The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, host to the F1 season’s first Sprint Race, delivered a weekend of chaos and unpredictability. With drivers battling extreme tyre degradation on the newly resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit and post-race disqualifications shaking up the final standings, no team escaped the turbulence unscathed. Read our F1 Weekend Roundup below:
The Paddock Headlines
- HAMILTON SECURED HIS MAIDEN FERRARI VICTORY in the F1 Sprint race on Saturday, with a commanding lead from lights-out to chequered flag at the 2025 Chinese GP.
- Victory, however, turned to disappointment later in the weekend after HAMILTON WAS DISQUALIFIED FOLLOWING A TECHNICAL INFRINGEMENT DURING THE MAIN RACE. The Brit has already struggled with poor strategy and now disqualification in his first two weekends with the Tifosi.
- CHARLES LECLERC FACED DISQUALIFICATION in a double-blow for Ferrari, his car deemed underweight after the main race and leaving the F1 legends stripped of a total of 18 points. PIERRE GASLY WAS ALSO DISQUALIFIED, but was already out of the points.
- OSCAR PIASTRI DROVE TO REDEMPTION, securing the main race win at the 2025 Chinese GP, and leading the team to a 1-2 with teammate Lando Norris. The result marks the MCLAREN’S 50TH 1-2 IN F1.
- NORRIS’ P2 HUNG IN THE BALANCE AFTER BRAKE ISSUES left the Brit coasting around the track on the final lap, barely making it to the chequered flag before Mercedes’ George Russell, who had to settle for P3. Russell’s podium marks Mercedes’ 300th podium.
- MORE POOR PERFORMANCES FROM LAWSON leave his Red Bull career hanging in the balance, with rumours swirling of the Kiwi being replaced with VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda just two weekends into his first full-time season. The rookie failed to gather any points, and FINISHED PLUM LAST IN BOTH QUALI SESSIONS this weekend.
- WILLIAMS AND HAAS BOTH SECURED A DOUBLE POINTS FINISH with the disqualification of the Ferraris; a strong start for two teams who have struggled over the last few years. WILLIAMS NOW SIT ON EQUAL POINTS WITH FERRARI.
A Tricky Start in Free Practice
The newly resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit caused major headaches for drivers and teams as tyre degradation issues plagued the Free Practice session. Drivers struggled to keep their cars on track, including Red Bull’s newest driver Liam Lawson, who ran wide at Turn 9 and took a trip through the gravel in a less-than-ideal start to the weekend. Last weekend’s winner Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly also found themselves off-track in the tricky conditions.
However, despite the lack of grip, the red flags were only brought out once during the session; Jack Doohan’s Alpine suffered a power steering failure at Turn 11, forcing him to stop at the side of the track. The rest of the grid headed back to the pits for a six-minute red flag, before racing resumed around the Shanghai International Circuit. Despite the challenges, Norris managed to set the pace with a 1:31.504 lap, four-tenths ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen aborted his final lap and ended up 16th, and the session didn’t go as planned for another two of the Red Bull-affiliated cars, with Isack Hadjar (17th) and Liam Lawson (18th) also struggling for pace.
Sprint Qualifying: A Familiar Top 2
After a dominant Free Practice session from Lando Norris, attention shifted to Sprint Qualifying. Oscar Piastri set the early SQ1 benchmark, while Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell had a close call investigated but faced no action.
In SQ2, Norris led with a 1m 31.174s lap, as Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso failed to make the top 10. Alex Albon was the only driver to escape the drop zone, while a frustrated Sainz ended up 13th in a rocky start to his Williams career.
SQ3 saw Hamilton claim pole with a record-breaking 1m 30.849s, just 0.018s ahead of his familiar foe, Verstappen. Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, and Norris followed, with Antonelli, Tsunoda, Albon, and Stroll completing the top 10.
Liam Lawson’s tough weekend in Melbourne wasn’t looking up in China on the mandated Hard tyres. After ending Free Practice towards the bottom of the grid, the Kiwi’s final lap in Sprint Quali was deleted for exceeding track limits, demoting him to plum last and under increasing pressure.
