Oscar Piastri will start the Chinese Grand Prix from pole position after breaking the track record in Shanghai.
Q1
For the second qualifying session in a row this weekend, Liam Lawson was not only eliminated in Q1, but last of all. But in an incredibly close session, he was only two-tenths of a second away from making the cut for Q2.Lawson’s final run was compromised when Pierre Gasly passed him before the last corner to lead him onto the start-finish straight. “I honestly don’t know why he needed to do that,” Lawson remarked.
Part of the answer was that it helped Gasly beat Lawson’s time. However that wasn’t quite enough for him to make the cut either. He led the drop zone at the end of Q1, six hundredths of a second away from progressing.
His team mate Jack Doohan spun during the session, and although he resumed he joined his team mate in elimination: Alpine the only team to lose both cars in the first round.
Two other rookies went no further. Having beaten his team mate in his first two qualifying sessions, Gabriel Bortoleto dropped out, as did Oliver Bearman.
In stark contrast to Lawson, Verstappen’s first run was so strong he didn’t need to join the rush at the end of the session. Norris moved to the top of the times during the final flurry, followed by the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda.
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Q1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’30.983 | |
| 2 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’31.162 | 0.179 |
| 3 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’31.238 | 0.255 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’31.295 | 0.312 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’31.424 | 0.441 |
| 6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’31.503 | 0.520 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’31.579 | 0.596 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’31.591 | 0.608 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’31.628 | 0.645 |
| 10 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’31.676 | 0.693 |
| 11 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’31.690 | 0.707 |
| 12 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’31.719 | 0.736 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’31.876 | 0.893 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’31.921 | 0.938 |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’31.923 | 0.940 |
| 16 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’31.992 | 1.009 |
| 17 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’32.018 | 1.035 |
| 18 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’32.092 | 1.109 |
| 19 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’32.141 | 1.158 |
| 20 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’32.174 | 1.191 |
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Q2
Norris asserted himself in the second round of qualifying, producing a 1’30.787 to comfortably head the times. Piastri backed him up in second place to begin with, and although Verstappen split the McLarens by the end of the session, he was still over three tenths of a second slower than Norris.
Hamilton appeared to have the pace to join them at the front but had a poor run through the final sector. That wasn’t enough to offer an opportunity for those looking to escape the drop zone, however, as he went through in eighth along with team mate Leclerc.
Isack Hadjar produced an excellent lap at the end of the session to reach Q3 for the first time at an unfamiliar circuit, a few thousandths of a second quicker than team mate Yuki Tsunoda.
Alexander Albon nabbed the final place in Q3 by three hundredths of a second. Carlos Sainz Jnr was almost three tenths of a second behind in the other Williams, and so tight was the field that he will start down in 15th.
Between them were the four others who dropped out. Nico Hulkenberg was poised to perform heroics for Sauber but slipped two places to 12th on the final runs. Esteban Ocon claimed 11th while Fernando Alonso beat Lance Stroll as Aston Martin claimed the seventh row.
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Q2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’30.787 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’31.142 | 0.355 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’31.200 | 0.413 |
| 4 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’31.253 | 0.466 |
| 5 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’31.260 | 0.473 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’31.307 | 0.520 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’31.450 | 0.663 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’31.501 | 0.714 |
| 9 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’31.590 | 0.803 |
| 10 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’31.595 | 0.808 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’31.625 | 0.838 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’31.632 | 0.845 |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’31.688 | 0.901 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’31.773 | 0.986 |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’31.840 | 1.053 |
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Q3
McLaren did better on their first runs in Q3 than they did in Melbourne. Piastri set the initial pace with a 1’30.703, while Norris all-but matched his best time from Q2, slotting into second.They displaced Verstappen, who was first to set a flying time, but Hamilton fell short of demoting the Red Bull by a mere two hundredths of a second. Russell ran two preparation laps and went fifth, separating Hamilton from Leclerc. Antonelli’s best time was only good enough for ninth, and then his time was deleted for a track limits infringement.
