Oscar Piastri Triumphs as McLaren Dominates Chinese Grand Prix, While Ferrari Faces Disqualification Setbacks
Oscar Piastri claimed victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, outpacing his teammate Lando Norris as McLaren showcased their superiority in the second race of the new Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, Ferrari endured a post-race setback with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton disqualified. In a race focused on tyre management, Piastri maintained his lead from pole position and cruised to victory with a single pit stop strategy. This win came as a redemption after his earlier spin-out from second place in the Australian Grand Prix just a week prior. “The car was fantastic, and great job on managing the [tyre] degradation,” Piastri communicated to his team after the race. “Great team effort; what a satisfying weekend.” In post-race remarks, he expressed surprise: “It’s been an incredible weekend, the car performed superbly. Today was unexpected, considering how the tyres behaved differently. This is what I felt I deserved last week.”
Norris finished 9.7 seconds behind after facing brake pedal issues in the race’s closing laps. Despite leading the championship due to his victory in the season-opener, he couldn’t challenge Piastri and had to regain second place from George Russell after losing it during pit stops. Post-race, Norris commented: “There were a few thrilling moments. The start was as I hoped, but George got ahead during pit stops. It was nerve-wracking, but the second stint was better. Oscar drove brilliantly and deserved the win. I’m pleased with second place; great points for the team with a one-two finish. The brake pedal issue in the final laps was alarming, losing seconds rapidly, but we made it through.”
Russell clinched the third spot on the podium, elevating him to third in the championship, just one point ahead of Piastri and nine behind Norris. “Finishing P3 is a fantastic result,” Russell remarked. “McLaren was just a bit quicker, but we secured crucial points. I sensed early on that a one-stop strategy was feasible, and it was simpler than anticipated. This was one of my best weekends in F1.” Russell initially lost second place to Norris at the start, regained it after the pit stops, but couldn’t maintain his lead at Turn 1 on Lap 18.
Max Verstappen grabbed fourth place for Red Bull, overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the closing laps, although this proved largely moot as Ferrari’s cars were disqualified post-race. Leclerc was penalized for his car’s weight being under the 800 kg minimum, while Hamilton faced disqualification for excessive plank wear. Pierre Gasly from Alpine also faced disqualification for an underweight car, contributing to Ferrari’s disappointing Sunday.