After the outlier of Melbourne’s street track the Chinese Grand Prix was the first opportunity in 2017 to assess the new F1 cars on a proper race track, to judge the level of overtaking and to understand better the way that race strategy has changed with the new rules. There was some close wheel to wheel action and with mixed conditions at the start, decision making was at the heart of the action. In the duel between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, whereas in Australia it was Mercedes’ decision to pit early that cost the race, in China Ferrari took the risk to make the early stop. Their plan was thwarted, not by the early stop, but by an accident and Safety Car immediately...
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