Verstappen had to contend with Hadjar’s Racing Bulls being waved into his path as he headed out for his final run. The stewards noted a potential unsafe release.
Few drivers managed to improve on their final runs. Verstappen set the quickest time through the first sector, which Norris almost matched, but both lost time through the middle of the lap, so much so that Norris abandoned his effort. Hamilton also couldn’t find any more time.
Piastri could, however, setting a new track record with a lap of 1’30.641. But McLaren’s hopes of another front row lock-out were ended by Russell, who was one of the last drivers to finish his lap and split the two orange cars to join Piastri on the front row.
While the Ferraris claimed the third row, Hadjar impressively took seventh on the grid ahead of Antonelli, Tsunoda and Albon.
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Q3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’30.641 | |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’30.723 | 0.082 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’30.793 | 0.152 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’30.817 | 0.176 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’30.927 | 0.286 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’31.021 | 0.380 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’31.079 | 0.438 |
| 8 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’31.103 | 0.462 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’31.638 | 0.997 |
| 10 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’31.706 | 1.065 |
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2025 Chinese Grand Prix
- Red Bull reassure Verstappen over ‘when we’ll have a winning car again’ in meeting
- Mercedes explain impact of Antonelli’s floor damage on his Chinese GP performance
- “I gave a lot of lap time away in that first stint”: Verstappen’s full Chinese GP radio
- Stats: Chinese Grand Prix saw most disqualifications in an F1 race for 21 years
- Even the best driver on the grid needs a team mate to push them – Norris
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
22nd March 2025, 8:33
Nice lap Oscar. Great job by George. Ferrari will be disappointed.
Really impressed with Racing Bulls, classic Tsunoda to pull zero result out of strong pace. About where I expect Antonelli to be.
Sainz will be miffed with that result. Norris had a champions drive last week, but this weekend has been appalling. Mistakes in both q3s and a very poor sprint.
Lawson…dear me. On a trajectory to lose his drive by mid season. Even Gasly wasn’t struggling like this.
PeteB (@peteb)
22nd March 2025, 13:49
I’m a bit suspicious of Ferrari suddenly losing pace… Everyone struggled with tyres in the sprint so I wonder if they’ve made some changes to give them more of an advantage in the race.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
22nd March 2025, 17:34
We need to put Red Bull’s T-Rumpian narrative to rest. Look at the racing bulls. A rookie nearly outqualified Leclerc in a Ferrari and Tsunoda was capable of definitely higher than P7.
This is just Horner and Marko shamelessly promoting Verstappen at the expense of other drivers. If they were that slow, they’d be out of F1 and yet 3-5 years later which is 100 races and an eternity in F1 for backmarkers and midfield drivers, they are still there. The way things are headed, Albon and Gasly may hit 400 Gran Prix for all we know :-)
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:24
Albon and gasly are ok midfield drivers, but they didn’t adapt to the red bull; neither did lawson so far, perez did better the first 1,5 years or so but worse than ricciardo, and still lost the way late 2022 and never found it again, there’s definitely something they’re doing wrong with the 2nd red bull driver.
Doggy
22nd March 2025, 19:26
Hate is a form of disease that will eat you. Just like Elsa said in Frozen: “let it go”
Seek help soon.
God bless
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
22nd March 2025, 21:33
@Doggy But not an argument, right? We have 10 drivers in new cars this season and all of them are adapting better than Lawson and all previous #2 Red Bull drivers.
Hamilton struggled but is now finding his footing and is driving against Leclerc who’s established himself as one of the fastest
Kimi Antonelli looks like he’s been driving for Mercedes for several seasons and he’s also going against a qualifying monster
Gabriel Bortoleto is doing a great job against another great qualifier
Isack Hadjar did a stellar job today
Sainz is struggling for some strange reason as he’s usually been quick to adapt in the past and has driven for 5 teams now
Doohan – too early to tell but just 0.1 seconds behind Gasly who was nearly matching Verstappen in the rain last season
Ocon in the Haas was P11
Hulkenberg was P12
That’s how you argue – with facts :-)
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:22
We can basically bet on lawson not just to get eliminated in q1, but start last, it’s like every time!
erikje (@erikje)
22nd March 2025, 8:50
This looks perfectly set for tomorrow. With the cars this close and tyre wear so high it’ll be mostly on the strategy. I expect the top 6 will split with some trying the 2 and some the 3 stop.
