Chinese Grand Prix could deliver drama to F1 and slow Verstappen’s victory march

The Chinese Grand Prix could deliver some much-needed drama to Formula 1, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen can't be penciled in as the almost-certain winner on Sunday.

It's also the season's first GP with a sprint race, which means Friday's practice session was the only one of the weekend. Lando Norris of McLaren went on to secure the pole for Saturday's sprint race, running in a rainy qualifying session with drivers struggling to control their cars.

That included Verstappen.

"It was incredibly slippery out there and I struggled a lot to get the temperature in the tires, that's why it was very difficult to keep the car on track," the three-time world champion said. "The car never really switched on for me and it was like driving on ice, which is why I think we deserved where we finished in sprint."

Verstappen has won 22 of the last 26 GPs and three of the first four this season. Only brake failure in Australia kept him from possibly sweeping the first four races. The fifth race might prove a challenge even for Verstappen.

"It's got the probability of throwing up quite a few variables and, perhaps, some unexpected results," Red Bull principal Christian Horner said Friday. "I think it's going to be all action."

Here's why.

The track is a slight unknown. This is the first F1 race in China in five years, scratched from the calendar by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last was won in 2019 by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

But the biggest unknown is the state of the racing surface, which has had a thin "seal coating" applied — described as liquid asphalt. Drivers have repeatedly said it looks like it's been painted. And tire supplier Pirelli said it wasn't fully aware of the changes heading into the race.

Though hard to draw any firm conclusion,