Winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Chinese language Grand Prix

F1 2025’s second race of the season in Shanghai was held in vastly totally different circumstances than Melbourne’s mixed-weather thriller, however this week’s winners-losers part options some acquainted figures.

If a composed wet-dry-wet win in Australia confirmed Lando Norris is driving like a title contender, then team-mate Oscar Piastri has answered along with his personal assertion of intent over the Shanghai weekend. Eager to take revenge for the unfortunate off in his dwelling race that dropped him to ninth, the Australian seemed the superior McLaren driver all weekend and produced a cool, nearly boringly beautiful pole-to-flag drive on Sunday – a maiden F1 pole and a 3rd profession grand prix win.

After he bided his time, Norris’ late brake points prevented him from mounting a problem, however Piastri’s win by no means actually seemed unsure, having additionally trumped Norris within the dash qualifying and race. Norris certainly by no means simply assumed he would have it his personal method this 12 months, however Piastri has positively proven indicators that he has taken learnings from an inconsistent 2024 marketing campaign and turn into a stronger contender already. With one win apiece, each drivers’ title campaigns are up and working.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photograph by: Jade Gao – Getty Photos

Lewis Hamilton’s glorious pole-to-flag win in China’s dash was a welcome tonic for each followers of the seven-time world champion and the tifosi. However when it got here to the primary grand prix, Ferrari appeared to fall again to its pure spot in qualifying because the McLarens produced a cleaner Q3 this time. As Charles Leclerc identified after the race, it’s a lot tougher to carry out miracles from the third row, however neither driver seemed significantly comfy. They have been ultimately powerless to maintain Max Verstappen at bay after a woeful medium-tyre opening stint for the Dutchman.

Leclerc’s faucet with Hamilton firstly may have ended a complete lot worse, but when anybody can clarify why the Monegasque nonetheless loved higher race tempo regardless of a damaged entrance wing – and Ferrari due to this fact rightfully swapped locations – please ship your solutions on a postcard to Maranello. Ferrari might have averted this class by hanging on to its 18-point haul on Sunday, however afterwards each drivers have been disqualified for 2 totally different technical infractions: Leclerc for his automobile being underweight and Hamilton for extreme skid put on. The excellent news is there’s potential on this SF-25, the dangerous information is the Scuderia hasn’t been extracting it but on Sundays.

Winner: Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos

It’s a must to hand it to Max Verstappen. One week after swooping in to smash and seize second in Australia, the Dutchman snatched one other end result his flawed RB21 did not actually deserve. Verstappen has developed an air of inevitability, extracting greater than the automobile appears able to, as we’ll focus on additional beneath. However amid Crimson Bull’s woes, Verstappen by some means heads to Japan sitting second within the drivers’ championship.

It stays to be seen how lengthy the four-time champ can keep there, but it surely will not be for a scarcity of making an attempt. Arguably, the best way he has been manhandling the 2025 Crimson Bull is as spectacular – if no more – than a few of his title-winning campaigns.

Loser: Crimson Bull

Liam Lawson, Crimson Bull Racing

Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos

However even the speedy and mercurially proficient Verstappen would not have the escape velocity to defy the gravity of Crimson Bull’s downturn. Incoming Liam Lawson has been going via a shiver-inducing nightmare of a Crimson Bull stint, and even dangers going through the axe as early as Japan, in line with our sources.

However whereas Yuki Tsunoda might or might not have been a greater decide, Lawson’s failure to stand up to hurry so far can be Crimson Bull’s.

Crimson Bull has burnt a number of drivers in that second seat now, and it’s clear the staff has not addressed the automobile stability woes that annoyed Verstappen and defeated Sergio Perez final 12 months, with Verstappen asserting that Lawson would have been a lot faster driving the sister staff’s Racing Bulls automobile.

