This post was created with help from AI.
Our man in the paddock, Irwin D Trenton, aka Irw, is back with a bang! This time, he has travelled all the way to Shanghai from sunny Melbourne. I’m not allowed to say this, however back in 2024, when he was in China, Irw had OD’d on cheap noodles and passed out in the middle of the race, right in the middle of the Media Center, to boot. #Embarrassing Since then, he has undergone extensive therapy and now he never touches a bowl of noodles again. There’s a small issue with consuming 10 cans of Coca-Cola Light per day along with 20 Big Macs, but we’ll file that under “normal”.
What’s the reason behind having a Grand Prix in China these days? I hear you say. I dunno. European car brands have entered a period of pronounced decline, nobody sells their cars in China anymore, apart from the Chinese carmakers themselves. It would make more sense to establish a Chinese Formula 1, than for F1 to come to Shanghai.
But I digress. We have a race preview to get under way.
PREVIEW
The Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix 2025 is set to take place from March 21-23 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. As the second round of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, it marks the first of six sprint weekends this season, adding an extra layer of excitement with a sprint race alongside the traditional Grand Prix. On top of that, all drivers who sucked in Australia will have a chance to redeem themselves. Certainly some reserve drivers at Alpine will be on high alert in China.
Official Event Overview
- Dates: March 21-23, 2025
- Circuit: Shanghai International Circuit (5.451 km, 56 laps for the main race)
- Format: Sprint weekend, featuring one practice session, sprint qualifying, a sprint race, and the main race qualifying and Grand Prix.
- Schedule (all times in GMT):
- Friday, March 21:
- Free Practice 1: 03:30 – 04:30
- Sprint Qualifying: 07:30 – 08:14
- Saturday, March 22:
- Sprint Race: 03:00 – 04:00 (19 laps)
- Qualifying: 07:00 – 08:00
- Sunday, March 23:
- Grand Prix: 07:00 (56 laps)
- Friday, March 21:
The Shanghai International Circuit, designed by “flying” Hermann Tilke, is known for its unique layout resembling the Chinese character “shang” (meaning “upwards”). Key features include:
- A challenging opening with the tightening Turns 1 and 2, testing braking stability.
- High g-force Turns 7 and 8, popular among drivers.
- A 1.2 km straight between Turns 13 and 14, one of the longest in F1, offering prime overtaking opportunities with DRS.
- A mix of high-speed straights and technical medium-to-slow corners, requiring a balanced car setup.
What to Expect
- Teams and Drivers: Coming off the season opener in Australia, where Lando Norris leads the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points (followed by Max Verstappen with 18 and George Russell with 15), the competition is heating up. McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes will look to assert early dominance, while Ferrari, bolstered by Lewis Hamilton’s arrival, could leverage their historical success here (Hamilton has six wins, the most at this track).
- Tyre Strategy: Pirelli has selected a one-step-harder compound range than Australia (C2 hard, C3 medium, C4 soft) due to the circuit’s high tyre stress, particularly on the rear left. Teams will need to optimize setups with limited practice time.
- Weather: Forecasts suggest warm, dry conditions with temperatures around 23-24°C and light winds (up to 20 km/h), a stark contrast to the rain-affected Australian GP. This should allow for consistent running and track evolution.
- Sprint Format Impact: With only one hour of practice before sprint qualifying, teams must quickly adapt to the track, which hasn’t seen these second gen ground-effect cars extensively since its return in 2024 after a five-year hiatus.
Irw’s Storylines to Watch
- Ferrari’s Potential: Stricter FIA rear wing tests introduced at this race could benefit Ferrari if rivals struggle with compliance, while unchanged front wing rules until June might keep McLaren and Mercedes competitive.
- Home Hero: Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese driver to race at his home Grand Prix in 2024, will aim to impress the local crowd again with his bright red Ferrari team uniform.
- Historical Context: Hamilton’s six victories contrast with Verstappen’s 2024 dominance (winning both the sprint and main race). Surely, Norris or another challenger will disrupt Red Bull’s rhythm this time around.
The Chinese Grand Prix is locked into the F1 calendar until 2030, reflecting its growing popularity, with over 150 million fans in China, a fun fact. The 2024 event drew 200,000 attendees, and 2025 promises more high-speed action against Shanghai’s vibrant backdrop.
Literally thousands of Esteban Ocon fans have been asking me on social media if Haas F1 Team can recover in China from a poor form shown in the Australian GP? Well…
The Haas F1 Team faces a challenging but not impossible task to recover from their disappointing performance at the Australian Grand Prix as they head to the Chinese Grand Prix on March. In Melbourne, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman struggled with pace and strategy, finishing 13th and 14th respectively in a chaotic, rain-affected race. Ocon started 19th and Bearman from the pit lane after setup changes, and despite keeping their cars intact amidst six retirements, they couldn’t capitalize on the attrition due to a lack of competitive speed and suboptimal tyre decisions—sticking with intermediates too long before switching to slicks, then back to intermediates late in the race.
