Chinese Grand Prix: Weekend Recap
The second round of the 2025 Formula 1 championship took place at the Shanghai International Circuit as the first sprint race of the season. Many of the drivers were hoping to bounce back after a chaotic opening round at the Australian Grand Prix. McLaren headed into this race as favorites, yet they downplayed their advantage with high expectations for their rivals. One of the rivals that are yet to show their true potential is Ferrari after strategic mishaps resulted in their cars finishing at the bottom end of the points. The sprint format introduces an even bigger points pool, crucial for the championship as the gaps between the competitors only continue to come down in this 75th running of the championship.
Sprint Qualifying
Sprint qualifying saw a dramatic battle for pole position, with Hamilton narrowly outpacing reigning world champion Max Verstappen by just 0.018 seconds. McLaren had appeared strong throughout qualifying, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris showing great pace. However, errors from Norris in the final session saw him drop to sixth, while Piastri settled for third.
SQ1
The first segment of sprint qualifying (SQ1) saw some unexpected exits, with Liam Lawson struggling once again in the second Red Bull, ending up last after having a lap time deleted. Both Alpine drivers, Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly, were eliminated in 16th and 17th, respectively, while Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg also failed to advance, finishing 18th and 19th.
SQ2
In the second session (SQ2), McLaren continued to look strong, with Piastri setting the fastest lap, ahead of both Ferraris. Norris had a close call after running wide but managed to make it into the final session. Oliver Bearman impressed for Haas, securing a decent grid spot with 12th place, while Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Isack Hadjar were eliminated.
SQ3
The final session (SQ3) saw Hamilton deliver a stunning lap of 1m30.849s, setting a new track record and securing the pole for the sprint race. Verstappen pushed hard but fell just short by 0.018s. Piastri ended up third, unable to maintain his earlier momentum, while Leclerc secured fourth for Ferrari. George Russell took fifth for Mercedes, ahead of Norris, whose mistakes cost him a better starting position. Antonelli, Tsunoda, Albon, and Stroll rounded out the top ten.
Sprint
When the lights went out for the 19-lap sprint, Hamilton led the field into Turn 1, holding off Verstappen and Piastri. The opening laps saw clean racing among the frontrunners, but Norris had a nightmare start, running wide at Turn 6 and losing three positions.
George Russell made an early move on Leclerc to take fourth, while Norris struggled to regain lost ground. Behind them, Liam Lawson attempted to recover from his last-place start, engaging in a tight battle with Alpine’s Jack Doohan but escaping penalty after a stewards’ investigation.
Tire degradation quickly became a critical factor, with Hamilton and Norris both reporting graining on their front-left tires. Verstappen initially put pressure on Hamilton, but as his own tires degraded, Piastri saw an opportunity to strike. The young McLaren driver overtook Verstappen on lap 15, securing second place.
By this stage, Hamilton had already built a comfortable gap at the front. While Verstappen and Piastri scrapped for the position, Hamilton managed his tires expertly, crossing the finish line nearly seven seconds ahead of the field to claim Ferrari’s first win of the 2025 season.
Piastri finished second, with Verstappen completing the podium. Russell took fourth for Mercedes, ahead of Leclerc in fifth. Yuki Tsunoda put in an incredibly impressive drive to finish sixth for Racing Bulls, fending off Antonelli. Norris, after a challenging race, managed to overtake Stroll late on to claim eighth and the final point.
The victory in China marks a significant milestone for Hamilton, who struggled on his Ferrari debut in Australia but appears to have found his rhythm in Shanghai. With his first win in red now secured, the focus shifts to Sunday’s Grand Prix, where Hamilton will be looking to build on his momentum and challenge for another victory. With tire management proving crucial in the sprint race, teams will need to carefully strategize for the main event.
Qualifying
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session saw Oscar Piastri claim his first-ever Formula 1 pole position, setting a new track record at the Shanghai International Circuit with a stunning lap of 1m30.641s. The McLaren driver edged out Mercedes' George Russell by just 0.082s, while his teammate Lando Norris secured third place. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen could only manage fourth, struggling to extract the maximum performance from his Red Bull.
Q1
The first qualifying session was a tough one for four of the rookies on the grid. Liam Lawson, once again at the back of the pack, qualified 20th, while Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, and Gabriel Bortoleto also failed to advance. Pierre Gasly was the only experienced driver to fall in Q1, managing only 16th in his Alpine.
Q2
In the second session, Carlos Sainz continued to struggle at Williams, finishing 15th and failing to make it to Q3. Meanwhile, the two Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll barely scraped through, placing 13th and 14th, respectively. Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg, driving for Haas and Sauber respectively, also missed out on the top ten.
