In a landmark race at the Chinese Grand Prix, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri showcased an impressive performance by seizing his first victory from pole position. The Australian driver, who started the race at the front, maintained an unchallenged lead, besting his teammate Lando Norris and securing McLaren’s notable 50th one-two finish in Formula 1.
Piastri’s dominance began with a great start, where he managed to keep the lead entering the first corner, while Norris skillfully overtook George Russell’s Mercedes to claim second place. This victory marks Piastri’s third career win after previous successes in Hungary and Azerbaijan last year.
“Crossing the finish line first is always a good feeling, but this win stands out as the most complete race weekend for me,” reflected Piastri. His efforts lift him to fourth in the overall standings, just 10 points shy of leader Norris with a substantial 22 races remaining in the season.
The final race results saw changes post-competition, as stewards disqualified several drivers, including Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Norris, who faced a more challenging path to second place, managed to surpass both Russell and Williams’ Alex Albon after a pit stop. Despite facing a late-race brake-pedal issue, Norris maintained his position and crossed the line behind his teammate. “It was a tough race,” Norris admitted. “But being part of McLaren’s 50th one-two finish is immensely satisfying, particularly after a rough couple of days.”
Russell achieved some success by securing third, marking Mercedes’ 300th podium in Formula 1. Currently, Russell stands third in the driver standings, narrowly ahead of Piastri by a single point. “With the results we’ve managed recently, I’m confident in our potential,” Russell shared.
Defending race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished fourth after overtaking Leclerc late in the race. However, a mishap in the opening lap when Leclerc collided with his Ferrari teammate Hamilton compromised his aerodynamics. Both Leclerc and Gasly faced disqualification for underweight cars post-race.
Hamilton, who celebrated victory in Saturday’s Sprint race, was also disqualified from sixth place due to his Ferrari’s non-compliant skid block thickness. As a result, Haas enjoyed double points with Esteban Ocon advancing to fifth and rookie Oliver Bearman moving to eighth.
Mercedes’ own rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, finished sixth with Alex Albon now taking seventh. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz capitalized on the disqualifications to complete the top ten in ninth and tenth places, respectively.
The next event on the calendar is set for Japan’s iconic Suzuka Circuit on April 6th, headlining a triple race run including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.