Summary

Live Reporting

Lorraine McKenna

  1. Lap 44/56

    "You don't know what can happen in the end," Max Verstappen is told by his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. The four-time world champion is in fifth place and is gaining slightly on Charles Leclerc, who is still whizzing around the Shanghai circuit with a busted front wing.

  2. Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator

    Jack Doohan is the only rookie who has any kind of experience around this track.

    It will be a big learning curve for all of the rookies in the field.

  3. Lap 43/56

    Lance Stroll is on fresh medium tyres and easily passes the Williams of Carlos Sainz, on older hards, for 12th place. Lando Norris is now four seconds away from race leader Oscar Piastri.

  4. Lap 42/56

    Max Verstappen is being reassured by his Red Bull pit wall his pace is very good now as he continues to hunt down the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton, who has stopped twice in this race, currently has the fastest lap.

    Max VerstappenGetty Images

  5. Lap 41/56

    Oscar Piastri is 3.6 seconds up the road on his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. This would be the third win for the Australian following his two victories for McLaren last season.

    Oscar PiastriGetty Images

  6. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    That was a good move from Oliver Bearman and the Haas car is moving pretty well around this track.

  7. Bearman moves up to P10

    Lap 40/56

    Can Ollie Bearman make it in to the top 10? The teenager is certainly trying. His target is the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, who he successfully overtakes on the straight thanks to his fresher medium tyres. Both Haas drivers are now in the points.

  8. Lap 39/56

    Lando Norris and his McLaren pit wall are chatting front tyres on the team radio. The Briton is in second place and says he can see a bit of graining, but his C2 hards feel OK for now.

    Oliver Bearman is up another place to P11.

  9. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    That was a decent stop and strategy from Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton, they had that free stop to Esteban Ocon so why not take it.

  10. Top five

    1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

    3. George Russell (Mercedes)

    4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    Oscar PiastriGetty Images

  11. Lap 38/56

    Nope, as Lewis Hamilton is immediately pitted by Ferrari and takes a new set of hard tyres. The seven-time world champion comes out in sixth, moving Max Verstappen up to fifth spot.

  12. Get Involved

    #BBCF1

    Andrew Priestley: Ollie Bearman looking impressively racey on those new medium tyres.

  13. Lap 37/56

    Max Verstappen is told by his Red Bull engineer he has good pace now running in sixth place. "Better late than never," Gianpiero Lambiase adds. Can the Dutchman get close to Lewis Hamilton in fifth?

  14. Bearman up to P12

    Lap 36/56

    Another overtake in the books for Ollie Bearman. The British teenager spies a chance to pass the more experienced Carlos Sainz and he takes it with both wheels. Bearman has now climbed to 12th place in the Haas.

    Oliver BearmanGetty Images

  15. 'Small risk of rain'

    Lap 35/56

    I thought this was going to be a dry grand prix? McLaren are on the blower to Lando Norris to say some class one rain could be on the horizon towards the end of the race.

  16. 'Red Bull don't have the pace'

    Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator

    What's clear at Red Bull is that they don't have the pace.

    What we always say about Max Verstappen is that he's able to maximise what he's given and right now he's maximising that car at best in sixth place.

  17. Lap 34/56

    Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar was in tears last weekend after crashing out on the formation lap but in Shanghai, the French rookie is going well, pitting for a fresh set of hards to try and undercut his competitors.

    Isack HadjarGetty Images

  18. Sam Bird
    Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    It's the weirdest strategy that Red Bull have done for Liam Lawson, I don't know if it's because he was massively struggling with tyre degradation.

    He's making no ground whatsoever, it's not like he's been pushing forward and using the tyre, he's exactly where he started.

  19. Lap 33/56

    Ollie Bearman has made a couple of good overtakes in this race. The rookie is up to 15th place in the Haas having passed the Red Bull of Liam Lawson and now the Alpine of Jack Doohan.

  20. Lap 32/56

    McLaren tell Lando Norris to "go for plan C", but the Briton wants race leader Oscar Piastri to put his foot down, as he's stuck running in the dirty air.

    Lando NorrisGetty Images