It was a Papaya 1-2 finish at the Chinese Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri achieving his third career victory, leading home his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
With tyre management the order of the day throughout the field, Piastri was able to control his race and finished ahead of Lando Norris, who was forced to manage a worsening brake issue in the closing stages.
George Russell was too far behind to pass Norris despite the tumbling pace but sealed consecutive third-place finishes for 2025.
With fifty of one-two finishes in the history of McLaren Racing, the team showed it is again the outfit to beat at present.
Max Verstappen put in a strong performance to finish fourth for Red Bull, finishing ahead of the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Having been the worst team on the grid in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Haas secured a double points finish with Esteban Ocon seventh and a determined Oliver Bearman in tenth.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli held on to his eighth-place starting position to score points in back-to-back races, with Alexander Albon ninth for Williams.
Piastri squeezed Russell off the line, allowing Norris to make a move as the Papaya Rules saw the McLaren teammates work together to lead the field.
It was the opposite story at Ferrari, however, as Leclerc clipped Hamilton and suffered wing damage, although the duo did both pass Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso was forced to retire on lap four as the brakes on his Aston Martin gave up. He was the only driver to retire in this race.
Meanwhile, Norris was complaining of graining on the troublesome left-front tyre with just eight laps on the board, with Piastri taking advantage of running in clean air.
The pitstop window opened on lap 11 as Leclerc disagreed with his team over which plan to use, as Charles ran close behind Lewis.
The undercut worked well for the midfield runners and lower points positions, with Yuki Tsunoda getting past Antonelli.
Both Hamilton and Verstappen stopped on lap 14, with Piastri boxing a lap later and having a slower stop than he would have wanted as he was stationary for 3.8 seconds.
Norris was in a lap later and lost out to Russell, who came in a lap earlier to regain his net second position in the Chinese Grand Prix, but it lasted just one lap before the McLaren retook the position into turn one the next time around.
On his 29th birthday, Albon inherited the lead, having not stopped yet, but soon fell into the clutches of the overall frontrunners.
Elsewhere, Hamilton was resisting requests from Ferrari to swap positions with Leclerc, with both homing in on Russell, but gave in to the team call at the start of lap 21.
McLaren was managing its two lead drivers well, Piastri pushing the pace to allow Norris to follow suit and pull further clear of Russell without entering the dirty air of the race leader.
As those two-stopping started to pit again, the leaders were quick enough to stay out on the hard compound, with Verstappen coming alive and chasing the pack.
Hamilton opted to pit on lap 38 for fresh hard tyres in the aim of catching the top five towards the end of the race, although it did not work out for the winner of Saturday’s sprint race.
The Racing Bulls of Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar also both opted for a second stop and were cutting through the field towards the top ten until Tsunoda suffered a front wing issue and Hadjar was run wide by Jack Doohan’s Alpine, who was hit with a 10-second penalty as a result.
Out front, Norris reported a brake issue as the pitwall urged caution rather than pushing to close in on Piastri in the closing stages.
There was no such warning for Verstappen, who attacked Leclerc and got through with three laps left.
Piastri took the chequered flag and Norris nursed the second McLaren over the line despite losing over three seconds to the chasing Russell on the last lap.
So not the most thrilling Chinese Grand Prix due to tyre management. And yet congratulations to Oscar Piastri in winning the race. Following a disappointing home race in Australia last weekend, Piastri was able to bounce back by finishing first in China.
As for McLaren, that MCL39 is a beast and it will be fascinating if the others can challenge them over the course of this long season.
UPDATE – Following a post-race scrutineering Leclerc’s and Gasly’s cars were both found to weigh 799kg after fuel was removed, one kilogram below the minimum weight limit. In Leclerc’s case, his damaged front wing was replaced by a spare example during the weighing. The scrutineers also took issue with Hamilton’s rearmost underbody skid block showing excessive wear beyond the 1mm wear limit. Hamilton’s blocks were down to 8.5 to 8.6mm thickness depending on the measuring point, with the minimum limit set at 9mm.
