Oscar Piastri Wins Chinese Grand Prix as Hamilton and Two Others Disqualified
Oscar Piastri secured a commanding victory at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, leading McLaren to a dominant 1-2 finish with teammate Lando Norris coming in second. However, the race ended in controversy as three drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, were later disqualified.
Starting from pole position, Piastri delivered a near-flawless performance, leading for most of the race and finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of Norris. This marks the Australian’s third Formula 1 Grand Prix victory and solidifies McLaren’s status as a serious contender to challenge four-time defending champion Red Bull this season.
The McLaren cars were the fastest on the track in Shanghai, with Piastri maintaining his lead throughout the race, only momentarily conceding it during pit stops.
“It’s been an incredible weekend, the car has been pretty mega,” the 23-year-old said. “Today was a surprise, how differently the tyres behaved. This feels like what I deserved from last week. Very, very happy, just, yeah, very happy. 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.”
Piastri’s win follows Norris’ victory in Australia, making it two consecutive wins for McLaren in the 2025 season.
Norris faced challenges throughout the race, including brake issues and a tough fight with Mercedes’ George Russell, but managed to hold on to second place. Russell finished third, over five seconds ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen.
“The start I was hoping for, but then George got me in the pit stops,” Norris admitted. “I was a little nervous, but we were better in the second stint. Oscar drove well, he deserved the win. I’m happy with second, good points and great points for the team with a 1-2.”
He also revealed late-race struggles with his car: “(The brake pedal) was my worst nightmare, I was losing two, three, four seconds the last two laps. It was scary but we made it to the end.”
Lewis Hamilton, who had claimed his first victory for Ferrari in the sprint race on Saturday, finished sixth in the main event, with teammate Charles Leclerc securing fifth place. However, hours after the race, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced the shocking disqualifications of Hamilton, Leclerc, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
According to the FIA, the plank underneath Hamilton’s car was found to be below the allowed minimum thickness, resulting in his disqualification and a loss of championship points from this race. Meanwhile, Leclerc and Gasly were disqualified for having underweight cars.
Ferrari issued a statement insisting that “there was no intention to gain any advantage” and that the team “will learn from what happened today.”
With this result, Norris maintains his lead in the drivers’ championship standings after two races, now eight points ahead of Verstappen. Piastri jumps to fourth place, trailing Norris by just 10 points.
If the first two races are any indication, the 2025 season is shaping up to be an intense battle for the championship.
Before the race, the F1 community paid tribute to Eddie Jordan, the former team owner who gave seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher his Formula 1 debut. Jordan passed away earlier in the week, and teams and drivers honored his contributions to the sport.
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