The Australian driver has made amends after his disappointment at last weekend’s Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, recording his first win of the season.
Oscar Piastri has bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Melbourne to win the 2025 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris and Mercedes-AMG driver George Russell.
Piastri led the 56-lap race from the front, having scored his first career F1 Grand Prix pole position on Saturday, hours after finishing second to Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari in the Sprint race.
It comes a week after Piastri’s heartbreak in Melbourne where a spin saw his chance of victory slip away at Albert Park – with not even a slow pit stop able to stop Piastri’s redemption drive in Shanghai today.
MORE: Lando Norris wins chaotic F1 Australian Grand Prix after Piastri spins out of contention
“It’s been an incredible weekend from start to finish – the car’s been pretty mega the whole time,” Piastri said after the race.
“It wasn’t an easy one going in – [I’m] just proud of the whole team … proud of the whole weekend and what I feel like I deserve from last week, so I’m extremely happy.”
It was Piastri’s third Grand Prix career victory – and his 28th consecutive point-scoring race weekend – with last week’s Australian Grand Prix winner Lando Norris crossing the line 9.7 seconds behind, making it McLaren’s 50th one-two finish in Formula One.
Norris started the race in third, after George Russell managed to split the McLarens in his Mercedes-AMG in qualifying to start second alongside pole-sitter Piastri.
After Piastri held onto the lead at the start, Norris made his way past Russell in the first two corners to see the McLarens set the pace throughout the Grand Prix – but the British driver never mounted a serious challenge to Piastri.
Towards the end of the race, the gap between the McLarens blew out from around 3.5 seconds to nearly 10 seconds as Norris nursed brake problems, but his slower pace wasn’t enough for Russell to take second.
“It’s scary – it’s like my worst nightmare. I was losing two, three, four, seconds [over] the last couple of laps so I was a bit scared, but we survived and made it to the end,” Norris said.
“I was lucky to finish the race today … I would have loved to have given it a little try and put Oscar under a little bit of pressure, but not today.”
Beaten by Norris in the battle off the start, Russell managed to jump the McLaren to take back second place after the first and only round of pit stops during the race.
The resurfaced Shanghai circuit – and a new compound of Pirelli tyre – saw most teams uncertain of whether to make one pit stop or two during the race, but in the end, the top five finishers all opted for a single stop.
Norris retook second place from Russell after pitting on lap 16 – one lap after the Mercedes-AMG driver and race leader Piastri, with the Australian’s unusually long 3.8-second stop not enough to allow Russell to take the lead.
Behind the top three was an intra-team battle between the Ferraris, with Hamilton having started fifth after his stunning Sprint race win on Saturday, ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc in sixth.
Both jumped world champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull off the start – the Dutch driver having qualified fourth – but the two Ferraris also touched, causing damage to Leclerc’s car but not enough to significantly impact his pace.
Despite a dominant showing in the 19-lap Sprint, Hamilton struggled for speed in the Grand Prix, letting Leclerc past given he had better pace – but he too was not fast enough to knock Russell off the podium.
A flash of speed late in the race saw a patient Verstappen snatch fourth place from Leclerc, who finished ahead of Hamilton after the Brit rolled the dice and pulled in for a second pit stop – the only front-runner to do so.
Despite the fresher tyres, Hamilton still lacked pace on the younger tyres to make the gamble pay off, crossing the finish line in sixth – although he did post the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, at one minute and 35.069 seconds.
Piastri’s success contrasted with that of fellow Australian Jack Doohan, who crossed the line in 14th place after starting 18th for Alpine.
An intense battle with fellow rookie Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls saw him issued his second 10-second penalty in as many days after he was handed one in Saturday’s Sprint to drop him to 20th.
While Norris has maintained his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 44 points, only three points split second-placed Verstappen (36) from Russell (35) and Piastri (34).
McLaren comfortably leads the constructors’ title chase with 78 points, ahead of Mercedes-AMG (53), Red Bull (36) and Ferrari (35).
The next race is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on April 6, 2025.
2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix race results
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren Mercedes
- Lando Norris, McLaren Mercedes +9.748sec
- George Russell, Mercedes 56 +11.097sec
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT +16.656sec
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +23.211sec
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +25.381sec
- Esteban Ocon, Haas Ferrari +49.969sec
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes +53.748sec
- Alexander Albon, Williams Mercedes +56.321sec
- Oliver Bearman, Haas Ferrari +61.303sec
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine Renault +67.195sec
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes +70.204sec
- Carlos Sainz, Williams Mercedes +76.387sec
- Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Honda RBPT +78.875sec
- Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT +81.147sec
- Jack Doohan, Alpine Renault +88.401sec
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Kick Sauber Ferrari +1 lap
- Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber Ferrari +1 lap
- Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls Honda RBPT +1 lap
DNF: Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes, 4 laps completed
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