Ferrari looked great in great shape at the end of the sprint so I don’t think they’ll be too disappointed with p5 and p6. They are still very much in the fight for the win.
Jere (@jerejj)
22nd March 2025, 9:20
Another exciting qualifying, but how on Earth did Lawson finish dead last in both sessions, especially after having had a chance for set-up changes following the sprint?
However, claiming that Tsunoda would’ve done better in the RB21 in Melbourne the Chinese GP weekend thus far is too easy because such a scenario isn’t guaranteed by any means, nor would he be guaranteed of doing any better if they swapped during the season, so this recurring Red Bull Racing thing is clearly about something deeper or more fundamental than drivers themselves.
anon
22nd March 2025, 10:13
@jerejj Lawson has put some of it down to the fact that this is the first time he’s raced in China, meaning that he’s unfamiliar with the circuit, and the reduction in the amount of practice time that the drivers get meant that he was also unable to get the car set up how he wanted it to be. Now, those factors are certainly not going to be helping him in this situation, but how much else you want to read into that is another matter.
MichaelN
22nd March 2025, 11:58
That excuse seems a bit weak when we have other rookies doing much better relative to their teammate.
I get it, Verstappen is great etc. But Lawson can’t put it in the top 10? That seems hard to believe.
But I doubt Lawson is wholly to blame. Something seems off about that second Red Bull.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:27
The point is, like you hinted at, lawson is like 1 second behind verstappen, and for that to happen you need to be the worst driver in f1 currently, he should be 5 tenths off, even based on his own form in TR, he’s just miles off his best now that he’s in red bull.
BMW P85 V10
22nd March 2025, 19:41
It’s not only the second Red Bull, Max also claims his Red Bull is OK, but still unpredictable. Looks like the same gem is still present in that car which can perform perfect if weather, temperature, track surface etc are all withing its small window.
DaveW (@dmw)
22nd March 2025, 13:37
Hard for me to credit new track issues. He’s not a random person playing a console. He’s been driving all kinds of tracks in lower formulae and has a simulator at his disposal. This is also his second qualifying session at the same track in two days! He can be surprised by either the track or the routine of preparing tires etc. It’s a retake for the exam the next day with the answer sheet.
Leo B
22nd March 2025, 9:37
This is not going to be good for Stella’s blood pressure, esp when Max passes Norris at the first corner.
anon
22nd March 2025, 10:31
Leo B, we did also see during the sprint race that several drivers struggled with tyre wear, and Verstappen’s pace dropped off quite noticeably in the final few laps of his stint in the sprint race.
Red Bull have been talking about having problems with higher than expected tyre wear, although it is early days, the MCL39 does seem to be similar to the MCL38, in that the handling balance seems to be better when they are running on harder compound tyres. It might be that, even if Verstappen were to get ahead off the line, he might struggle to stay there over the course of the race.
It’s probably more of a question of how Ferrari do in the race – if they manage to carry their wear advantage from the sprint race into the main race, it may be that McLaren have to worry more about them than about Verstappen.
An Sionnach
22nd March 2025, 12:42
Yes. If he can avoid over-using his tyres, I think Lewis is in with a chance. Otherwise, it’s Piastri’s to lose. Lando seems to have trouble driving on this track full stop. Hopefully he won’t continue in full Lando mode for the rest of the season – either putting it on the front row or not setting a representative time at all. He would do well to watch how Lewis is driving here. In the comparison with Max, he seems to brake earlier and then get more exit speed.
George will still be there. Perhaps unspectacular on Sunday, but like a metronomic scavenger waiting to inherit places should someone make a mistake.