What I think is going to happen
- Track Record in China: Haas has shown promise at Shanghai before. In 2024, they secured top-10 finishes in both the sprint and the Grand Prix, suggesting the Shanghai International Circuit suits their car characteristics. The track’s mix of long straights and technical corners could play to their strengths if they optimize their setup.
- Lessons from Australia: The team gathered valuable data from Melbourne across varied conditions (wet, drying, and wet again). Team statements indicate they’re focused on applying these lessons to improve car setup for China, critical given the sprint format limits practice to one hour before competitive sessions begin.
- Sprint Format Opportunity: With only one practice session before sprint qualifying, teams with quick adaptability can gain an edge. Haas’s experience with the 2024 sprint in China (where they scored) could help them hit the ground running, especially if rivals like McLaren or Red Bull falter under the new FIA rear wing deflection tests (tightened from 2mm to 0.75mm for China), which might disrupt some teams’ aero performance.
- Driver Motivation: Ocon, with his experience, and Bearman, eager to prove himself after a tough debut, have a point to prove. Bearman’s crash in Australia’s FP1 and limited qualifying mileage won’t repeat in China unless unforeseen issues arise, giving him a cleaner shot at building confidence.
How they’re going to roll
- Baseline Pace Deficit: Australia exposed Haas as the slowest team on raw pace. Ocon was the slowest qualifier to set a time, and Bearman didn’t even record a Q1 lap after further setbacks. Without significant upgrades (none are confirmed for China based on available paddock gossip and Flavio Briatore’s significant weight loss), they’ll need a perfect weekend to leapfrog midfield rivals like Williams, Alpine, or Racing Bulls.
- Sprint Weekend Pressure: The compressed schedule amplifies their setup struggles. With just one practice session, any misstep could lock them into a poor weekend, as seen in Melbourne where Bearman’s FP1 crash and subsequent adjustments left them playing catch-up.
- Competition: McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari dominated Australia’s points, with Williams also scoring well. Haas needs others to stumble—via crashes, penalties, or wing compliance issues—while maximizing their own execution, a tall order given their current form.
Recovery is possible but hinges on execution rather than a dramatic pace improvement. If Haas nails their setup in the single practice session, leverages their 2024 Shanghai knowledge, and benefits from any rival misfortune (e.g., wing-related setbacks or incidents in the sprint), they could sneak into the points—perhaps a P9 or P10, as they did in 2024. However, their Australian performance suggests they’re starting from the back foot, and without upgrades, a midfield leap seems optimistic. A realistic target is outscoring their Melbourne result (no points) by capitalizing on the sprint and race chaos, but a podium or top-six finish looks out of reach barring extraordinary circumstances. Their fate will likely rest on preparation, adaptability, and a bit of luck in Shanghai’s unpredictable early-season conditions.
I say, overall, this weekend will test early-season form on a demanding track, setting the tone for the battles ahead in the 2025 championship. Who do we think will come out on top? We’ll find out on Monday after the race, that is if I don’t OD once again on Big Macs and Coca-Cola Light like I did OD on shrimps just last week down under (for more on prawns, please check out my previous post). Man, that was tough.
REVIEW (COMING ON MONDAY)
And the winner was…
I say the 2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix weekend, held at the Shanghai International Circuit on March 23, was a dramatic and action-packed event, marking the second round of the season and the first Sprint weekend of the year.
Friday, March 21: The weekend kicked off with Free Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri showed strong form early on, while Lewis Hamilton, now with Ferrari, secured pole position for the Sprint race, setting the stage for an exciting Saturday. I was getting even more excited about yet more noodles (scroll back to the beginning of this post), I could’t keep my promise to not touch them evil noddles again. I just loooove noodles, it’s a much healthier option than Coca-Cola Light and Big Mac. If there’s nothing to write home about on the F1 front, then I write about food. I’d say it was a 50/50 situation: great noodles, decent racing.
Saturday, March 22: The Sprint race saw Hamilton convert his pole into a victory, a significant moment as his first win with Ferrari, beating Piastri and Max Verstappen, who finished second and third respectively. Later that day, qualifying for the Grand Prix took place, with Piastri claiming his maiden F1 pole position, narrowly edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.082 seconds, followed by teammate Lando Norris in third. The tight competition hinted at a fierce race ahead.
Sunday, March 23: The Grand Prix itself was dominated by Piastri, who led from start to finish over 56 laps, securing his third career win and delivering a McLaren 1-2 finish with Norris in second. Norris battled brake issues late in the race but held off Russell, who completed the podium in third. Red Bull’s Verstappen recovered from a poor start to finish fourth. However, the race’s aftermath stole headlines: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (originally fifth) and Pierre Gasly (originally 11th) were disqualified for their cars being underweight, while Hamilton (originally sixth) was also disqualified due to excessive plank wear on his Ferrari. These penalties promoted drivers like Haas’ Esteban Ocon to fifth, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli to sixth, and Williams’ Alex Albon to seventh, with Carlos Sainz sneaking into the points in 10th. Fernando Alonso was the only retirement of the race.
