Event: Chinese Grand Prix
Track: Shanghai International Circuit
Weather: 26°C Sunny & Dry
Tarmac: 36°C Dry
Humidity: 15.0%
Wind: 5.4 km//h
Oscar Piastri scored his maiden F1 pole position of his career during the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session today. It was offcourse also his first pole of the 2025 F1 season and the 166th pole position for his McLaren team.
Piastri Clinches First Career Grand Prix Pole in Shanghai Thriller
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session delivered everything an F1 fan could hope for—surprises, heartbreak, and an emerging McLaren powerhouse. Under the neon lights of the Shanghai International Circuit, Oscar Piastri pulled off the lap of his life to secure his maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix pole position, setting up a tantalising second round of the season.
McLaren Back on Top? Piastri Shines Under Pressure
Piastri’s weekend had already started strong with a front-row start in the Sprint race, but the young Australian saved his best for when it mattered most. Despite struggling in Q1 and Q2, the McLaren came alive in the final shootout, allowing Piastri to extract every ounce of performance from his car.
“Q3 just found a lot of pace,” Piastri admitted. “Q1 and Q2, I was genuinely struggling. The car came alive in Q3 and I came alive in Q3.”
His final lap—a breathtaking 1m30.925s—was enough to fend off a late charge from Mercedes’ George Russell, who came within a tenth of snatching pole.
Russell Splits the McLarens, Verstappen Falls Short
George Russell’s performance proved that Mercedes are still in the fight. The Brit delivered one of his finest qualifying laps in recent memory, taking an aggressive approach on his final run. “It was one of the hardest quali sessions I’ve done in a long time,” he revealed. “I had a moment at Turn 1, rolled the dice… to split the McLarens feels incredible.”
Behind him, Max Verstappen, who had been tipped as the favourite for pole, had to settle for third. A promising early lap faded away in the closing stages as track conditions changed. “Think that was the hairpin of my life,” Piastri chuckled over the radio, his confidence evident.
Lando Norris, despite showing strong pace throughout the session, made critical errors on his final lap, leaving him fourth. “Always disappointed if I’m not on pole,” Norris admitted, “but Oscar deserves it today.”
Ferrari’s Mixed Fortunes: Hamilton Outshines Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton, fresh from his Sprint race victory earlier in the day, continued his strong form with a fifth-place start, outqualifying teammate Charles Leclerc. Ferrari had shown promise in earlier sessions, but a lack of ultimate pace left them in the third row of the grid.
Hadjar Impresses, Alonso Falls Early
Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar was the surprise star of the session, securing a sensational seventh place for Racing Bulls, ahead of Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young duo outperformed several seasoned veterans, including two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who suffered an early exit in Q2 alongside Carlos Sainz.
What to Expect in the Race?
With tyre degradation expected to be high and strategy calls set to be crucial, Sunday’s race is shaping up to be a thrilling battle. Can Piastri convert his first-ever Grand Prix pole into victory? Or will Russell and Verstappen find a way past the McLaren? The Shanghai showdown is set—lights out at 15:00 local time (07:00 UTC).
The pole position time of last season in Melbourne was a 1:33.660 driven by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB20.
Quali Times 2025 Chinese GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:31.591 | 1:31.200 | 1:30.641 | 20 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:31.295 | 1:31.307 | 1:30.723 | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:30.983 | 1:30.787 | 1:30.793 | 17 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31.424 | 1:31.142 | 1:30.817 | 15 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:31.690 | 1:31.501 | 1:30.927 | 21 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:31.579 | 1:31.450 | 1:31.021 | 21 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:31.162 | 1:31.253 | 1:31.079 | 20 |
| 8 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:31.676 | 1:31.590 | 1:31.103 | 22 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:31.238 | 1:31.260 | 1:31.638 | 19 |
| 10 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:31.503 | 1:31.595 | 1:31.706 | 20 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:31.876 | 1:31.625 | 15 | |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:31.921 | 1:31.632 | 15 | |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:31.719 | 1:31.688 | 15 | |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:31.923 | 1:31.773 | 15 | |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:31.628 | 1:31.840 | 15 | |
| 16 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:31.992 | 9 | ||
| 17 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:32.018 | 8 | ||
| 18 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 1:32.092 | 8 | ||
| 19 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:32.141 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | 1:32.174 | 8 |
✅ Check out our 2025 Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.
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Another exciting qualifying, but how on Earth did Lawson finish dead last in both sessions, especially after having had a chance for set-up changes following the sprint?
However, claiming that Tsunoda would've done better in the RB21 in Melbourne the Chinese GP weekend thus far is too easy because such a scenario isn't guaranteed by any means, nor would he be guaranteed of doing any better if they swapped during the season, so this recurring Red Bull Racing thing is clearly about something deeper or more fundamental than drivers themselves.
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