For Lewis, there are a good few tough customers to get past – Max, George and Oscar. That might be a little unfair to Lando, but I still think his strength is sailing off into the distance when he gets into the lead.
An Sionnach
22nd March 2025, 12:44
Don’t know what will happen. I’m reasonably confident that Max will go backwards. At least Hadjar and Tsunoda will never pass him.
SteveP
22nd March 2025, 14:12
I’ve seen comments, and I agree, that this trouble driving doesn’t seem to be track specific.
George? Hmm, I’d say he tends to be hard on the tyres, so, add in the new and rather abrasive track surface, and you’re not looking at a good outcome.
An Sionnach
22nd March 2025, 18:13
Funny! Well, too early to say, but perhaps this will be a rude awakening for Leclerc and Sainz. Lewis must surely have lost something at this stage, and consistency is an issue. Other than Max and Lewis, who on the grid can step step up to a similar level? Lando, Leclerc & Co. Might comfort themselves with dreams of championships in the years after they both get bored and leave. Unless someone like Bortoleto or Antonelli step in.
BMW P85 V10
22nd March 2025, 19:45
Agree with Ferrari being more of a problem on race pace/ tire ware. But that doesn’t mean Norris could be in trouble if Max passes him. Max might back up Norris into the Ferrari’s.
Norris had himself had a stretch of laps where he wasn’t able to put in decent lap times. The tires came back to him later in the race whereas Piastri also dropped pace massively after he had passed Max.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
22nd March 2025, 9:38
Delighted for Oscar of course and great to see George fighting hard to be up there at the sharp end.
Yuki and Isack are rapidly becoming a major fascination for me. They are starting to make that second RB team look better than the main team.
I’m not a conspiracy theory type of guy, but if it turns out that Red Bull are actively sabotaging their second car then I will not be surprised.
Lawson can not be that bad – something strange going on there with that car….
Doggy
22nd March 2025, 10:35
Yes, its soo weird bro…I also heard that planet earth is not a sphere. People have been lying to us. It’s a cube. But shhh don’t share this info with others…
SteveP
22nd March 2025, 14:14
No, no, no.
A disc, on the back of four world size elephants, standing on a space turtle.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:30
If red bull were sabotating their own car, what would be the point of replacing perez and spending 15 mil to do so?
Doggy
22nd March 2025, 19:28
@esploratore1 how dare you trying to bring logic and common sense. That is so not cool of you
Ekkr
22nd March 2025, 9:38
So Tsunoda automatically gets discredited without having had a chance?
WheeledWarrior
22nd March 2025, 9:56
Oh dear, Lawson. We all know where this is heading.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
22nd March 2025, 11:09
Put whoever in that second Red Bill can and they’ll struggle. Lawson’s not my cup of tea but that car is tricky, no question about it
Doggy
22nd March 2025, 19:43
I agree with you @fer-no65. Question to
You and @esploratore1:, if you are Horner, which driver you would have given the sit?
Everyone has polar opinions: from giving it to Sainz , to all the way to keeping Perez.
I think this is one of those cases where you’re doomed if you do and doomed if you dont
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
22nd March 2025, 11:10
Still early days for Lawson but his situation won’t be helped by everyone pouncing on his slightest mistake. This performance does seem a little substandard. But it was very close.
Too early to write him off just yet, but I expect Red Bull will be thinking about their choices if his performance don’t improve by around half way though the season.
Patrick (@anunaki)
22nd March 2025, 11:22
Max is looking like he’s going Prost mode this season. Salvaging points where possible.
Great lap from Russel, giving McLaren some headaches at the start.
Racing Bulls look really fast and Ferrari disappointing a bit.
Hopefully we get an exiting race with 3 stops instead of a managing race with 2.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:31
Yes, noticed as well, verstappen was doing like that even early on in 2022, when ferrari looked faster.
DaveW (@dmw)
22nd March 2025, 13:20
It’s roughly consistent with sprint qualifying—-this time both McLarens didn’t mess up their laps but Ferrari and Verstapoen and Russell basically a dead heat again. If Hamilton can manage his tires in the first stint he could be the favorite still. He just walked away from Piastri end of stint yesterday.
