Oscar Piastri started the Chinese Grand Prix on pole position with George Russell on the front row with him, Lando Norris targeting a second win of 2025 and Lewis Hamilton wanting to follow up on his Sprint victory
Oscar Piastri produced a controlled performance to win the Chinese Grand Prix. The Australian led home a McLaren one-two as Lando Norris got the better of George Russell to finish second and extend his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship in these early weeks of the new Formula 1 season.
Contrary to the rest of the weekend, darker clouds threatened in the Shanghai skies but, though the temperatures were colder, the rain stayed away for the important part of the action. That provided Piastri with no hiccups and he was forced into little more than a leisurely drive to secure his third career Grand Prix win.
Norris had to overtake Russell twice but made the second one stick – only after a late issue threatened his result and almost saw him lose his brakes altogether. But Lewis Hamilton, one day on from his first Ferrari win in the sprint race, had to settle for just sixth place as he struggled for pace after contact with team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Despite picking up front wing damage in that skirmish on the opening lap, Leclerc had greater pace than Hamilton and used it to drive to fifth place. Max Verstappen got the better of the Monegasque at the end, having had a rather anonymous race for his standards, Red Bull clearly with work to do to push the Dutchman closer to the front.
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Piastri didn’t get the best launch off the line but expertly squeezed Russell heading into the first corner which not only protected his lead but helped his team-mate no end. Norris carrier more momentum than the Mercedes which meant he swept past and into second place, giving McLaren more control of the race.
There was less good news for Ferrari. Both got past Verstappen at the start who had a poor launch but in the first complex of corners Leclerc lost the end of his front wing by clipping the back of team-mate Hamilton which cost him between 20 and 30 points of downforce in the opening stint.
Not that it hampered the Monegasque too much – he didn’t bother changing his front wing at the first pit stop, clearly happy with the pace he still had despite the damage. Hamilton was the one struggling and, on lap 21, he complied with the order that came from Ferrari for him to allow the faster Leclerc past.
Out front, Piastri was controlling the pace well and, because he was leading, had pit stop priority at McLaren. That meant Norris had to wait an extra lap after Russell behind him stopped and Mercedes pulled off the undercut.
Norris emerged from the pit lane in traffic and Russell roared by, but he didn’t have the pace in his car to make the move stick for too long. McLaren clearly had the quicker cars and, by the halfway point, both their cars were a few seconds ahead of Russell who by that point had learned that the best he could hope for was the third step of the podium.
Until, that was, when Norris and his engineer entered a frantic discussion over his brakes which were starting to degrade. McLaren worked to reassure their driver that he would make it to the end if he managed the situation. He barely did, tiptoeing around the final lap and only just holding off Russell at the final corner to preserve the one-two.
Full 2025 Chinese Grand Prix result
- Oscar Piastri – McLaren
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- Esteban Ocon – Haas
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Alex Albon – Williams
- Oliver Bearman – Haas
- Pierre Gasly – Alpine
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Carlos Sainz – Williams
- Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
- Liam Lawson – Red Bull
- Jack Doohan – Alpine
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber
- Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber
- Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls
DNF: Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin