Formula 1, F1 Academy

Shanghai International Circuit

Piastri & Hamilton Triumph in Shanghai as Tsunoda and Albon Secure Points

Oscar Piastri clinched his first win of 2025, leading a commanding McLaren 1-2 ahead of teammate Lando Norris at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Australian converted his first-ever pole position into a flawless victory on Sunday, managing a comfortable gap to Norris throughout the 56-lap race. Mercedes' George Russell rounded out the podium after challenging Norris during the pit stop phase.

The weekend began with Lando Norris setting the pace in Friday's sole practice session. Lewis Hamilton displayed a stunning performance to take the Sprint Qualifying pole, then claimed victory in Saturday's Sprint—his first win for Ferrari—ahead of Piastri and Verstappen. Yuki Tsunoda impressed with a strong sixth-place finish in the Sprint, while Alex Albon started ninth but dropped to eleventh.

In Sunday's qualifying, Piastri secured pole while Tsunoda qualified ninth and Albon completed the top 10. Drama unfolded in the main race when Ferrari teammates Leclerc and Hamilton made contact on lap one. Albon eventually finished eighth, advancing to seventh post-race, while Tsunoda had to make an additional pit stop due to front wing damage, relegating him to nineteenth.

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli continued to show promise, securing seventh in the Sprint race and finishing eighth in the Grand Prix after disqualifications. Meanwhile, Red Bull newcomer Liam Lawson endured another difficult weekend, qualifying last for both the Sprint and main race, ultimately finishing 15th and still searching for his first points of the season.

Post-race, Leclerc, Hamilton, and Gasly were all disqualified—Leclerc and Gasly for car weight breaches and Hamilton for his car's plank assembly being below minimum thickness.

Palmowski, Pin dominate as F1 Academy; Chambers picks up a double podium

F1 Academy in Shanghai delivered action last weekend with Chloe Chambers emerging as one of the standout performers across both races, while Chloe Chong endured a difficult weekend. Wild card entry Shi Wei's race was cut short, preventing her from making an impact in her debut.

In Race 1, Alisha Palmowski secured her first victory after a dramatic final-lap duel with teammate Chloe Chambers, completing a 1-2 finish for Campos Racing. The race saw multiple Safety Car interruptions, with Shi Wei’s hopes dashed early after a spin at Turn 7. Meanwhile, Chloe Chong fought her way into the points but later received a 10-second penalty for contact with Nicole Havrda, dropping her out of the top 10. Chambers, however, was consistent and capitalized on late-race drama to finish on the podium in third.

Race 2 belonged to Doriane Pin, who took the lead at the start and never looked back. Chloe Chambers once again impressed, securing her second podium of the weekend in P3 after an aggressive battle with Alba Larsen. Meanwhile, Chloe Chong's struggles continued as she got caught in an incident with Joanne Ciconte, spinning across Turn 8 and collecting two other cars, ending her race early.

Despite a tough debut, Shi Wei’s wildcard entry marked an important moment for Chinese representation in the series. Chambers leaves Shanghai as one of the strongest contenders, while Chong will look to bounce back from a difficult weekend.

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