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
22nd March 2025, 13:31
I like Lawson’s honesty. He blames himself by not getting the tyres in the right window. He is smart enough to figure it out. I think he will come good eventually.
Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
22nd March 2025, 15:59
There is nothing that makes sense about the second Red Bull, testing showed no indication the Lawson was off the pace, how is he slower that he was in the RB? This can’t be just a driver issue, I was hard on Perez and i still think he didnt deservebthe seat, but there is something fundamentally wrong with how the Red Bull works out of the hands of Max. But we will never know unless the other duvers soeak up. Reading Mark Webers book is a real eye openner and I feel his insight still rings true.
Edvaldo
22nd March 2025, 16:31
I think they went too deep in the way they designed the car to suit Max’s driving style (of course they do that, why wouldn’t they!?), like Schumacher’s Benetton cars that other drivers thought were terrible when they get to drive them.
Lawson is too inexperienced to sit there and straight away do a reasonable job. They threw him under the bus.
Tsunoda has been asking for a shot for years, their deal with Honda ends at the end of the season and he most likely will be leaving the sister team as well. It would be the easiest decision in the world to put him there this year, then Lawson the next year, but somehow they messed that. Were probably afraid Yuki’d do better than expected and changing the drivers needlessly would make them look dumb. I wouldn’t doubt that’s the reason as they had already looked pretty dumb signing Perez and then buying the contract months later.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:34
Agree, both silly decision to not give the most experienced driver they had a chance and to extend perez’s contract in the middle of a disaster-streak.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:34
decisions*
Maciek (@maciek)
22nd March 2025, 16:46
Lawson, ouch. Here I thought his sprint race signalled something better.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
22nd March 2025, 17:29
@maciek Well, presumably in any other car he would have reached Q3 as we’re finding out when people leave Red Bull.
The saga continues – it’s clearly the worst car ever made. It just happens to have 283 podiums, 122 victories, 103 poles, and 99 fastest laps out of 394 starts. And Red Bull call themselves a constructor – shame on them ;-) The team should have been relegated to 2nd division 10 years ago.
Imagine being forced to drive that car – it’s akin to being relegated to GP3 while being a Formula 1 driver. Probably worse. I’m sure Helmut and Christian fully agree.
Of course, I’m just kidding and that car turned on wins pole all day long.
Edvaldo
22nd March 2025, 17:40
It’s about time they promote Max to the team with the good car. He more than deserves it!
If he does this with the Red Bull that makes Lawson look like an amateur, imagine him with the…Visa etcetera car, it would be total domination!
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
22nd March 2025, 17:23
After Albon who reached Q3 in a Williams, Gasly, Perez, I think it’s high time to put to rest the claim that only Verstappen can get the best out of the Red Bull and Red Bull would be finishing P20 if it had anyone but Verstappen.
Even the Racing Bulls both made it to Q3 with a rookie in one.
Clearly the advantage of having a clear #1 driver prevents point cannibalization from the 2nd driver in the fight for the WDC as Martin Brundle explained.
Oh, oh, oh what about the WCC? It means more because it’s where all the money comes from. The team literally has a 2nd testing team, their own circuit and a billionaire with $27 billion.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:37
Just think about ricciardo, he was pretty close back in 2016-2018 and could beat verstappen in quali on occasion, or perez 2021, who was a decent number 2, roughly bottas-level; somehow he just got worse after a while he was at red bull, you would think he would get better after adapting to the car.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
22nd March 2025, 18:38
Yes, they can easily not care about the wcc money with how much they have, however they also kept perez a bit long for his performances, allegedly because he was bringing lots of money.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
22nd March 2025, 21:18
@esploratore1
Exactly – they are always going to be one of the top teams anyway so it really makes almost no difference.
I think they kept Perez for a few reasons – he helped Max win his 1st WDC, he clearly allowed Verstappen to excel, and he was liked.
Yes, you’d think that would eventually happen but it clearly only happens after they move to another team.