Last year's F1 championship runner-up Lando Norris made the perfect start to his season by winning from pole position and setting the fastest lap in last week's Australian Grand Prix.
That means for the first time in 64 races that Max Verstappen is not leading the drivers' championship, and McLaren pilot Norris can press his advantage in Shanghai at this week's Chinese Grand Prix.
It's a sprint weekend, which means there are more points available, and the Briton will be keen to take advantage of them.
- LANDO NORRIS TO WIN CHINESE GRAND PRIX
- CHARLES LECLERC PODIUM FINISH
- FERNANDO ALONSO POINTS FINISH
Nerveless Norris Ready To Double Up
During his 2024 campaign, Norris was sometimes accused of lacking mental fortitude, losing a number of races he could have won by fluffing his starts or making mistakes at crucial times.
However, there was no sign of that in Australia where Norris mastered the trickiest of conditions and saw off strong challenges on the track.
Norris led virtually the whole race while showers constantly changed the track conditions. Like pretty much all the other drivers, he did slide off the road on one occasion, but it didn't prove costly for the Bristolian.
As winter testing had suggested, the McLaren looked the class of the field, and Norris was able to collect a hat-trick of pole position, race win and fastest lap for only the second time in his career.
He faced stiff competition at times from his team-mate Oscar Piastri and world champion Verstappen, but held his nerve well to win comfortably in the end.
More settled conditions are expected in China this weekend, but with just a few days having passed since the teams left Melbourne, the pecking order is likely to be largely the same.
Norris finished second in Shanghai last year and has very strong claims of going one better.
Having also won the 2024 finale in Abu Dhabi, Norris has won consecutive races for the first time in his career and he can stretch the run to three this weekend.
LANDO NORRIS TO WIN CHINESE GRAND PRIX
Leclerc Aiming To Bounce Back
Ferrari will have been bitterly disappointed with a measly return of five points from Australia, but the car is clearly capable of a lot better than that suggests.
Charles Leclerc made too many mistakes on his final qualifying lap when the track conditions were at their best. Although a good start undid some of the damage, he had a spin during the race as the team got their strategy wrong, leaving Leclerc and new team-mate Lewis Hamilton out on slick tyres while the rain poured down.
The team have work to do if they want to catch McLaren, but outperforming Mercedes and Red Bull seems like a more achievable short-term aim.
Leclerc just missed out on a podium in China last year despite dropping to eighth place in the early stages after a poor first lap.
The Monegasque, who won three races in 2024, will be targeting the top three this weekend.
CHARLES LECLERC PODIUM FINISH
Ageless Alonso Can Pick Up Points
Fernando Alonso had a superb weekend in Shanghai last year, qualifying third for both the sprint race and grand prix. He was unlucky to come away with only a seventh-place finish in the main race, but it showed what the two-time world champion is still capable of.
At 43, Alonso is the most experienced driver in F1 history, although that didn't stop him from being caught out in Australia.
Alonso was running in 10th position when he lost control on gravel that had been dragged onto the track and collided with the wall.
The Aston Martin driver may well have ended up in the points without that misfortune, and while the car is hardly a world-beater this year, he is certainly of interest for a top-ten finish considering the form he showed in Shanghai last season.
FERNANDO ALONSO POINTS FINISH