Q3
The final session saw Lando Norris set the pace early on, but he failed to hook up his last flying lap and aborted the attempt, admitting he had made "a couple of mistakes." This opened the door for Piastri, who delivered a near-perfect lap to take pole. Russell produced a fantastic performance to split the McLarens, while Lewis Hamilton could only manage fifth for Ferrari, ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc. Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed by qualifying seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of fellow newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli in eighth. Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon completed the top ten.
Race
Oscar Piastri converted his maiden pole position into a dominant victory in Shanghai, securing his third career win and leading a McLaren one-two ahead of Lando Norris. George Russell rounded out the podium, marking consecutive third-place finishes for Mercedes in 2025.
Piastri got off the line cleanly, fending off Russell as Norris took advantage of the situation to slot into second. The McLaren duo immediately worked together to build a gap over the chasing pack, avoiding the tire degradation issues that plagued much of the grid. Meanwhile, Ferrari teammates Leclerc and Hamilton made contact on the opening lap, with Leclerc suffering minor front-wing damage but managing to continue.
Fernando Alonso's race came to an early end as his Aston Martin suffered a brake failure on lap four, as Gasly pointed, the Spaniard had blue smoke coming off of his rear right brake. His retirement from the grand prix makes it his second in a row in the first two races of the year, far from the ideal start to his season.
With tire wear proving a major factor, the pit window opened as early as lap 11, with Leclerc debating strategy over the radio. The undercut proved powerful initally, helping midfield runners like Yuki Tsunoda make gains on their rivals. Hamilton and Verstappen pitted together on lap 14, with Piastri coming in one lap later for a slightly slower stop of 3.8 seconds.
Russell briefly jumped Norris due to an earlier pit stop, but the McLaren driver reclaimed second place with a move into Turn 1 on the next lap. Alexander Albon inherited the lead for a brief period on his 29th birthday, but his Williams lacked the pace to fend off the frontrunners.
Further back, Ferrari ordered Hamilton to let Leclerc past on lap 21, a decision the seven-time world champion reluctantly followed. Meanwhile, Verstappen, running a consistent but unspectacular race, found himself chasing the top three but unable to challenge for the podium.
As the second round of pit stops unfolded, it became clear that McLaren had the pace to stay out longer on their hard tires, avoiding unnecessary extra stops. Verstappen, however, found a late burst of speed, overtaking Leclerc for fourth place with just three laps remaining.
Norris, struggling with a worsening brake issue, was instructed to manage his pace rather than risk an attack on Piastri. Despite losing over three seconds to Russell on the final lap, Norris held on to second place as Piastri crossed the line for a commanding victory.
Haas enjoyed a stellar weekend after their struggles in Australia, with Esteban Ocon finishing seventh and Oliver Bearman securing his first point this year in tenth place. Antonelli continued his strong rookie campaign with an eighth-place finish, while Albon took ninth for Williams.
The Racing Bulls pair of Tsunoda and Hadjar looked set to challenge for points but were hampered by misfortunes: Tsunoda suffered front-wing damage, while Hadjar was forced wide by Jack Doohan, who received a 10-second penalty.
With a 1-2 finish in China, McLaren solidified its position as a serious championship contender in 2025. Piastri's flawless drive and Norris' strong support showcased the team's impressive form, while Russell and Mercedes continued to show consistent podium potential.
Verstappen's fourth-place finish suggests Red Bull still has work to do to match McLaren's pace, while Ferrari remains competitive but lacks the strategic cohesion to challenge for the top spots.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, along with Alpine's Pierre Gasly, were disqualified from the Grand Prix after their cars failed post-race scrutineering. Leclerc and Gasly's cars were found to be underweight, both weighing 799kg after fuel was drained, one kilogram below the 800kg minimum limit. In Leclerc's case, a damaged front wing was replaced before weighing, but even with an official spare front wing, the car remained under the required weight. Meanwhile, Hamilton's Ferrari was disqualified due to excessive wear on the rearmost skid block, which measured below the 9mm minimum thickness. Ferrari and Alpine acknowledged the errors without contesting the FIA’s findings. As a result, both Ferrari drivers lost their top-six finishes, dealing a major setback to the team, while Gasly's 11th-place finish was also nullified. The reshuffled results saw Esteban Ocon move up to fifth for Haas, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz all benefiting from the disqualifications. This incident echoes the 2023 United States GP, where Hamilton and Leclerc were also disqualified for excessive skid wear.
As the F1 circus moves on to the next race, all eyes will be on whether McLaren can sustain its momentum or if Red Bull and Ferrari will find the performance needed to challenge them. One thing is certain: the 2025 season is shaping up to be a thrilling battle at the front.
