Verstappen retires from Chinese Grand Prix due to engine failure

Max Verstappen, four-time world champion and Red Bull driver, retired from the Chinese Grand Prix Sunday after experiencing engine trouble, officials reported. Verstappen pulled into the pit lane with ten laps remaining, ending his race prematurely, RTL reported.

Verstappen had fallen to the back of the field following a poor start but gradually recovered through aggressive overtakes to reach sixth place. During the final laps, he communicated over the team radio, expressing frustration and reportedly almost pleading to end his race early.

The driver from Limburg has repeatedly criticized the new engines and cars in Formula One in recent weeks and again labeled his Red Bull Racing car “undriveable” following Saturday’s qualifying session. “It’s awful, there’s no power,” he said. “I honestly don’t know what to say anymore. Everything that could go wrong is going wrong. Driving this car isn’t enjoyable at all. There’s no balance and no grip.”

Verstappen endured a terrible start at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Red Bull Racing driver struggled to get moving and slipped from eighth on the grid to the back of the pack. Although the Limburg-born racer gradually regained some ground, he was still only 11th after the first pit stops. At one point, while trying to pass Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, Verstappen almost went off the track.

In the latter stages of the race, Verstappen managed to climb to sixth place but found himself unable to get past Oliver Bearman in the Haas F1 Team. After Pierre Gasly of Alpine F1 Team overtook him with ten laps to go, it was clear the Red Bull car lacked speed. A frustrated Verstappen then slowly brought his car into the pits.

Kimi Antonelli secured his maiden Formula One win by taking victory. The Mercedes Team driver started from pole and held on over 56 laps to claim the win.

At 19 years and 203 days, Antonelli has become the second-youngest race winner in Formula One history. The only driver to win at a younger age remains Verstappen, who was 18 years and 228 days old when he triumphed at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2016. Antonelli is also the first Italian to win a Formula One grand prix since Giancarlo Fisichella 20 years ago.

For the second consecutive week, Mercedes secured a 1–2 finish, repeating its result from the race in Australia. George Russell crossed the line in second place, ahead of Scuderia Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. After winning the Australian Grand Prix and Saturday’s sprint race in Shanghai, Russell now leads the championship standings following the opening two races.

It was a disastrous race weekend in China for McLaren, as reigning champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri were both forced to miss the start because of technical issues.

“This is very disappointing,” Verstappen said later. “I fought hard to recover positions, but the engine issue left me no choice. It’s frustrating to see the race end like this.”

oints in China. Team engineers confirmed that the engine showed irregular performance, forcing the driver to stop for safety reasons.