Sprint Race: Hamilton’s Maiden Ferrari Triumph
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari with a commanding drive in the Chinese GP Sprint. Despite contending with significant tyre graining, the seven-time champion maintained his lead throughout the 19-lap race to come home in P1.
Max Verstappen held onto second for most of the race after complaining of a lack of pace in the Red Bull, but was pipped to P2 by Piastri in the closing laps. George Russell defended fourth place from Charles Leclerc, while Yuki Tsunoda finished an impressive sixth for VCARB, who struggled to make it off the starting block last season. Super Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli added more points to his tally in seventh, and Lando Norris recovered from an early off-track moment to take eighth. The Brit had dipped his wheels into the gravel early in the first lap, dropping him down the pack and finding himself stuck behind the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Hamilton reflected on his victory, saying, “I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team. It takes time to adapt, but I’m feeling more at home with Ferrari.”
Qualifying: Piastri’s Maiden Pole
Oscar Piastri clinched his first-ever Formula 1 main race pole position in a dramatic Qualifying session. The McLaren driver set a 1:30.641, narrowly edging out George Russell, who delivered an impressive final lap to secure second place. Lando Norris settled for third, with Verstappen in fourth despite complaining of a lack of pace.
Hamilton and Leclerc qualified in fifth and sixth, unable to replicate their Sprint pace. Racing Bulls continued to impress, with Hadjar securing seventh and Tsunoda ninth, split by Mercedes’ Antonelli. Alex Albon rounded out the top 10 for Williams.
Notably, Carlos Sainz could only manage 15th, still adjusting to his Williams machine. Gasly and Doohan were eliminated in Q1, while Lawson finished 20th, struggling once again with his RB21.
Piastri’s Redemption Race
Piastri bounced back from his late-race mistake in Australia to secure a dominant victory in the Chinese GP, converting pole into a commanding win. He led home teammate Norris for a McLaren 1-2, marking the Woking team’s 50th 1-2 finish. However, the race was far from straightforward for Norris; the Brit struggled with severe brake issues in the last seven laps. In fact, the second place finish was almost pulled from under the McLaren team as Norris was forced to coast around the final laps, his five-second gap from Russell behind reduced to one in a single outing around Shanghai International Circuit.
Despite predicting a difficult race after Sprint struggles, Max Verstappen finished fourth, but unable to challenge for the podium.
Hellish End for Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton found themselves in an eventful race, making contact on the opening lap for the second week in a row – and they’ve only been on the same team for the two weekends. Leclerc opted to continue with a damaged front wing, while Hamilton was the only frontrunning driver to execute a two-stop strategy. Though he set a series of fastest laps, the extra pit stop cost him valuable track position. Post race, summons for both Ferraris to the stewards sent shockwaves rippling down the paddock, the two being pulled up for technical infringements which would see them disqualified from the race.
Russell briefly challenged Norris during the pit stop phase but ultimately settled for third. Behind him, Esteban Ocon delivered an excellent performance to finish seventh for Haas, followed by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in eighth. Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman rounded out the points, denying Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll a top-ten finish.
Carlos Sainz’s adjustment to Williams continued as he finished originally in 13th before P10, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar. The rookie, who crashed before the start of the race in his maiden F1 outing last weekend, had a more successful weekend, but unfortunately was involved in a late-race incident with Jack Doohan. The Alpine was dealt a ten-second penalty. Liam Lawson struggled again, finishing a crushing 15th for Red Bull, while Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda followed. Tsunoda’s race was particularly difficult, requiring a third pit stop due to some mysterious front wing damage which appeared along the straight. Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso retired early due to brake issues.
Who Benefitted?
The post-race disqualification of the two Ferraris, who sat in P5 and P6, during the F1 main race at the 2025 Chinese GP saw a slew of promotions into the points;
- P5: Esteban OCON (Haas) – 10 points
- P6: Andrea Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes) – 8 points
- P7: Alexander ALBON (Williams) – 6 points
- P8: Oliver BEARMAN (Haas) – 4 points
- P9: Lance STROLL (Aston Martin) – 2 points
- P10: Carlos SAINZ (Williams) – 1 point
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