PRIXVIEW – Chinese Grand Prix

Round two brings F1 to China’s commercial and financial capital, Shanghai, a circuit which over the past two decades the race has become one full of action and drama, adding to that scene its return in 2024 following its Covid hiatus.

Since joining the calendar, the Shanghai International Circuit has become one of the best of the newer circuits with penalty of overtaking and drama, thanks to its tricky nature in terms of set-up. The design of the circuit is based on the Chinese character Shang (上), the first character in the name of the city Shanghai, meaning “above” or “ascend”.

This has created a high-speed and high-downforce circuit with multiple straights and tight following corners. One of the most eye-catching corners is Turns One to Three, where drivers head into a tight, long, almost circle which can create drama on the opening laps.

Designed by Herman Tilke at the time it opened in 2004, it was the most expensive circuit built for F1. The 3.387-mile circuit features a wide mix of corners and some of the trickiest corners of the season, including the almost snail circle at Turn One to Four, one of the longest straights of the season and the best places for overtaking.

The almost three-quarter of a mile back straight is the equivalent of eleven football pitches laid end to end, or the same length as three and a half of the world’s biggest aircraft carriers. Turn Fourteen is a hairpin at the end of the straight, the second gear corner is a prime overtaking spot as DRS is available in the run-up to the corner. Turn Sixteen requires early braking so you can carry as much speed to the line.

It’s a real test for both drivers and engineers to find the right compromise between the two. This gives drivers multiple opportunities to follow and attempt to overtake, but getting the car stopped towards the end of the straight can be challenging with the longest straight, at the time, in the sport. It’s also one of the better of the Tilke circuits, allowing for multiple lines to be

The countries début on the calendar came after a five-year delay after a failed bid n the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province, which failed to meet standards, with it due to join the calendar alongside Malaysia in 1999. Instead, a new deal was reached in 2002 for the race to move to Shanghai from 2004, where it has remained, except during 2020-2023 when the race was cancelled due to Covid.

Rubens Barrichello won the race from pole after Michael Schumacher started from the pit lane and then had a scrappy race with incidents with other drivers before losing his tyre, as did his brother Ralf, before being lapped. In the final laps, Barrichello managed his advantage over his pursuers, who approached the Ferrari driver but never seriously threatened him.

Shanghai hosted the final race of the following season. Fernanda Alonso had already won the title and took the race win from pole, four seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso dominated the race, taking a lights-to-flag victory, capping a best-ever season for Renault, which included victories in both titles.

The following season saw Schumacher take what would be his final win, after taking the lead following a tactical battle in the middle of the race between Renault and Ferrari. The German eventually passed Alonso for his final win following the last round of stops, as Alonso ran out of laps to close the gap and take the lead.

The 2007 race would ultimately cost Lewis Hamilton the chance of becoming the first driver to win the title in his debut season. Leading the race and the championship, the McLaren driver pitted but went off, becoming beached in the small gravel trap after going wide. That led to him retiring, and Sao Paulo cost him the title by a point.

While Räikkönen eventually came home to win the race and the title, comfortably from Alonso, who after having pulled out a considerable lead from Massa was later pulled back until the Brazilian finished less than three seconds behind him.

2009 saw the race move from autumn to spring, with the order upended. Red Bull would score their first win with Sebastian Vettel. The German beat teammate Mark Webber to win from pole by ten seconds in mixed conditions, ahead of the two Brawn’s. Webber also, until the Nürburgring, scored the best result of his career.

Jenson Button would win ahead of Hamilton by a second and a half as Mercedes returned to the podium in cloudy and damp conditions, taking the lead of the championship. It was the first time since 1969 that two Englishmen finished one-two, while Nico Rosberg gave Mercedes their first podium since 1955 in the team’s third race since returning.

Hamilton returned to the top step, in the second of six wins in 2011, becoming the first multiple winner in Shanghai ahead of both Red Bulls. That was despite the Englishman starting from the pit lane and overcutting Vettel with a mid-race stop, he went on to overtake with four laps to go.

2012 saw Mercedes return to the top step of the podium for the first time since Monza 1955, led home the McLaren pair of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton by over twenty seconds. The race itself was characterised by intense battling throughout the field and by high reliability, with 23 of 24 starters finishing the race.

2014 and the beginning of the hybrid era saw Mercedes begin a run of five wins in six years, four coming from Hamilton and the other from Rosberg. Hamilton won comfortably, like in 2008, from pole, leading every lap of the race and beating Rosberg by eighteen seconds. Hamilton took a comfortable grand slam, securing victory by ten seconds in 2015 ahead of Rosberg and Vettel. Rosberg took his second win in Shanghai in 2016 from pole.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was on the back of the top step in 2017, beating Vettel after the Ferrari driver lost out during the change from inters to slicks under a VSC while Max Verstappen came from sixteenth. Hamilton’s winning from pole allowed him to equal or pass several records.

China hosted the 1,000th world championship race in 2019, before a five-year hiatus, with Hamilton passing teammate Valtteri Bottas at the first corner and then going on to dominate the race. Hamilton became the first and to date the only driver to win two races in multiples of a hundred.

2024 saw Lando Norris beat Hamilton to sprint pole by half a second, while Verstappen won the sprint race, beating Lewis Hamilton to win by thirteen seconds. The Dutchman made a brilliant start from fourth to take the lead midway through the sprint. Norris after the pole sitter slid off into the opening sequence of corners. The Mercedes driver drew level into the first corner before hanging on to take the lead on the inside of Turn Three.

