Chinese Grand Prix: McLaren’s Piastri Victorious, Norris Second, Ferrari Cars Disqualified

Oscar Piastri outperformed his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, achieving a commanding one-two finish at the Chinese Grand Prix. Both Ferrari drivers were later disqualified due to car irregularities.

Starting from pole position, Piastri maintained his lead throughout the race, securing his third Formula 1 victory. This win marks a strong comeback after his spin in the previous race in Melbourne.

Norris faced a brake issue in the final laps but managed to hold onto second place, ahead of Russell who finished third, achieving his second podium in a row this season.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc initially finished fifth and sixth, respectively, but were both disqualified for rule violations, resulting in zero points for Ferrari in Shanghai.

Hamilton`s disqualification was due to excessive wear on the plank underneath his Ferrari, a similar infraction that cost him second place at the 2023 United States Grand Prix when he was driving for Mercedes.

Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, who initially finished 11th, were disqualified because their cars were underweight, both found to be 1kg below the minimum weight limit of 800kg.

Despite minor contact with Hamilton in the first lap causing front wing damage for Leclerc, the FIA`s replacement with an official wing did not resolve the car`s underweight issue.

Esteban Ocon, in fifth, secured his first points for Haas, followed by Mercedes` Kimi Antonelli in sixth and Williams` Alex Albon in seventh.

British rookie Oliver Bearman drove impressively, gaining positions in the latter part of the race with an alternative strategy, finishing eighth.

Following the disqualifications, Aston Martin`s Lance Stroll and Williams` Carlos Sainz were moved up into the points, finishing ninth and tenth respectively.

Piastri Leads to Victory, Norris Battles Brake Issues

Except for the pit stop phase, Piastri led every lap of the Chinese Grand Prix, demonstrating his potential as a title contender this season.

Piastri assisted Norris by holding back Russell at the first corner, allowing Norris to overtake and secure second place, highlighting the importance of track position in Shanghai.

Although Russell briefly overtook Norris during the first pit stops, Norris quickly regained second position with an overtake into the first corner.

Towards the end of the race, Norris was closing the gap to Piastri but was advised to manage his tires, preventing him from getting closer than two seconds to his teammate.

In the last laps, Norris reported a brake issue, causing him to ease off, but he maintained enough lead to stay ahead of Russell by 1.3 seconds.

Reigning champion Verstappen finished fourth, maximizing his car`s performance after initially appearing to be in sixth position.

Verstappen moved up to fifth after Hamilton`s second pit stop and overtook Leclerc with a move around the outside at Turn 3.

McLaren`s pace is a concern for Red Bull and Ferrari, who finished over 15 seconds behind Piastri before Ferrari`s disqualifications, especially on a track that favors aerodynamic efficiency.

McLaren now leads Mercedes by 25 points in the Constructors` Championship, with Red Bull 42 points behind and Ferrari 61 points behind, heading to Suzuka in two weeks.

In other race events, Haas` Bearman utilized a hard-medium tire strategy to climb to eighth place after initial 10th.

Red Bull`s Liam Lawson finished 12th with limited pace, and rookie Jack Doohan received a penalty for forcing Isack Hadjar off track, finishing 13th.

Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda, despite initial point contention, finished outside the points due to Racing Bull`s two-stop strategy.

Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin was the only retirement due to a brake problem.

Chinese GP Race Results

Top Three Drivers Post-Race Comments

Oscar Piastri, McLaren – 1st: `It was an amazing weekend from beginning to end. The car performed exceptionally throughout. Today`s tire behavior was somewhat unexpected.

`I`m incredibly proud of the entire weekend. This result feels like what we deserved after last week. The team achieved a fantastic one-two finish. I`m very pleased.

`The medium tires were still a bit tricky, better than yesterday, and the hard tires were much better than anticipated.

`Completing the race on hards was a bit surprising, but a welcome one.`

Lando Norris, McLaren – 2nd: `There were some exciting moments. The start went exactly as planned at Turn 1. George overtook me during the pit stops. I was slightly concerned, but our pace improved significantly in the second stint.

It was a challenging race in terms of management. A one-stop strategy was unexpected by many today, which was positive. Oscar drove excellently and was fast all race.

`I tried to close the gap but couldn`t ultimately. He earned the victory and performed exceptionally all weekend. I`m happy with second place, securing valuable points and a one-two finish for the team, which is ideal.`

George Russell, Mercedes – 3rd: `Very happy with P3. We knew McLaren had a slight pace advantage. Crucial points gained, and congratulations to McLaren.

`I suspected early on that a one-stop strategy might be feasible, and it turned out to be easier than anticipated.

The car has been great this weekend, possibly one of my best Formula 1 performance weekends, so I`m very satisfied.`

Formula 1 is heading to the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix on April 4-6.