Piastri Triumphs at Chinese Grand Prix with Dominant Drive Ahead of Norris and Russell
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Synopsis
Oscar Piastri secured a brilliant victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, bouncing back from a previous mistake. His teammate Lando Norris followed closely, ensuring a McLaren 1-2 finish. Piastri's masterful control throughout the race solidified his title ambitions, while Russell and Verstappen faced challenges in a thrilling race.
Key Takeaways
- Piastri claims victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.
- McLaren secures a 1-2 finish with Norris in second place.
- Most drivers completed the race with only one pit stop.
- Brake issues affected Norris towards the end.
- Esteban Ocon delivers impressive performance for Haas.
Shanghai, March 23 (NationPress) Oscar Piastri redeemed himself from the disappointment of a late-race error at last week’s 2025 season opener in Australia by successfully converting his pole position into a convincing victory at the Chinese Grand Prix – leading his teammate Lando Norris for a stunning McLaren 1-2 finish.
Piastri expertly managed the 56-lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit, maintaining control from the outset without making any mistakes in a much more stable second race of the season, which revolved around the strategy of one versus two pit stops.
Ultimately, the top five finishers – and most of the competitors – only made a single pit stop, with Piastri skillfully establishing and maintaining a lead over Norris throughout their two stints, ultimately crossing the finish line first and marking the beginning of his title challenge.
Norris remained approximately three seconds behind Piastri in the later stages but faced a developing brake issue and was advised by the McLaren pit crew to avoid taking risks – ensuring the team secured that flawless finish.
After losing ground early on, George Russell attempted to complicate matters for Norris as the race progressed, momentarily reclaiming second place during the pit stop phase, but Norris had sufficient pace to secure P2 despite his late braking troubles.
Max Verstappen anticipated a challenging race for Red Bull following their Sprint performance, ultimately finishing in fourth place, just ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who made contact dramatically on the opening lap.
Leclerc continued racing with a damaged front wing, opting against changing it in the pits, while Hamilton was the only leading driver to execute a two-stop strategy – his series of fastest laps not quite compensating for the time lost during the tire swap.
Esteban Ocon achieved an impressive seventh place for Haas after a challenging start to 2025, followed by the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, the lead Williams of Alex Albon and teammate Ollie Bearman, who both denied points to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll from Aston Martin.
The adjustment period for Carlos Sainz at Williams continued as he finished in 13th place, while Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls took 14th after making two stops and being involved in a late incident with Jack Doohan, who received a penalty.
Liam Lawson finished in a disappointing 15th for Red Bull, followed by Doohan, the struggling Kick Saubers of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, and the Racing Bulls car of Yuki Tsunoda, who had to pit a third time due to front wing damage, while Fernando Alonso retired early because of brake issues.
