Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Review

The Formula 1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix is over! A lot went on this weekend with the Sprint, two qualifying sessions, and a main race, but what I mainly want to address in this column is the main race itself. We’ll talk all about the good, the bad, and the ugly in this race. Spaghetti Western fans will appreciate that little reference, I’m sure. 

It might be an overused reference, but so be it. It’s fun. Maybe that reference would be better suited for the Spanish or Italian GP reviews. Should have saved it. Can’t take it back now though! Let’s get into it, shall we?

The Good

Oscar Piastri converted his first-ever pole position into a win! The Aussie driver did his best to make up for the gap he created for himself in Australia after spinning off the track in tricky conditions. Lando Norris completed the 1-2 for McLaren and widened the gap between himself and Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship.

Mercedes doesn’t look like they have a race-winning car unless they are in cool conditions or it’s an off day for McLaren, but what they do have is a solid driver lineup in George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Russell snagged his second podium in a row and the rookie put up nice points yet again in P8.

Alex Albon now has more points in two races than he did all of last season, scoring 16 points between China and Australia. Carlos Sainz ended up with P10 when all was said and done, more on that later. Sainz is still learning the car and reports are his chassis is actually 2024 spec, so when he gets up to speed but also has an up-to-date chassis, Sainz has the potential to put up an incredible pace. It’s wheels up for Williams.

And, how can we forget Haas finishing P5 and P8? They certainly seemed to not only identify whatever was holding them back in Australia but also fix it. They, along with several other midfield drivers mentioned so far, did get lucky this race, but we will give them their flowers for improving regardless.

The Bad

Lance Stroll may have scored points yet again for Aston Martin, but Fernando Alonso suffering yet another DNF, through no fault of his own, is yet another setback. The team will be hoping Adrian Newey can build them a championship-contending car for 2026 while they get through this final year before the regulation change.

Newey’s former driver, Max Verstappen, also had a bit of a stinker by his lofty standards by coming in a lowly P4. The car is just not there for him this year, and though you can never count Max out, by the looks of things he will need nearly every race to be rainy to stand a chance at going for yet another title. Red Bull will look to improve, but Max has his work cut out for him.

Isack Hadjar suffered a minor bit of misfortune by pitting twice but still put in a decent result in P11. Yuki Tsunoda finished last of the runners after his race was destroyed by Jack Doohan, who finished P13 after a 10-second penalty was applied for colliding with Tsunoda. The Saubers of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto had a very quiet, uneventful race, finishing P14 and 15 respectfully.

The Ugly

Ferrari was looking hot until they weren’t. Lewis Hamilton managed to snag a win in the Sprint on Saturday. Leclerc somehow had a blistering pace in the main race despite having a broken front wing. But both Hamilton and Leclerc were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix, the former due to skid plate depth and the latter to a weight infringement. The Italian outfit leaves the second weekend of the season tied with Williams in constructors points and only three points ahead of Haas. Pierre Gasly also suffered a DSQ along with the Ferraris due to a weight infringement. Those three DSQ’s gave Haas and Williams double points and put Lance Stroll in the points as well.

Liam Lawson suffered back-to-back P20s in qualifying and it’s already rumored he could lose his seat to Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese GP. If the rumors are true, Lawson would be moved back to Racing Bulls where he performed well in prior stints to rebuild his confidence. It’s been a disaster of a start for Lawson one way or the other, and Red Bull has little patience with their secondary drivers. To give him some credit, he had an ok recovery drive, but it likely wasn’t up to what Red Bull wanted to see from him.

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Photo credit: Free Malaysia Today