As Formula 1 arrived at the Chinese Grand Prix, the expectation was that McLaren would dominate the weekend. The Papaya team’s pace was looking strong in practice but the Woking-based outfit failed to capitalise during the sprint race. Lewis Hamilton took victory as McLaren faded away.
However, during qualifying, McLaren looked to be back on top. Oscar Piastri put his MCL39 on the pole position with Lando Norris starting directly behind him in P3. And the McLaren drivers never looked back to secure a 1-2 finish to extend their lead in the constructors championship.
McLaren dominate the Chinese Grand Prix despite late Lando Norris drama
During the sprint race, McLaren had poor pace as Piastri finished second but seven seconds behind winner Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris made a mistake in turn six and could only recover to finish in eighth place. However, the team made setup changes between the sprint and qualifying which saw McLaren back on top.
After Norris overtook George Russell on the first lap, McLaren never looked back. They controlled the pace and tyre management and no one looked like they would challenge the leading two. The car was in a sweet spot, with race winner Oscar Piastri praising the MCL39, saying “It’s been an incredible weekend, the car has been pretty mega.”
McLaren was able to pull away from the field with second-placed Noris gapping Russell by around 9 seconds. However, drama would plague the Brit in the final few laps. Norris was complaining about his brake pedal going ‘long’. This is when the pedal goes closer to the floor. In the final two laps, Russell was able to catch by to finish just over a second behind Norris.
Oscar Piastri said a major reason for the win was McLaren could look after their tyres well. He said: “The hard was a much better tyre than everyone expected, so to go all the way to the end was a bit of a surprise, but a happy surprise.”
The graining for McLaren was a lot less than during the sprint race. As the two were in front, they were able to drive to the pace required to keep degradation to a minimum. This was unlike the sprint race where both drivers needed to chase other drivers. As Piastri said in Belgium last season, “clean air is king.”
Red Bull lacked pace during the Chinese Grand Prix
Red Bull had a tough qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. Max Verstappen would start from P4 on the grid, while Liam Lawson was the slowest car on Saturday afternoon. The Kiwi’s struggles with the car are well-documented after a poor start to his Red Bull career in Australia.
During the race, Max Verstappen lost out to the Ferrari drivers and was lapping significantly slower on the medium tyre and a full tank of fuel. He dropped five seconds behind Lewis Hamilton and looked as if his race was petering out. Towards the final stages of the race, and the fuel was being burned off, Verstappen came alive,
He chased down the Ferraris and once Hamilton boxed for new tyres, he was clear to chase after Leclerc. He overtook the Monogasque, who had front wing damage from the opening corner. He passed the ailing Ferrari to reclaim P4. However, the Dutchman didn’t have the pace of the McLaren or Mercedes, which was a major concern for Red Bull.
Liam Lawson’s Seat at Red Bull Hangs by a Thread After 2025 Struggles
A bigger issue is the pace of Liam Lawson. The Kiwi’s lack of speed is costing Red Bull in the constructors championship. The Austrian team is already 42 points off McLaren and sits third in the championship. Reports after the Chinese Grand Prix from Motorsport.com claim Lawson could already be dropped for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda favourite to replace him.
With Red Bull lacking overall speed, the team needs a second driver backing Max Verstappen to move up the table. With Lawson yet to score, Red Bull looks unlikely to challenge the top of the standings. Change might be needed early to rescue their season.
