025
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A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
It was a hectic start to the Chinese Grand Prix with several drivers having contact, including Lewis Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen dropping places after a poor start.
Oscar Piastri got of to not the best start, whereas George Russell was quicker off the line. However the Australian fended off the British driver's attack, and remained in the lead. Lando Norris managed to get the jump on Russell into Turn 2, as behind them, Max Verstappen had a poor start and was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Turn 1.
Hamilton and Leclerc have contact
Hamilton and Leclerc then made contact, as the Monegasque lost control of his SF-25 on the inside of Turn 2 and veered off into the side of Hamilton, suffering a broken wing in the process. His team later told Leclerc that the downforce loss for him would be between 20 and 30 points.
Pierre Gasly reported Fernando Alonso's brakes were on fired. On lap 4, shortly after the Frenchman's message, the Spaniard was forced to retire his AMR25 after he came on the radio and informed the team 'he had no brakes'.
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