The Chinese language Grand Prix was hardly a thriller however supplied a clearer image of the F1 pecking order in 2025.
McLaren have been in a position to rejoice the 1-2 they missed within the season opener because the British squad underlined their place as title favourites, but it surely wasn’t all smiles up and down the grid.
Listed below are our winners and losers from China.
Winner – Oscar Piastri
After a disappointing outcome at his house race final trip in Melbourne, Oscar Piastri acquired his personal title aspirations again on monitor in Shanghai.
The Australian led Lando Norris house as he transformed his maiden grand prix pole place into a relaxed and managed victory. Piastri led from begin to end, solely briefly shedding first place in the course of the pit cease section.
It was a convincing win for Piastri as he saved Norris at bay with a margin of round 4 seconds for many of the race. The outcome strikes Piastri to inside 10 factors of Norris’s championship lead, placing him proper in title competition.
Oscar Piastri claimed his first win of 2025
Loser – Ferrari
Ferrari had already endured a fairly unhealthy day on the workplace, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in no-man’s land and missing the tempo of their rivals as they completed fifth and sixth on the street.
However Sunday became an absolute nightmare for Ferrari after the chequered flag, with each Leclerc and Hamilton being disqualified from the ultimate classification for separate technical infringements.
Ferrari have misplaced 18 factors because of this and have fallen to fifth place within the constructors’ championship behind Williams, so as to add additional salt into the injuries. They’re now a whopping 61 factors behind McLaren.
It was a horror day for Ferrari after a double DSQ
Winner – McLaren
McLaren maintained their one hundred pc profitable begin to the season with a dominant 1-2 having missed out on the identical lead to Australia.
The proper outcome for the Woking squad, regardless of the scare of Norris’s late brake drama, to strengthen their place on the high of the constructors’ championship. They lead Mercedes by 21 factors.
McLaren’s method of victory was emphatic and can act as a worrying warning shot to the chasing pack.
Loser – Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson’s future with Crimson Bull is in jeopardy after his dire begin to the season continued in China.
The 23-year-old Kiwi certified final in each qualifying classes on the Chinese language Grand Prix and will solely get better to fifteenth on the street after beginning Sunday’s grand prix within the pitlane as Crimson Bull experimented with a “radical” set-up.
It seems Lawson is already vulnerable to being axed, with Crimson Bull not ruling out a right away driver swap – most probably with Yuki Tsunoda – earlier than the following race in Japan.
Liam Lawson
Winner – George Russell
It was one other nice drive from George Russell as he as soon as once more acquired essentially the most out of his Mercedes, which didn’t have the tempo to problem the dominant McLaren duo.
Russell was forward of Norris after the one spherical of pit stops, however couldn’t forestall his fellow countryman powering previous as he needed to settle with the ultimate spot on the rostrum for the second week operating.
It was so almost P2 for Russell, who claimed he would have overtaken the ailing Norris on the finish if the race was simply fractionally longer.
George Russell has completed third within the opening two races
Loser – Racing Bulls
Similar to in Australia, Racing Bulls come away from the weekend rueing one other massive missed alternative.
Each Isack Hadjar and Tsunoda said contained in the top-10 after sensible qualifying laps, however a two-stop technique backfired, leaving them exterior of the factors.
Tsunoda completed final after a weird entrance wing failure compelled him to make an unscheduled third go to to the pits, compounding a depressing race.
Winner – Haas
Haas got here away from China as large winners following Ferrari’s double disqualification.
The group had already loved an amazing race, with Esteban Ocon taking seventh and F1 rookie Ollie Bearman charging as much as tenth, however each would acquire an extra two locations due to the post-race exclusions.
Because of their 14-point haul, Haas have leapfrogged forward of Aston Martin and as much as seventh within the constructors’ standings.
Esteban Ocon’s P7 on the street became P5
Loser – Alpine
Alpine are actually the one group but to attain some extent in 2025, having come away from China empty-handed.
Jack Doohan had a poor grand prix, selecting up a 10-second penalty for his overzealous defending towards Hadjar, whereas he collected 4 penalty factors over the only weekend.
Teammate Pierre Gasly fared higher on Sunday, ending eleventh on the street. However the Frenchman was disqualified post-race after his Alpine automobile was discovered to be underweight.
It has been a massively disappointing begin to the season for the French squad, who thought of themselves front-of-the-midfield challengers earlier than a wheel was turned.
Winner – Alex Albon
Alex Albon produced an excellent qualifying lap to safe a top-10 beginning place, which he transformed into a powerful ninth on the street in China. That may develop into seventh following the disqualifications for Ferrari.
It was a incredible and measured drive from Albon, who’s rising to the problem of getting four-time grand prix winner Carlos Sainz as his new teammate.
It turned out to be an amazing day for Williams on the entire, with Sainz promoted as much as tenth, giving the group one other valuable level which lifts them above Ferrari within the constructors’ championship.
Alex Albon leads Fernando Alonso
Loser – Fernando Alonso
It has been a fairly woeful begin to the season for Fernando Alonso, who accomplished simply 4 laps in Shanghai earlier than a brake downside hit, forcing him into retirement.
Alonso has now failed to complete the opening two grands prix of 2025 after crashing out of the season opener in Melbourne.
Had Alonso not skilled his race-ending challenge, he may nicely have scored respectable factors due to the post-race exclusions, which promoted Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll as much as P9.
