Winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Chinese Grand Prix

F1 2025’s second race of the season in Shanghai was held in vastly completely 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 house 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 absolutely by no means simply assumed he would have it his personal manner this yr, however Piastri has positively proven indicators that he has taken learnings from an inconsistent 2024 marketing campaign and turn out to be a stronger contender already. With one win apiece, each drivers’ title campaigns are up and working.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Picture by: Jade Gao – Getty Pictures

Lewis Hamilton‘s wonderful 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 principle 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 notably comfy. They have been finally powerless to maintain Max Verstappen at bay after a woeful medium-tyre opening stint for the Dutchman.

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

Winner: Max Verstappen

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

Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Pictures

You must hand it to Max Verstappen. One week after swooping in to smash and seize second in Australia, the Dutchman snatched one other consequence his flawed RB21 did not actually deserve. Verstappen has developed an air of inevitability, extracting greater than the automotive appears able to, as we are going to focus on additional under. However amid Pink 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, nevertheless it will not be for a scarcity of making an attempt. Arguably, the way in which he has been manhandling the 2025 Pink Bull is as spectacular – if no more – than a few of his title-winning campaigns.

Loser: Pink Bull

Liam Lawson, Pink Bull Racing

Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Pictures

However even the fast and mercurially proficient Verstappen does not have the escape velocity to defy the gravity of Pink Bull’s downturn. Incoming Liam Lawson has been going by way of a shiver-inducing nightmare of a Pink Bull stint, and even dangers going through the axe as early as Japan, in response to our sources.

However whereas Yuki Tsunoda could or could not have been a greater decide, Lawson’s failure to stand up to hurry up to now can be Pink Bull’s.

Pink Bull has burnt a number of drivers in that second seat now, and it’s clear the crew has not addressed the automotive stability woes that pissed off Verstappen and defeated Sergio Perez final yr, with Verstappen asserting that Lawson would have been a lot faster driving the sister crew’s Racing Bulls automotive.

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

Winner: Haas

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

Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Pictures

We have been genuinely anxious for Haas after a sobering Australia curtain raiser, however the crew has reacted to the VF-25’s poor maiden outing in the very best manner with a double factors end. On the usual medium-hard strategy- however with a really early pitstop that labored out nicely –  Esteban Ocon confirmed strong 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 a particularly lengthy stint on the extra brittle medium tyres. However Bearman held agency and received his elbows out in visitors to choose up some extent, which ended up changing 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 an entire crew we confirmed that,” a buoyant crew boss Ayao Komatsu mused. The aerodynamic downside Haas found in Australia remains to be there, even when it went comparatively unpunished in China, however the crew capitalised on the alternatives this weekend threw its manner. You possibly can’t ask for greater than that.

Loser: Racing Bulls

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

Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool

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

There are positives for the Anglo-Italian crew, although. There may be extra proof its automotive is quick throughout completely different layouts and observe situations, and Hadjar has rebounded admirably from his nightmare Australia exit with a vastly spectacular weekend, outqualifying Tsunoda in all three qualifying phases on Saturday.

George Russell, Mercedes

Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Pictures

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 wonderful weekend. Russell had no enterprise splitting the McLarens in qualifying – courtesy of a Norris slip-up on the hairpin – and gave it a superb 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 say his second podium in as many races.

That consistency goes to go a good distance when the highest groups are so carefully matched, and up to now 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

Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures

Carlos Sainz nearly escapes an entry once more after not getting up to speed with the Williams as quickly as he would have liked. 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 crew to not rating factors but, having missed an opportunity to profit from Ferrari’s double DSQ by Pierre Gasly‘s automotive being thrown out as nicely for lacking the load 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 way in which.

Alpine clearly has a significantly better beginning package deal than final yr’s chubby machine, however in the meanwhile it will likely be pissed off to simply be on the mistaken facet of what’s a particularly shut midfield.