Chinese Grand Prix, race results:
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:30:55.026
2 Lando Norris McLaren +9.748s
3 George Russell Mercedes +11.097s
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull +16.656s
5 Esteban Ocon Haas +49.969s
6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +53.748s
7 Alexander Albon Williams +56.321s
8 Oliver Bearman Haas +61.303s
9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +70.204s
10 Carlos Sainz Williams +76.387s
11 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +78.875s
12 Liam Lawson Red Bull +81.147s
13 Jack Doohan Alpine +88.401s
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber +1 lap
15 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber +1 lap
16 Yuki sunoda Racing Bulls +1 lap
Charles Leclerc Ferrari DSQ (+23.211s)*
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari DSQ (+25.381s)**
Pierre Gasly Alpine DSQ (+67.195s)*
Fernando Alonso Aston Martin DNF
*Disqualified for being underweight following post-race scrutineering
**Disqualified for excessive skid block wear in post-race scrutineering
Oscar Piastri bounced back from the disappointment of his late-race mistake at last week’s 2025 season opener in Australia by converting pole position into an assured victory during the Chinese Grand Prix – leading home team mate Lando Norris for a McLaren 1-2.
Piastri controlled Sunday’s 56-lap encounter at the Shanghai International Circuit from start to finish, never putting a foot wrong in a much calmer second race of the campaign that centred around whether drivers would complete one or two pit stops.
As it transpired, the first five finishers – and the vast majority of the field – only visited the pits once, with Piastri building and managing a gap back to Norris across their two stints to take the chequered flag and kick off his challenge for the title.
Norris hovered around three seconds behind Piastri in the closing stages, when he encountered a developing brake problem and was told to take no risks by the McLaren pit wall – just about ensuring the papaya outfit emerged with that perfect finish.
After dropping behind at the start, Russell did his best to make life difficult for Norris as the afternoon wore on, briefly reclaiming second during the pit stop phase, but the McLaren man had enough pace in hand to take P2, even with his late brake dramas.
Max Verstappen predicted a difficult race for Red Bull after their Sprint struggles, and he finished where he started in fourth, a few seconds ahead of Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who dramatically made contact on the opening lap.
Leclerc raced on with a damaged front wing, deciding not to change it in the pits, while Hamilton was the only frontrunning driver to complete a two-stop strategy – a series of fastest laps not quite enough to make up for the time he had lost swapping tyres again.
Esteban Ocon was a brilliant seventh for Haas after their tough start to 2025, followed by the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, the lead Williams of Alex Albon and team mate Ollie Bearman, who denied Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll points.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/piastri-beats-norris-and-russell-to-victory-in-chinese-grand-prix-with.CpcwOmMwzcZGjM33Wkv8V
Lando Norris rounded off a dominant McLaren 1-2 in Shanghai with a second-place finish behind his team-mate Oscar Piastri at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the race wasn’t without its issues for the British driver who described the brake issues as “scary” and “his worst nightmare.”
Norris encountered issues with the brake pedal in the latter stages of the race, with the driver reporting that the pedal was “getting longer and longer.”
The McLaren driver commented on this during the post-race interview:
“Our pace was a lot better in the second stint. So, tough race, just with the [tyre] management, and I don’t think many people expected a one-stop today, so it was good, and Oscar drove well. He was quick the whole race, so I tried to get close. But in the end, I just couldn’t.”
Asked if he felt at any point he could challenge his team-mate for the victory, Norris explained:
“It doesn’t matter now, really, does it? It doesn’t matter. He deserved a win and he drove very well all weekend, so I’m happy with second. It’s good points. It’s great points for us as a team with a 1-2. So, a big thanks to everyone in Papaya. And, yeah, just how we wanted the race to go. So we’re very happy.”
“It’s scary. It’s like my worst nightmare. When I have a nightmare, it’s when the brakes are failing. And I was losing the 2, 3, 4 seconds [in] the last couple of laps, so I was a bit scared, but we survived, and then we made it to the end. So, would have loved to have given it a little try and put Oscar under a little bit of pressure, but not today. So we’re satisfied, great result and we’ll go again next time.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lando-norris-reacts-to-scary-brake-issues-after-chinese-grand-prix/10706342/
Fred Vassuer has commented on Lewis Hamilton’s struggle during the Chinese Grand Prix after a brilliant weekend in Shanghai up to this point. The seven-time world champion couldn’t find the pace, whereas team-mate Charles Leclerc, even with front-wing damage, was able to finish in P5, one place ahead of the Briton.
Discussing the “strange” disparity in performance between the two drivers, team chief Vasseur has been left questioning Hamilton’s drop in performance after a commanding weekend so far.
“It was a tough day today,” he told Sky Sports F1. “Very strange because that on one side of the garage that with the damage on the front wing, the pace that we had, I think it was encouraging and it was a good one and it was much more difficult for Lewis.”
