SHANGHAI — At the Chinese Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri triumphed over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, marking McLaren`s continued strong performance in the second race of the Formula 1 season. Ferrari experienced a difficult aftermath with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both disqualified after the race.
The race was heavily influenced by tyre management. Piastri, starting from pole position, maintained his lead and smoothly secured victory using a one-stop strategy.
This win comes after a setback for Piastri in the season-opening race in Australia, where he spun out from second position the previous week.
Piastri communicated with his team after winning, praising the car and their reaction to tyre degradation. He expressed his satisfaction with the team`s effort throughout the weekend.
In a post-race interview, Piastri conveyed his surprise at the victory, noting the exceptional performance of the car and the unexpected tyre behavior. He felt this win compensated for his previous week`s disappointment.
Norris finished 9.7 seconds behind Piastri, encountering brake pedal issues in the race`s final stages.
Norris, still leading the championship due to his win in the first race, couldn`t challenge Piastri for the lead. He had to overtake George Russell to reclaim second place after Mercedes gained an advantage during pit stops.
Post-race, Norris mentioned experiencing “fun moments” and had hoped for a better start but was overtaken by Russell in the pits. Despite brake issues causing concern in the final laps, he expressed happiness with second place and valuable points for the team`s one-two finish. He acknowledged Piastri`s excellent drive and deserved win.
Russell completed the podium in third, advancing to third in the championship standings, just one point ahead of Piastri and nine behind Norris.
Russell acknowledged McLaren`s slight speed advantage but emphasized the crucial points gained. He described the race as one of his best in F1, realizing early on that a one-stop strategy was feasible and easier than anticipated.
Although Russell briefly held second place after pit stops, he couldn`t maintain it against Norris at Turn 1 on Lap 18.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished fourth after passing Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc late in the race. However, this position became largely insignificant after Ferrari faced disqualifications for both cars post-race.
Leclerc, initially finishing fifth, was disqualified due to his car being underweight (below 800kg). Lewis Hamilton was also disqualified from sixth place due to excessive wear on the plank under his car.
Pierre Gasly of Alpine, who finished 11th, also faced disqualification for an underweight car, adding to Ferrari`s and Alpine`s troubles.
Earlier in the race, Leclerc damaged his front wing in a minor collision with his teammate Hamilton on the first lap. Despite this, Leclerc appeared faster and eventually overtook Hamilton after a position swap.
Hamilton, struggling with tyre management, opted for a two-stop strategy while the leading cars used a one-stop approach. This strategy made little difference, as Hamilton finished close to Leclerc before their disqualifications.
Following the Ferrari disqualifications, Esteban Ocon of Haas secured fifth place, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes in sixth.
Alex Albon of Williams finished seventh, followed by Oliver Bearman of Haas in eighth. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz moved into the top ten after the disqualifications.
Formula 1 honored Eddie Jordan with a minute of silence before the race, following the former F1 team owner`s death at age 76.
Dominic Ashworth