While Verstappen eventually eased to victory, a ferocious and, at times, bitter four-way scrap broke out for the final podium place.
Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc were all embroiled in a fight that lasted half the race, Perez eventually getting the upperhand to join his team-mate and Lewis Hamilton on the podium.
A strong start from Hamilton saw the Mercedes driver seize the inside line into the long Turn 1/2 complex, pushing pole-sitter Lando Norris wide, opening the door for Alonso and Verstappen, among others, to sneak through.
Results: Chinese GP, F1 Sprint
Norris slipped to seventh behind both Ferrari drivers in a busy opening lap as Hamilton headed the race by 0.7s to Alonso.
Then came Verstappen, Sainz, Perez, Leclerc, and Norris. Oscar Piastri remained eighth while Daniel Ricciardo gained a place at the start to sit 13th.
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In the early laps, Verstappen struggled with the battery in his Red Bull Racing, which caused him to slip more than a second behind Alonso.
Having started on the soft compound tyres, the only driver in the field to attempt it, George Russell lost ground off the start before putting moves on Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen.
That promoted the Englishman to 10th, one spot back from Zhou Guanyu and two places back from the points after four of 19 laps.
Meanwhile, his Mercedes team-mate was easing away out front, extending the gap to Alonso to more than a 1.5s after five laps.
On Lap 7, Verstappen lifted his pace and quickly reeled in Alonso, using DRS to complete the pass down the back straight to take second place.
The Aston Martin driver offered no resistance, instead tucking into the Red Bull Racing’s slipstream to drag himself clear of Sainz in the pursuing Ferrari.
Race leader Hamilton made a mistake into the hairpin at the end of the back straight as he completed Lap 8.
Holding more than a 1.5s advantage at that point, that evaporated as Verstappen latched onto the back of the Mercedes’ rear wing.
The Dutchman remained in his former title rival’s wheel tracks before making a move with the help of DRS on the back straight a lap later.
While Hamilton quickly dropped away, he was well clear of Alonso in third, more than 2.3s ahead of the Spaniard who’d fallen into the clutches of Sainz, Perez, and Leclerc.
Norris was just off the back of that group, just inside DRS range of Leclerc ahead but unable to live with that pack on traction.
Meanwhile, Piastri in the McLaren was struggling for pace, trailing his team-mate by five seconds after 11 laps.
With five laps to run, Alonso came under increased pressure from Sainz, who had Perez looking for a way through.
The Red Bull Racing driver was forced to defend into the hairpin as Leclerc attacked, the move leaving the Ferrari driver with no way through.
Ahead, Alonso finally lost third on Lap 16 as the Aston Martin driver struggled for traction out of Turn 6.
That allowed Sainz alongside, the pair running side by side through to Turn 9, an exchange that opened the door for Perez to pass them both.
The two Spaniards touched as they battled through Turn 8, and Alonso picked up a puncture that forced him into the pits and out of the contest – the team retiring the car.
Sainz and Leclerc then scrapped over fourth, the former eventually losing out after an especially bitter battle that saw him drop into the clutches of Norris.
It left the order Verstappen from Hamilton with Perez third from Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, Piastri, and Russell in the final points-paying position as they reached the chequered flag.
Further back, Daniel Ricciardo climbed to 11th in the melee, one spot back from Kevin Magnussen while Zhou Guanyu was ninth and the first car outside of the points.
F1 is back on track in Shanghai for qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix at 17:00 AEST.
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