Seemingly linked to the automobile’s lack of consistency, the outfit could have some soul looking to do to deal with its crippling tyre degradation points, with Verstappen nowhere within the opening medium-tyre stint in China, delivery a median of round eight tenths to the McLarens. However its season is not headed for full catastrophe simply but, with a lot improved tempo on laborious tyres providing extra hope that inherently Crimson Bull can nonetheless get close to McLaren, given a much-needed spherical of updates.

Winner: Haas

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Staff

Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos

We have been genuinely nervous for Haas after a sobering Australia curtain raiser, however the staff has reacted to the VF-25’s poor maiden outing in the absolute best method with a double factors end. On the usual medium-hard strategy- however with a really early pitstop that labored out nicely –  Esteban Ocon confirmed stable pace, passing the likes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli with two wheels on the grass to seventh on the street, which grew to become a spectacular fifth after the double exclusion of the Ferraris.

Credit score additionally goes to Oliver Bearman after the British rookie rebounded from a messy weekend in Melbourne. Having certified additional again, Bearman banked on a reverse hard-medium technique, unknowingly going through the duty of an especially lengthy stint on the extra brittle medium tyres. However Bearman held agency and acquired his elbows out in visitors to choose up some extent, which ended up turning into 4 by the point the Shanghai scrutineers had packed up.

“Everybody has a failure, however failure should not outline you. What defines you is the way you stand up from that failure, and I feel as a complete staff we confirmed that,” a buoyant staff boss Ayao Komatsu mused. The aerodynamic drawback Haas found in Australia remains to be there, even when it went comparatively unpunished in China, however the staff capitalised on the alternatives this weekend threw its method. You may’t ask for greater than that.

Loser: Racing Bulls

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Staff, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Staff

Photograph by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool

A repeat entrant on this class is Crimson Bull’s satellite tv for pc staff, which for the second consecutive weekend noticed a grand alternative to financial institution massive factors go begging by getting its technique incorrect. Each Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar caught to the anticipated two-stop technique, as a substitute of following the mainstream’s push in direction of a one-stopper. Tsunoda may but have scored factors if his vibrating entrance wing hadn’t alarmingly collapsed, however in case you take a look at the place Haas has completed… that ought to have been you.

There are positives for the Anglo-Italian staff, although. There’s extra proof its automobile is quick throughout totally different layouts and monitor situations, and Hadjar has rebounded admirably from his nightmare Australia exit with a vastly spectacular weekend, outqualifying Tsunoda in all three qualifying levels on Saturday.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos

Amid all of the chatter about McLaren’s formidable pace and Hamilton’s dash success for Ferrari, George Russell has seemingly quietly nestled himself proper in between Verstappen and Piastri within the drivers’ championship with a superb weekend. Russell had no enterprise splitting the McLarens in qualifying – courtesy of a Norris slip-up on the hairpin – and gave it a great go making an attempt to undercut his fellow Briton within the race.

Russell was powerless to withstand the faster McLaren however completed nicely away from Mercedes’ direct rivals to assert his second podium in as many races.

That consistency goes to go a good distance when the highest groups are so carefully matched, and so far he has had the measure of his inexperienced however quick team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, which he admitted he is not taking without any consideration.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photos

Carlos Sainz nearly escapes an entry once more after not getting in control with the Williams as rapidly as he would have favored. A bit of bit extra complicated is Alpine, which seemed able to scrapping with Williams and Racing Bulls in Bahrain testing – if not barely forward on long-run tempo relying on who you ask.

However after the China weekend, Alpine is now the one staff to not rating factors but, having missed an opportunity to profit from Ferrari’s double DSQ by Pierre Gasly’s automobile being thrown out as nicely for lacking the burden restrict. Jack Doohan is acquitting himself nicely, being very near Gasly on one-lap efficiency, however equally did not have the race tempo to flee the underside of the pack and copped a 10-second penalty for elbowing Hadjar out of the best way.

Alpine clearly has a significantly better beginning bundle than final 12 months’s obese machine, however in the mean time will probably be annoyed to simply be on the incorrect facet of what’s an especially shut midfield.