Why Piastri was unbeatable even without “hairpin of my life” in claiming China GP pole

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had a surprise rival for pole position at Formula 1’s 2025 Chinese Grand Prix in Mercedes driver George Russell, but the data behind the headline times show that the first-time pole-winner was ultimately unbeatable.
Both of Piastri’s laps would’ve netted pole position, which was eventually set at 1m30.641s, with Lando Norris third in the other McLaren.
Norris …Keep reading

How do you solve a problem like Red Bull? Our writers have their say

The 2025 Formula 1 season is not even two rounds old and already Red Bull is facing the same questions it pondered for the majority of last season.
It has a peaky car that only Max Verstappen can master, while new team-mate Liam Lawson is already feeling the weight of expectation that comes with being a Red Bull driver.
So, how does Red Bull resolve the situation? Our writers offer their …Keep reading

“This is where we are” – Leclerc believes F1 qualifying showed true Ferrari pace

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari’s qualifying display is a true indication of its current Formula 1 performance levels, with Lewis Hamilton’s sprint race victory at the Chinese Grand Prix an outlier.
Hamilton sprung a surprise on Friday when he took pole position for the sprint, which he then converted into victory for his first win for Ferrari, having struggled during the opening race in …Keep reading

What’s going wrong for Lawson at Red Bull

Red Bull is not a team in which to be struggling to unlock performance from a difficult car. Especially when your illustrious team-mate seems to be managing it.
Perception is everything in Formula 1 and the timesheets suggest Max Verstappen is making it look easy. Obviously the picture is different from trackside, where Max is patently deploying every ounce of his talent to keep the RB21 …Keep reading

Verstappen: “Too slow” Red Bull now fourth fastest team in F1

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is worried his team has slipped to fourth in Formula 1’s 2025 pecking order after enduring a sobering sprint race and qualifying session in China.
Verstappen struggled to keep up with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in the 19-lap sprint on Saturday morning, having started alongside the Briton on the front row, and he was powerless to keep McLaren’s Oscar Piastri behind due to …Keep reading

Hadjar: Better than seventh possible in China F1 quali without wind changes

Isack Hadjar reckoned his Racing Bulls car had the potential to be even further up the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix after qualifying seventh for his second Formula 1 race.
The Frenchman eased into the final part of qualifying and outqualified team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, albeit as the Japanese driver aborted his final lap following an off at Turn 13.
Despite qualifying only 0.438 seconds …Keep reading

Norris rues latest mistakes in Chinese GP qualifying

Lando Norris is leading the Formula 1 drivers’ championship for the first time in his career after his victory in Australia – but given he has now made a trio of mistakes in China it seems as though this new pressure is something he is yet to come to terms with.
McLaren clearly has the fastest car this season, as proved by Oscar Piastri taking his first-ever grand prix pole for Sunday’s …Keep reading

F1 Chinese GP: Piastri grabs first pole as Russell splits McLaren pair

Oscar Piastri took his first-ever pole position for an Formula 1 grand prix as he set the pace in China.
Starting from the front could prove to be vital given how badly the field struggled with tyre degradation throughout the sprint race.
Piastri had previously started on the front row on seven occasions but secured his first grand prix pole with an impressive time of 1m30.641s, with McLaren …Keep reading