That was the beginning of Verstappen taking control of the weekend, as he beat his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by three-tenths to take pole. Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin third as he improved on his final attempt to go over a tenth and a half behind Perez. The Spaniard beat sprint pole sitter Norris by nearly two hundredths.

Verstappen was again unstoppable in the GP as he beat Norris to victory by thirteen seconds. Norris fended off Perez in a tight race-long battle after he passed Charles Leclerc. Perez had looked to be on course for second, but two safety cars changed the race, which opened the door for Leclerc to be passed by both Perez and Norris.

Race & Circuit Guide

Fast facts

• Michael Schumacher recorded his last race victory at the Shanghai circuit in 2006. The Chinese Grand Prix was also the venue for the first victory of the Red Bull team (2009) and Nico Rosberg (2012).
• In both 2017 and 2018, Mercedes led the Constructors’ Championship by a single point after the Chinese Grand Prix. In 2006, Renault (now Alpine) also led the way by just one point after the Shanghai race.
• Lewis Hamilton’s unfortunate DNF here in 2007 is the only time the polesitter at the Chinese Grand Prix has failed to finish the race. He has won six Grand Prix and his only sprint win came here a year ago
• The circuit, comprised of a series of long straights plus two 270-degree corners, is notoriously difficult on tyres and brakes.

Event timetable

What happened in 2025?

Practice saw Lando Norris set a 31.504, going nearly half a second faster than Charles Leclerc. Leclerc put himself in between both McLaren’s, going nearly two-tenths ahead of Oscar Piastri, but the Melbournian ran wide on his final attempt, which left him six and a half tenths off his teammate. Lewis Hamilton had a much more positive start to the weekend going fourth

Sprint Qualifying saw Hamilton take his first pole position for Ferrari, as he went two hundredths faster than Max Verstappen. Piastri put his McLaren third, going seven hundredths behind Verstappen, as he went a tenth faster than Leclerc. Piastri had taken provisional pole but was beaten by both Hamilton and Verstappen, while a mistake on his SQ3 runs cost him the opportunity to fight for pole

Sprint saw Hamilton take a dominant six-second victory after pulling away from Piastri, allowing him to manage his tyres and take his seventh win in any format in Shanghai weekend. Hamilton won the start and soon pulled away, creating a seven-second lead after the nineteen-lap sprint ahead of the McLaren and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by almost three seconds

GP Qualifying saw Piastri beat George Russell by eight hundredths to take a maiden Grand Prix pole. The McLaren driver looked like the driver to beat with both his laps in Q3, setting a 30.641 and looking on form, taking pole despite the gusty conditions in Shanghai. Teammate Lando Norris aborted his final run after he made a mistake in the middle sector.

Piastri beat his teammate Lando Norris with a dominant nine-second win the Grand Prix, driving a calm and controlled race at the front to take the team’s second win of the season. Piastri never really looked under any pressure, only losing his lead to Norris during the pit stop, as he drove a solid race.

Norris, meanwhile, was unable to challenge his teammate in the closing stages and started to drop back after a brake issue, but managed to hang onto second despite George Russell trying to take advantage of the issues for the McLaren. The Englishman, until the brake issue had been three seconds behind his teammate, was instructed to bring the car home without risk.

Verstappen finished fourth, the Red Bull driver finishing five and a half seconds behind Russell and ahead of both Ferrari’s, with Charles Leclerc six seconds behind Verstappen and ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton by just over two seconds. Leclerc drove a great race and managed to hang on despite early damage to the front wing

*Note – Lewis Hamilton originally set the fastest lap, but was later disqualified as the thickness of the plank assembly was below the minimum thickness required. Lando Norris, initially having the second-fastest lap, was recognised for setting the fastest lap of the race.

Championship Standings

What to watch for?

After the opening race and Mercedes dominant win, I think they underlined what we all expected: they are the team to beat this season, at least during the early flyways though there is a long way to go and we are still learning about these cars. Mercedes dominated the early years of the previous engine regulations, but I think it’s a very different situation to 2014, given Ferrari, I feel, could have been a lot closer if they didn’t mess up strategy.

Last year, Ferrari won the sprint race, and if Mercedes slips up, as this isn’t dominance we have seen before, I think they may have a chance, but they need to not make mistakes as they did in Melbourne. Given the strength we think Mercedes has, they need to be on it all the time, as they are going to at some point come under pressure this season, whether that’s internal or external.

Kimi Antonelli will want to start putting up a fight against his teammate soon, but he needs to learn from Lewis Hamilton, not Oscar Piastri, as Hamilton managed to win his first title in his second season. I think that’s a more difficult thing, given that experience is going to be key, given that we had a regulation change, and he wasn’t fighting in that first season for the championship.

Shanghai is a high-speed and downforce circuit which will play to the strength of the Mercedes power unit, as there are very long straights where it appears the advantage is. also there are fewer chances of a safety car opening the possibility for strategy to play a role, drivers, teams, and us are still learning about things like deployment modes, energy recovery, and the regulations. That will continue over these opening races and will settle down in Europe.

I think, having watched the opening race of the season, our worst fears about these regulations haven’t come true. There was still close racing in the midfield but can they close the gap to the top four? Haas, looking at the standings, came out on top in the fight, proving they haven’t gone backwards.

We had four of the six teams outside the top four score points, and they have one driver each in top ten. This is a good starting point over the course of the cycle, but will they be able to close the gap and join the top four?

2024 vs 2025 Race Data

2025 Lap time comparison

Tyres