Chinese Grand Prix: McLaren Achieves 1-2 Victory, Ferrari Cars Disqualified

Oscar Piastri triumphed over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in a commanding 1-2 finish at the Chinese Grand Prix. Ferrari faced a setback as both of their drivers were disqualified due to rule violations regarding their cars.

Piastri, starting from pole position, maintained his lead throughout the race, securing his third Formula 1 win. This victory was a strong comeback after his spin at the previous race in Melbourne.

Norris experienced a brake issue in the final laps, but managed to hold onto second place ahead of George Russell, who secured his second consecutive podium finish of the season in third.

Key Moments:

• Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the Chinese GP.
• Full race results and driver ratings available.
• F1 2025 schedule and championship standings are updated.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton initially finished fifth and sixth, respectively, but both were later disqualified for having illegal cars. This resulted in Ferrari leaving the Shanghai race without any points.

Hamilton`s disqualification was due to excessive wear on the plank underneath his Ferrari, a similar issue that cost him second place at the 2023 United States GP when he was driving for Mercedes.

Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, who initially finished 11th, were also disqualified due to their cars being underweight. Both cars were found to be 1kg below the minimum weight limit of 800kg.

Leclerc had front wing damage from an early collision with Hamilton, which persisted throughout the race. Despite the FIA replacing the damaged wing with a standard one, the car remained underweight.

Esteban Ocon achieved his first points for Alpine in fifth place, followed by Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes in sixth, and Alex Albon of Williams in seventh.

British rookie Oliver Bearman made an impressive climb through the field using an alternative strategy to finish eighth.

Lance Stroll of Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz of Williams were promoted into the points-scoring positions after the disqualifications.

Piastri Dominates, Norris Battles Brake Issues

Excluding pit stops, Piastri led every lap of the Chinese Grand Prix, demonstrating his potential as a title contender.

He strategically squeezed Russell at Turn 1, aiding Norris in securing second place, highlighting the importance of track position in Shanghai.

Despite being briefly overtaken by Russell after the pit stops, Norris quickly regained second position.

Towards the end of the race, Norris reported a `long pedal` due to brake problems and reduced his pace, but still maintained a 1.3-second lead over Russell.

Reigning champion Max Verstappen finished fourth, maximizing his car`s performance after initially appearing to be in sixth place.

McLaren`s strong 1-2 finish places them 25 points ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors` Championship, with Red Bull trailing by 42 points and Ferrari by 61, heading into the Suzuka race in two weeks.

In other race developments, Haas driver Bearman`s alternative hard-medium tire strategy proved effective, enabling him to climb to eighth place after initial 10th.

Red Bull`s Liam Lawson finished in 12th, while rookie Jack Doohan received a penalty for track limits infringement, finishing 13th.

Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar, who were initially in points contention, dropped back due to Racing Bull`s two-stop strategy.

Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin was the only retirement due to a brake issue.

Chinese GP Result Table

Driver Quotes: Top Three Finishers

Oscar Piastri, McLaren – 1st: `It was an amazing weekend from beginning to end. The car performed exceptionally well throughout. Today`s race was somewhat unexpected in terms of tire behavior.`

`I`m incredibly proud of the entire weekend. This result feels like what I should have achieved last week. The team did an outstanding job securing a one-two finish. I`m very pleased.`

`The medium tires were still a bit challenging but better than yesterday, and the hard tires were much better than anticipated, especially for us.`

`Finishing the race on the hard tires was a bit surprising, but a welcome surprise.`

Lando Norris, McLaren – 2nd: `There were some exciting moments. The start went as planned at Turn 1. George overtook me during the pit stops, which made me a bit anxious, but our pace improved significantly in the second stint.`

`It was a demanding race with tire management. A one-stop strategy was unexpected for many, so it was a good race. Oscar drove excellently and was fast all race.`

`I tried to close the gap but couldn`t ultimately. He deserved the victory and performed exceptionally all weekend. I`m happy with second place; it`s valuable points, and a one-two is fantastic for the team. It`s exactly how we wanted the race to unfold.`

George Russell, Mercedes – 3rd: `I`m very happy with P3. We knew McLaren had a slight pace advantage, but these are crucial points. Congratulations to both McLaren drivers.`

`I suspected early on that a one-stop strategy might be feasible, and it turned out to be easier than anticipated.`

However, the car has been excellent this weekend, and this is probably one of my best Formula 1 weekends in terms of overall performance, so I’m really satisfied with that.`

Formula 1 next heads to the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix on April 4-6.