Written by James Phillips and Lena Ferle
As F1 prepares for its second race in a week, many stories from Australia await to be answered in the land of the rising sun at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The second race of F1 2025 is looking to be as exciting as the first. The threat of rain looms over the teams, which could once again level the playing field.
Stories from up and down the pit-lane are awaiting to take their next turn. Many drivers and teams enter this weekend with a point to prove.
Add the sprint format into the equation, and the Chinese GP looks set to be a cracker. Here are the top things to look out for this weekend in Shanghai.
Can anyone catch McLaren ahead of the flexi-wing clampdown?
McLaren’s pace in Australia was not a surprise to many in the paddock. Instead, it acted as a reality check for the scale of the advantage the Woking marque is enjoying at the start of the F1 season.
In the brief dry running at the Australian GP, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri pulled 16 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. That is a chasm in F1 terms, and a feat usually associated with the gap between Verstappen and the rest of the field in recent years.
A 40% chance of rain this weekend could level the field again. This gives Red Bull another opportunity to try for victory, with two bites at the cherry, thanks to the sprint race.
But another factor may reign in McLaren this weekend at the Chinese GP. The FIA has issued a technical directive limiting the size of the slot gap in the rear wings used for “mini DRS”. McLaren has led the way in this area thanks to ex Red Bull aero guru Rob Marshall.
Norris has already said he and the team are unlikely to be affected by the directive. Given the pace of the car in Australia, it is very unlikely that McLaren will see its pace evaporate.
Oscar Piastri will want to put his almost race-ending incident behind him and take victory. The question is whether Norris will allow him to get close, should it become a one horse race this weekend.
Ferrari’s attempt to bounce back after a nadir race
Fred Vasseur said Ferrari’s performance at the Australian GP was not representative of the team’s true pace.
But Ferrari has more than just pace to overhaul at the Chinese GP. Operationally, Ferrari resembled a drunken elephant attending a fine china party. The team collapsed under the pressure of the conditions, and communication issues were rife.
The qualifying issue that led Leclerc to enter the pits but not stop and the now infamous water radio exchange between Leclerc and his race engineer barely scratch the surface.
Ferrari seemed to have dusted off the metaphorical strategic wheel of fortune, and bought it out of retirement.
The Chinese GP needs to show a team that is capable of making informed, logical decisions instead using blind panic to influence action.
Both drivers complained of interaction with their engineers. Hamilton was overwhelmed with information, while Leclerc did not get enough.
This weekend will be the test of whether quick process changes behind the scenes can prevent a repeat of the nadir of Australia.
Rookies get a chance at redemption
As far as worst case scenarios for the rookies go in their first race, Australia totally delivered. A track many had not raced on, changeable conditions and hardly any testing time led to a baptism of fire.
Isack Hadjar has by far, the biggest job ahead of him this weekend. His first corner, formation lap faux pas did not go down well with Dr Helmut Marko. But at media day in Shangai, Hadjar said Marko’s comments were taken out of context. One can almost see the Pinocchio nose.
Liam Lawson’s second race at Red Bull simply must go better than the first. Woefully off the pace all weekend, his race-ending spin mirrored Hadjar’s. Red Bull does not abide failure for long, but Marko seemed to want to give Lawson a few races to find his rhythm. Anything less than a Q3 appearance and points will set alarm bells ringing.
Oliver Bearman’s task at the Chinese GP is a simple one: keep the car on the tarmac in the only practice session. His multiple crashes destroyed any chance of a decent Haas debut result. But combined with the pace issues of the VF-25, Bearman looks set for another challenging weekend.
Jack Doohan’s ill-advised comments that he had a good race weekend in Australia will not go down well if a repeat of his first lap crash occurs in Shanghai. The clock is ticking on his time to prove to Flavio Briatore that he belongs in that seat. Reaching the chequered flag is the only acceptable result for Doohan this weekend.
Gabriel Bortoleto will want to finish well in Shanghai, after throwing away a potential points finish. Like Andrea Kimi Antonelli, he enters the Chinese GP weekend with very little pressure on his shoulders.
Freight delays for the Chinese GP
Several F1 teams, including McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Aston Martin, faced freight delays after two flights from Melbourne to Shanghai were postponed by at least eight hours. As a result, teams only received their cargo late Wednesday afternoon, delaying car assembly until 4 PM local time.
Despite this setback, the FIA has allowed teams to work beyond curfew if necessary, ensuring all cars are ready for Friday’s only free practice session at 11:30 AM local time. While the session is not expected to be delayed, mechanics face long hours due to the tight schedule and the back-to-back races with Australia.
The 2025 Chinese GP weekend features the first Sprint of the season, bringing a revised format. Friday will see Free Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying, followed by the Sprint and Grand Prix Qualifying on Saturday, before the main race on Sunday.
