Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance at the Chinese Grand Prix, leading a McLaren one-two finish as the team outshone the competition in the second round of the Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, Ferrari suffered a post-race nightmare, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton disqualified from the results.
Piastri Dominates with a Controlled Strategy
Starting from pole position, Piastri managed his tyres expertly, securing victory on a one-stop strategy. The win comes as a redemption for the Australian after his unfortunate spin out of second place at his home race in Australia just a week ago.
“The car was very lovely and good work on reacting to the [tyre] deg,” Piastri said over the radio. “Good team effort, that is one very satisfying weekend.”
Reflecting on his win, he added: “It’s been an incredible weekend, the car has been pretty mega. Today was a surprise, how differently the tyres behaved. This feels like what I deserved from last week.”
Norris Struggles with Brakes but Secures Second Place
Lando Norris, who still leads the championship thanks to his season-opening win, finished 9.7 seconds behind Piastri. Norris battled a brake pedal issue in the closing laps but managed to hold onto second place after repassing George Russell for the position following the pit stops.
“Oscar drove well, he deserved the win,” Norris said. “I’m happy with second, good points and great points for the team with a one-two. [The brake pedal] was my worst nightmare, I was losing two, three, four seconds the last two laps. It was scary but we made it to the end.”
This victory marked Piastri’s third career win and McLaren’s 50th one-two finish in F1 history.
Russell Completes Podium, Moves Up in Championship
Mercedes’ George Russell secured third place, boosting him to third in the championship standings, just one point ahead of Piastri and nine points behind Norris.
“It’s a great result, finishing P3,” Russell said. “We knew McLaren were a smidge quicker than us, but more crucial points. I felt it from quite early on that a one-stop was possible, and it turned out easier than we thought possible. It turned out as one of my best weekends in F1.”
Russell initially lost second place to Norris at the start but regained it after the first round of pit stops, only to be overtaken by Norris once more at Turn 1 on Lap 18.
Ferrari’s Post-Race Disaster: Double Disqualification
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished fourth after overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc late in the race. However, both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified post-race—Leclerc for failing to meet the minimum 800kg weight requirement, and Hamilton for excessive plank wear.
Pierre Gasly, who finished 11th for Alpine, was also disqualified for an underweight car.
The disqualifications proved devastating for Ferrari, adding to an already frustrating day. Earlier in the race, Leclerc damaged his front wing in a minor collision with new teammate Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap.
Leclerc and Hamilton both overtook Verstappen at the start, but as Leclerc dived to the inside of Turn 3, he clipped Hamilton’s right rear tyre, causing minor damage. Despite this, Leclerc appeared quicker than Hamilton in the early stages, leading to a position swap between the two on Lap 22.
Hamilton struggled with tyre degradation and opted for a two-stop strategy, ultimately finishing just 2.1 seconds behind Leclerc before both drivers were stripped of their results.
Surprise Top Finishers Following Ferrari’s Misfortune
With Ferrari out of the equation, Esteban Ocon secured a surprising fifth-place finish for Haas, a significant turnaround after their struggles in Australia.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished sixth for Mercedes, followed by Alex Albon, who earned six points for Williams in seventh.
Haas’ Oliver Bearman, using an alternative strategy, climbed the order to take eighth place. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten, benefitting from the post-race penalties.
Tribute to Eddie Jordan
Before the race, Formula 1 paid tribute to Eddie Jordan, who passed away at age 76 earlier in the week. A one-minute silence was observed on the grid in memory of the former F1 team owner.
With McLaren proving their dominance early in the season, all eyes now turn to the next round, where the battle for the championship continues.
Chinese Grand Prix Results
March 23, 2025
|
POSITION
|
START
|
LED
|
BEHIND
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
O. Piastri#81
|
1
|
53
|
Winner
|
|
2 |
L. Norris#4
|
3
|
2
|
7.264
|
|
3 |
G. Russell#63
|
2
|
0
|
11.097
|
|
4 |
M. Verstappen#1
|
4
|
0
|
18.102
|
|
5 |
C. Leclerc#16
|
6
|
0
|
22.830
|
|
6 |
L. Hamilton#44
|
5
|
0
|
26.634
|
|
7 |
E. Ocon#31
|
11
|
0
|
51.163
|
|
8 |
A. Antonelli#12
|
8
|
0
|
53.748
|
|
9 |
A. Albon#23
|
10
|
2
|
56.321
|
|
10 |
O. Bearman#87
|
17
|
0
|
61.389
|
|
11 |
P. Gasly#10
|
16
|
0
|
67.195
|
|
12 |
L. Stroll#18
|
14
|
0
|
70.277
|
|
13 |
C. Sainz Jr.#55
|
15
|
0
|
75.910
|
|
14 |
I. Hadjar#6
|
7
|
0
|
78.114
|
|
15 |
L. Lawson#30
|
20
|
0
|
81.147
|
|
16 |
J. Doohan#7
|
18
|
0
|
87.813
|
|
17 |
G. Bortoleto#5
|
19
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
18 |
N. Hulkenberg#27
|
12
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
19 |
Y. Tsunoda#22
|
9
|
0
|
1 Lap
|
|
20 |
F. Alonso#14
|
13
|
0
|
52 Laps
|