Saturday’s sprint race hinted at a potential revival for both Hamilton and the Scuderia. He delivered a masterclass in tyre management and, after a strong start alongside Max Verstappen, he built a strong lead and finished the 19-lap race in first.
“He had a very, very good tyre management yesterday and we are struggling much more with the pace today. It’s difficult to understand and to read, but we can also take the positive with the rest of Charles and the pace that he had with the damage on the front wing. ”
Starting fifth, Hamilton’s race looked promising as he initially made good progress getting past Verstappen in Turn 1. But before long he was struggling with tyre degradation, amplified by the resurfacing of the Shanghai International Circuit. As his race pace continued to suffer, the pit wall decided to stop him for a 2-stop strategy.
Despite hitting Hamilton on the first lap, Leclerc showed impressive performance as he pushed his way up the pack, with the Italian team opting to not replace the front wing – a strategy that paid off.
“I don’t want to finger point someone or to blame something, but we have to do a better job, and we have to understand we all have the same tyres, but it’s always on the edge,” Vassuer continued. “We saw even during the race that sometimes Max was struggling and then coming back and then struggling and as soon as you are not in the right window it’s much more difficult.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vasseur-puzzled-by-hamiltons-china-gp-slump-we-have-to-do-a-better-job/10706378/
Oscar Piastri was left delighted after taking his first win of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver stating that the result was “what I feel like I deserved from last week” following the disappointing outcome of his race last time out in Australia.
It was an assured drive to victory for Piastri in Shanghai, who led from pole position off the line before going on to build a gap to team mate Lando Norris and seal a 1-2 finish for the squad amid both of the outfit’s drivers managing to complete a one-stop strategy.
With Piastri missing out on a good points haul last weekend after ending the season-opening Australian Grand Prix down in ninth – due to an off in the wet conditions dropping him down the order – the 23-year-old was asked if his triumph in China marked the start of his title campaign.
“I hope so!” Piastri responded. “It’s been an incredible weekend from start to finish. The car’s been pretty mega the whole time. I think today was a bit of a surprise with how the tyres behaved but just super proud of the whole weekend.
“This is what I feel like I deserved from last week, so [I’m] extremely happy. The team did a mega job, 1-2 obviously. Very, very happy.”
Much of the focus during the 56-lap encounter centred around whether drivers would opt for a one or two-stop strategy and, when quizzed on whether the tyre wear had been less of an issue than expected on Sunday, Piastri reflected: “Yes, I think on the medium it was still a bit tricky, but much better than yesterday.
“The hard was a much better tyre than everyone expected, or certainly than we expected. To go all the way to the end like that was a bit of a surprise, but a happy surprise.
“Very proud of the race we managed to pull off – it wasn’t an easy one going in, and [I’m] just proud of the whole team and the weekend I’ve been able to pull off.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/piastri-hails-chinese-gp-victory-as-what-i-deserved-last-week-after.5Kd0xvJZymoHjkWEUu5ODq
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have both been excluded from the Chinese GP after falling foul of the technical regulations, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also thrown out of the results.
During post-race scrutineering Leclerc’s and Gasly’s cars were both found to weigh 799kg after fuel was removed, one kilogram below the minimum weight limit. In Leclerc’s case, his damaged front wing was replaced by a spare example during the weighing.
Explaining Leclerc’s case, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported: “After the Race, car number 16 was weighed and its weight was 800.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1,” FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer’s report said. “As the front wing was damaged (the missing FW endplate was recovered and weighed with the car), the car was re-weighed with an official spare front wing assembly of car 16 and its weight was 800.5 kg. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.0 litres of fuel were removed.
“The car was weighed again on the FIA scales (with the official spare front wing assembly of car 16) and the weight was 799.0 kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. For information the spare front wing was 0.2 kg heavier than the damaged one used during the race. As this is 1.0 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the Competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration.”
The scrutineers also took issue with Hamilton’s rearmost underbody skid block showing excessive wear beyond the 1mm wear limit. Hamilton’s blocks were down to 8.5 to 8.6mm thickness depending on the measuring point, with the minimum limit set at 9mm.
“The rearmost skid was measured according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 L, item 1.2 b) i). Measurements were taken along the stiffness compliant area at three different points of the periphery (inner arc). The recorded measurement were 8.6 mm (LHS), 8.6 mm (car centerline) and 8.5 mm (RHS). As this is less than the 9 mm minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e), I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration,” the FIA noted.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/leclerc-hamilton-chinese-gp-disqualification/10706428/