F1 Chinese GP: Piastri dominates, Norris defies brake woes to complete McLaren 1-2

Oscar Piastri secured victory on the Chinese language Grand Prix as he benefited from placing his McLaren on pole place to keep away from the tyre problems with the chasing System 1 pack.

With tyre administration the order of the day all through the sphere, Piastri was in a position to management his race and took the third win of his profession, main dwelling team-mate Lando Norris, who was pressured to handle a worsening brake difficulty within the closing levels.

George Russell was too far adrift to move Norris regardless of the tumbling tempo of his compatriot however sealed consecutive third place finishes to start out the 2025 season.

A half-century of 1-2 finishes within the historical past of McLaren confirmed it’s once more the staff to beat at current.

Max Verstappen put in a powerful efficiency to complete fourth for Crimson Bull, main dwelling the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Having been the worst staff on the grid within the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Haas secured a double factors end with Esteban Ocon seventh and a feisty Oliver Bearman tenth.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli held onto his eighth place beginning place to attain factors in back-to-back races with Alex Albon ninth for Williams.

Piastri squeezed Russell off the road, permitting Norris to make a transfer to seize second, earlier than the McLaren team-mates then labored collectively to guide the sphere.

It was the other story at Ferrari, nonetheless, as Leclerc clipped Hamilton and suffered wing injury, though the duo did each move Verstappen’s Crimson Bull off the road.

In the meantime, Norris was complaining of graining on the troublesome left-front tyre with simply eight laps on the board, whereas Piastri took benefit of operating in clear air.

The pitstop window opened on lap 11 as Leclerc disagreed along with his staff over which plan to implement with the Monegasque operating shut behind his team-mate.

Each Hamilton and Verstappen stopped on lap 14, with Piastri boxing a lap later and having a slower cease than he would have wished as he was stationary for 3.8 seconds.

Norris was in a lap later and misplaced out to Russell, who got here in a lap earlier to regain his web second place within the grand prix, however it was only one lap earlier than the McLaren retook the place into Flip 1.

Albon, on his twenty ninth birthday, inherited the lead having not stopped however quickly fell into the clutches of the general frontrunners.

Elsewhere, Hamilton was resisting requests from Ferrari to swap locations with Leclerc as they homed in on Russell, however begrudgingly ceded to the staff name at the beginning of lap 21.

McLaren was managing its two lead drivers effectively, Piastri pushing the tempo to permit Norris to comply with go well with and pull additional away from Russell with out coming into the soiled air of the race chief.

As these two-stopping began to pit once more, the leaders have been fast sufficient to remain out on the arduous compound, with Verstappen coming alive and chasing the pack.

Hamilton opted to pit on lap 38 for recent arduous tyres within the purpose of catching the highest 5 in the direction of the tip of the race though it didn’t pan out for the winner of Saturday’s dash race.

The Racing Bulls of Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar additionally each opted for a second cease and have been slicing via the sphere in the direction of the highest 10 till Tsunoda suffered a entrance wing difficulty and Hadjar was ran large by Jack Doohan’s Alpine, who was hit with a 10s penalty in consequence.

Out entrance, Norris reported a brake difficulty because the pitwall urged warning slightly than pushing to shut in on Piastri within the closing levels.

There was no such warning for Verstappen, who attacked Leclerc and obtained via with three laps left.

Piastri took the chequered flag and Norris nursed the second McLaren over the road regardless of dropping over three seconds to the chasing Russell on the final lap.

Fernando Alonso was the only retirement on lap 4 because the brakes on his Aston Martin gave up the ghost.

Chinese language Grand Prix outcomes