F1 Shake-Up: Piastri Triumphs, Ferrari Disqualified in Post-Race Chaos in China

Oscar Piastri rebounded from the heartbreak of last week’s blunder in Australia by delivering a masterclass in composure at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix Sunday. Starting from pole, the young Aussie never veered, cruising to victory and leading teammate Lando Norris to a dominant McLaren 1-2.

From the moment the lights went out at the Shanghai International Circuit, Piastri had the race firmly under control, managing his tires and pace like a seasoned veteran. While strategy chatter revolved around whether one or two pit stops would be the way to go, the top five finishers—and most of the field—opted for a single stop. Piastri kept Norris at bay throughout both stints, taking the checkered flag and stamping his authority on the title fight.

“It’s been an incredible weekend from start to finish,” Piastri beamed. “The car’s been pretty mega the whole time. I think today was a bit of a surprise with how the tires behaved but just super proud of the whole weekend.

“This is what I feel like I deserved from last week, so [I’m] extremely happy. The team did a mega job, 1-2 obviously. Very, very happy.”

Norris stayed within striking distance but ran into brake issues in the closing laps. With the McLaren pit wall ordering him to back off and secure the result, the Brit played it safe and ensured the team’s perfect finish.

“It was scary,” admitted Norris. “It’s like my worst nightmare when the brakes are failing.

“I was losing two, three, four seconds the last couple of laps, so I was a bit scared. I survived and made it to the end… I would have loved to have given it a little try and put Oscar under a little bit of pressure but not today. We’re satisfied, great result. We’ll go again next time.”

Further back, George Russell tried to make life difficult for Norris, briefly stealing second place during the pit stop shuffle. But even with his brake drama, Norris had enough pace to retake the position and hold on.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, knew he was in for a long day after Red Bull’s struggles in the Sprint, and he finished exactly where he started—fourth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top six, but not before adding some first-lap fireworks, making contact in what has become an all-too-familiar theme for Ferrari and their ex-number one driver.

Leclerc pressed on with a wounded front wing, choosing not to replace it, while Hamilton gambled on a two-stop strategy—his string of fastest laps not quite enough to recover from the extra trip through pit lane.

Behind them, Esteban Ocon delivered a stunning drive for Haas, bringing home a much-needed seventh place, followed by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, Williams’ Alex Albon, and his teammate Ollie Bearman, who fended off Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll for the final points.

Carlos Sainz’s ongoing struggles at Williams continued as he crossed the line 13th, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who got tangled up with Alpine’s Jack Doohan late in the race—an incident that earned the rookie a penalty.

Red Bull’s Liam Lawson could only manage 15th, followed by Doohan, the two Kick Saubers of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda, whose third pit stop sealed his fate at the back of the pack. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, had an early bath due to—you guessed it—brake problems.

But the drama wasn’t over. Post-race, the FIA dropped the hammer, disqualifying Leclerc, Gasly, and Hamilton over car weight and plank wear infractions. That brutal blow to Ferrari’s title hopes promoted Ocon, Antonelli, Albon, and Bearman further up the order, with Stroll and Sainz sneaking into the points.

So, what did we learn from all this? Piastri means business, McLaren has arrived, and Red Bull’s once-untouchable dominance might not be so untouchable anymore. And as for Ferrari—well, their best work continues to be done in the stewards’ office, but not in a good way.

F1CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2025 – RACE RESULT

• About
• Latest Posts

Greg Engle

Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community.

Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.

Latest posts by Greg Engle (see all)

• George Russell Tames Marina Bay While McLaren Clinches Another Crown - October 5, 2025
• Verstappen Wins Baku, McLaren Trips Over the Furniture - September 21, 2025
• Tony Stewart Shrugs Off NHRA Maple Grove Crash Like It Was a Parking Lot Fender-Bender - September 14, 2025

Comments

comments