Last week, a rain shower spoiled Oscar Piastri‘s home race in Melbourne, but his redemption comes faster than expected. With a long Sunday drive, he wins the Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of teammate Lando Norris and George Russell. Max Verstappen minimizes the damage in the toothless RB21, finishing fourth.
THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX AT A GLANCE
ROUND 1/56: On the way to the first corner, George Russell tries to outsmart polesitter Oscar Piastri, but without success. In fact, the Brit loses a spot to Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris in his attempt. The McLarens are thus in 1st and 2nd place. Max Verstappen loses ground in the opening round, both Ferraris overtake him. Charles Leclerc loses a piece of the front wing in his duel with colleague Lewis Hamilton.
ROUND 5/56: Fernando Alonso is the first dropout in Shanghai. The Spanish veteran in the service of Aston Martin has problems with the brakes of the AMR25, which seem to be on fire. Leclerc can continue to drive until the first tire stop despite slight damage to the front wing.
ROUND 16/56: Excitement at the Shanghai International Circuit: Piastri gets new tires and loses the lead to Alex Albon. The Thai Brit is the ninth driver to lead a GP on his birthday. Max Verstappen (Russia 2018) and Carlos Sainz (Italy 2024) were among those who preceded him. Norris is less happy after the first tire stops: he has to give up his second place to Russell. Not for long though, the championship leader quickly recovers. Verstappen plays no significant role at the front. Red Bull’s RB21 is, as he indicated before the race, not competitive enough.
Lap 21/56
After some persuasion and slight hesitation, Lewis Hamilton finally heeds the request from the pit wall to let his colleague Charles Leclerc pass. Remarkably, the Monegasque, even with a damaged front wing, is faster than the Brit! Leclerc immediately pulls away from Hamilton and swiftly sets off in pursuit of Russell.
Lap 32/56
McLaren has asked leader Piastri to ease off a bit and thus help Norris to widen the gap with Russell, who is in third place. The teamwork pays off: the margin with Russell has grown to just over two seconds. Leclerc has given up his first attempt to knock the Brit off P3.
Lap 38/56
Hamilton notices that Max Verstappen is rapidly closing in behind him. Ferrari therefore decides to bring the Brit in for a second stop. He loses P5 to the Dutchman, but now has new tires on the car for a late attack.
Lap 48/56
Yuki Tsunoda, who initially seemed on his way to a possible seventh place, comes in for an unplanned stop. His front wing has been broken off by turbulence from a predecessor on the track (Carlos Sainz), it seems… For the Japanese driver, it’s another missed opportunity to score a significant number of World Championship points.
Lap 53/56
Verstappen moves up a spot at the expense of Leclerc. With a solid overtaking maneuver, he takes possession of fourth place. That’s where it will stay, as Russell (P3) is more than six seconds ahead of him.
Lap 56/56
Piastri wins his third GP in service of McLaren. The disappointment of Melbourne is erased just a week later, and he seems ready to challenge colleague Norris in the fight for the world title. The Brit finishes second and extends his lead in the World Championship. Russell finishes the Chinese GP as the last podium guest, with Verstappen just missing out.
