The long-awaited return to Shanghai, and the first Sprint weekend of the season, delivered one of those weekends where the off-track drama nearly outshone the race itself. The Sunday spectacle was fairly tame, but the post-race chaos was anything but. Disqualifications for Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, and Lewis Hamilton ripped up the final standings and handed points to drivers who’d already packed up their helmets.
Top of the Class
Oscar Piastri – Sprint Qualifying: P3 | Sprint: P2 | Qualifying: P1 | Race: P1
After heartbreak in Melbourne, Piastri bounced back and dominated in Shanghai. He grabbed his maiden pole, converted it with a lights-to-flag win, and swept the weekend aside from one small detail: Max pipped him in sprint quali, so he missed out on the clean sweep by a single point.
But if anyone needed convincing that Piastri is a genuine title contender in 2025, this weekend delivered the message in bold, underlined, and italicised.
Max Verstappen – Sprint Qualifying: P2 | Sprint: P3 | Qualifying: P4 | Race: P4
The RB21 is temperamental at best, but Verstappen once again made more of it than the car deserved. He played the long game on Sunday, managing tyres while those ahead burned theirs out, and then took full advantage when Leclerc and Hamilton crumbled.
The move around the outside through Turn 1 was vintage Verstappen. With a better car, he would’ve challenged for the win. With this one, he still leaves China second in the standings. That’s how you stay in a title fight.
The Honourable Mention of the day goes to Haas.
Haas went from invisible in Melbourne to inspired in Shanghai. Neither driver looked like much of a threat on Saturday, but they came alive when it mattered. Ocon was ruthless, dispatching Antonelli with two wheels on the grass and climbing into what became P5 post-DQs. Bearman kept his nose clean and bagged P8. Not bad from P17 on the grid.
Struggle Bus
Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton – Sprint Qualifying: P1 | Sprint: P1 | Qualifying: P5 | Race: DSQ
Charles Leclerc – Sprint Qualifying: P4 | Sprint: P5 | Qualifying: P6 | Race: DSQ
Ferrari started strong with a sprint win for Hamilton, but it all unravelled by Sunday. Leclerc’s contact with Hamilton at the start didn’t ruin either of their races, but it clearly shook them. Leclerc carried damage and still somehow had better pace than his teammate, prompting another awkward position swap.
Not that it mattered. Post-race scrutineering caught both cars with infractions, resulting in a historic double disqualification. The first in Ferrari’s long and storied history. Impressive in the worst way.
Liam Lawson – Sprint Qualifying: P20 | Sprint: P14 | Qualifying: P20 | Race: P12
Lawson’s form has been bleak, and it’s getting painful very quickly… Two dead-last qualifying results and a race pace that was, at best, mid-field average. Even after three DSQs, he still couldn’t crack the top ten.
Red Bull keeps torching careers in that second seat. However, this one is burning faster than most. The RB21 isn’t kind to anyone, but Lawson isn’t making any case for himself either. The whispers say he might be out before Japan, and with Helmut being who he is, that doesn’t seem an unlikely scenario.
The Dishonourable Mention of the day goes to Alpine.
Gasly clawed his way into what would have been a morale-boosting P9, only to be disqualified after the race. Whilst his teammate Doohan brought the car home in one piece, P13 is hardly cause for celebration.
Their car isn’t dreadful, but the aero update forced by the FIA technical directive seems to have made it twitchier than ever. And with zero points after two rounds, Alpine now stands alone at the bottom.
Shanghai was short on overtakes but heavy on consequences. Oscar Piastri is officially a championship threat. Verstappen kept the pressure on despite the RB21’s tantrums. Ferrari managed to shoot themselves in both feet. And Lawson is running out of time.
Curious as to how this saga is going to continue? Japan is up next. Another early one for UK fans, with lights out at 6 am. Worth it, though, as Suzuka rarely disappoints.
