As the dust settles on the Chinese Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri and McLaren walk out as winners. With Japan in two weeks, some drivers can look forward to a competitive showdown, and others have much catching up to do.
From dominant performances in papaya to illegal prancing horses, the Chinese Grand Prix cooked up a storm, with the McLaren duo coming out on top over George Russell in third and defending champion Max Verstappen trailing behind in fourth.
Red Bull pitstop, China 2025. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
Make sure to get your predictions in for the third race of the year in Japan in a fortnight's time in the forum post. You still have plenty of time to put yourself in the running for a year's worth of OverTake.gg Premium website membership!
Despite driving an impressive race, George Russell's Mercedes was no real danger to the papaya pairing until the last ten laps, when Norris' brake pedal started to give him trouble.
McLaren celebrations, Chinese Grand Prix 2025. Image: Formula One
With Piastri missing out on an almost guaranteed points haul last weekend at the season opener, this weekend is "What he deserved". The Aussie ended the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in ninth – due to a synchronised gravel trap visit with his teammate, Norris, in the wet conditions, dropping him down the order.
Liam Lawson, China 2025. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
Lawson arrived at the Shanghai International Circuit aiming to put a challenging debut behind him, but unfortunately, the 23-year-old New Zealander has done quite the opposite and given himself an enormous mountain to climb.
Red Bull pulled Lawson's car from Parc Ferme to make significant set-up changes ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix, meaning Lawson would have to start from the pit lane for the second successive weekend. The miserable fifteenth-place finish was eventually bumped to a twelfth with a trio of post-race disqualifications for both Ferraris and Pierre Gasly in his Alpine.
Liam Lawson leads Nico Hulkenberg. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
When Horner was pressed for an answer on how long Red Bull could afford performances from their second driver, the boss had this to say:
Charles Leclerc, China 2025. Image: Formula One
Leclerc's SF-25 was found to weigh 1 kg less than the minimum of 800 kilograms, a consequence Ferrari attributed to high tyre wear on his one-stop strategy. Meanwhile, Hamilton's car was disqualified due to excessive skid block wear, with the rear skid measuring below the required 9mm thickness—a miscalculation Ferrari admitted was a "small margin" error.
Hamilton leads Verstappen in the sprint race on Saturday. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
This double disqualification, a first in Ferrari's storied history, stripped the team of 18 crucial points. After just two races, Ferrari were fifth in the Constructors' Championship, 61 points behind leaders McLaren.
What did you think about the Chinese Grand Prix? Let us know in the comments down below!
From dominant performances in papaya to illegal prancing horses, the Chinese Grand Prix cooked up a storm, with the McLaren duo coming out on top over George Russell in third and defending champion Max Verstappen trailing behind in fourth.
Red Bull pitstop, China 2025. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
Podium Prediction game
The Chinese Grand Prix was the second round of our podium prediction game for 2025! The battle at the top of the table is hotting up with addii, Majuh and ianc5571 all on 35 points! All three competitors predicted an Oscar Piastri win and were awarded ten points, respectively.Make sure to get your predictions in for the third race of the year in Japan in a fortnight's time in the forum post. You still have plenty of time to put yourself in the running for a year's worth of OverTake.gg Premium website membership!
McLaren stamp their authority
With doubters sufficiently stifled, McLaren waltzed away from the Shanghai International Circuit with a 1-2 in the bag and maximum points on Sunday. The pace of Oscar in qualifying was almost unbelievable, and that dominant nature continued throughout the race.Despite driving an impressive race, George Russell's Mercedes was no real danger to the papaya pairing until the last ten laps, when Norris' brake pedal started to give him trouble.
McLaren celebrations, Chinese Grand Prix 2025. Image: Formula One
With Piastri missing out on an almost guaranteed points haul last weekend at the season opener, this weekend is "What he deserved". The Aussie ended the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in ninth – due to a synchronised gravel trap visit with his teammate, Norris, in the wet conditions, dropping him down the order.
Have we seen the last of Liam Lawson?
After the race, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner faced a relentless barrage of nosy Journalists asking questions about Liam Lawson's Formula 1 future following arguably a worse performance than in Melbourne.Liam Lawson, China 2025. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
Lawson arrived at the Shanghai International Circuit aiming to put a challenging debut behind him, but unfortunately, the 23-year-old New Zealander has done quite the opposite and given himself an enormous mountain to climb.
Red Bull pulled Lawson's car from Parc Ferme to make significant set-up changes ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix, meaning Lawson would have to start from the pit lane for the second successive weekend. The miserable fifteenth-place finish was eventually bumped to a twelfth with a trio of post-race disqualifications for both Ferraris and Pierre Gasly in his Alpine.
Liam Lawson leads Nico Hulkenberg. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
When Horner was pressed for an answer on how long Red Bull could afford performances from their second driver, the boss had this to say:
Ferrari fall at the final hurdle
Ferrari faced a disastrous outcome after the flag fell at the Chinese Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified after finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, on the road. The FIA's post-race scrutineering revealed two separate technical breaches.Charles Leclerc, China 2025. Image: Formula One
Leclerc's SF-25 was found to weigh 1 kg less than the minimum of 800 kilograms, a consequence Ferrari attributed to high tyre wear on his one-stop strategy. Meanwhile, Hamilton's car was disqualified due to excessive skid block wear, with the rear skid measuring below the required 9mm thickness—a miscalculation Ferrari admitted was a "small margin" error.
Hamilton leads Verstappen in the sprint race on Saturday. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images
This double disqualification, a first in Ferrari's storied history, stripped the team of 18 crucial points. After just two races, Ferrari were fifth in the Constructors' Championship, 61 points behind leaders McLaren.
What did you think about the Chinese Grand Prix? Let us know in the comments down below!