Irw’s Key Takeaways: McLaren emerged as early season frontrunners, taking two wins from two races, with Piastri’s commanding performance signaling his title contender status. Ferrari’s weekend was a rollercoaster—Hamilton’s Sprint triumph was overshadowed by a double disqualification in the Grand Prix, exposing technical struggles. The Shanghai circuit delivered strategic intrigue with most opting for a one-stop approach, and the post-race drama significantly reshaped the results, adding to the weekend’s unpredictability.
Let’s establish our main talking point then: how soon will Red Bull lose patience with Liam Lawson is the question that’s on everyone’s lips at the moment. What do I think personally?
Predicting whether Red Bull will swap Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda and how Tsunoda might perform if that happens involves some speculation, but let’s break it down based on what’s been happening in the 2025 season so far and Red Bull’s own internal dynamics at play.
Will Red Bull swap Lawson for Tsunoda?
There’s a decent chance Red Bull might make the switch, possibly as early as the Japanese Grand Prix (April 4-6, 2025). Lawson’s start to the season has been rough—crashing out in Australia after qualifying 18th and then finishing 14th in the Chinese Sprint and 15th in the Grand Prix after qualifying last both times. He’s yet to score a point, and the gap to Max Verstappen has been glaring, sometimes close to a second per lap. Red Bull’s third place in the Constructors’ Championship relies entirely on Verstappen’s points, and they can’t afford a non-scoring second driver if they want to challenge McLaren and Ferrari.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda has been punching above his weight at Racing Bulls. He finished sixth in the Chinese Sprint, qualified fifth in Australia, and was on pace for points in both Grands Prix before strategy missteps dropped him to 12th and 19th. His consistency and maturity have impressed Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who’s called him “a different Yuki” this year, hinting at a shift in perception. Reports from the paddock suggest discussions are already underway, with a decision potentially coming this week after Shanghai. Christian Horner’s refusal to commit to Lawson for Japan when pressed by ESPN adds fuel to the fire—he’s keeping options open, which isn’t a ringing endorsement.
That said, Red Bull’s history of driver decisions is a mixed bag. They’ve been ruthless before—swapping Pierre Gasly for Alex Albon mid-2019—but they also stuck with Sergio Perez through a dismal 2024 until the offseason. Lawson’s only two races in, and his 11 prior F1 starts showed promise, so they might give him a bit more rope. Tsunoda’s case is complicated by Red Bull’s past skepticism about his mental resilience and the fact that Honda, his long-time backer, is leaving for Aston Martin after 2025. Promoting him now could be a short-term fix they’re hesitant to lock into. Still, if Lawson flops again in Japan, the pressure might force their hand.
Would Tsunoda struggle in the Red Bull Car?
If Tsunoda gets the call, it’s not a slam dunk he’d instantly thrive. The Red Bull RB21 seems trickier to handle than the Racing Bulls VCARB 02—Lawson’s struggles and even Verstappen’s occasional gripes about its performance suggest it’s a car with a narrow operating window. Tsunoda’s got 87 Grand Prix starts under his belt, far more than Lawson’s 13, and he’s shown he can adapt, scoring a career-best 30 points in 2024. His pace in the Abu Dhabi test last year in the RB20 impressed engineers, and his current form—outqualifying Lawson 6-0 in their 2024 stint together—shows he’s got raw speed.
But there’s a catch. Red Bull’s car is built around Verstappen’s driving style—aggressive, precise, and adaptable to oversteer. Tsunoda’s matured a lot, shedding some of his early emotional volatility, but he’s never faced the pressure of being Verstappen’s teammate. Perez crumbled under it, Gasly and Albon couldn’t keep up, and Lawson’s floundering now. Tsunoda’s radio composure in tough races like Melbourne 2025 is a good sign, but the RB21’s sensitivity could still trip him up, especially if he’s thrown in mid-season with little prep. His qualifying edge over Lawson at Racing Bulls doesn’t guarantee he’d crack the top five in a Red Bull—Verstappen’s rarely outside the top four this year, while Lawson’s stuck in Q1.
On the flip side, Tsunoda’s desperation to prove himself could be a spark. He’s said he’s “100% ready” for the switch, and his home race in Japan might give him an extra edge if it happens there. He’s not a rookie anymore—he knows F1’s grind and has the technical feedback skills Red Bull values, as noted by Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies. If he gets a clean shot with some practice time, he might not dominate but could at least score points consistently, something Lawson hasn’t managed.
I’d lean toward Red Bull making the swap if Lawson doesn’t turn it around soon—probably by Japan or shortly after. They can’t risk a pointless second car much longer, and Tsunoda’s the obvious choice over a rookie like Isack Hadjar. As for Tsunoda failing to get up to speed, it’s possible he’d struggle initially—the RB21’s a beast, and Verstappen’s shadow is long. But he’s got a better shot than Lawson does right now, given his experience and current form. He might not match Verstappen, but he could stabilize things enough to keep Red Bull in the Constructors’ fight. It’s a gamble either way—Red Bull’s second seat has been a revolving door since Ricciardo left, and neither driver’s a sure fix yet.
Next up, F1 heads to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix on April 4-6.
iberianmph.com 