Winners & Losers of the Chinese Grand Prix Weekend

Written by Lily Dixon

March 24, 2025

A continuation of McLaren’s dominance and a struggle for many teams with disqualifications, the Chinese Grand Prix was packed with action, and many midfield teams were there to benefit from it. Will a team be able to crack the so-called “top four” teams this year?

Winners

Alex Albon

A brilliant display on the Thai-British driver’s birthday and the first Williams in 10 years to lead a Grand Prix had Alex Albon over the moon. He finished the race P9, and after a few post-race disqualifications, he wound up P7 to put the cherry on top of the day’s cake.

Throughout the race, he maintained his composure, speaking his confidence to his engineer when talking about tire degradation. Albon on the radio said: “I am better than everyone, let’s relax. I am comfortable.” His words rang true as he finished four positions ahead of his teammate and former Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz Jr.

Tying his 2024 total after just two races has Williams feeling good about their trajectory. So where will Albon land in the Drivers' Championship this year? Is he making a strong enough case for himself to extend with his current team or jump to one of the “top four” outfits?

HAAS

Things could not have gone better for HAAS in China, with a turn of events securing them P5 and P8 in the Grand Prix—a critical 14 points being added to their 2025 Constructors’ campaign. Rookie Ollie Bearman perfectly executed a few overtakes throughout the race, letting out a signature “ciao” when he’d completed the pass. He scored his first points in a full-time race seat and impressed on National Bear Day—an ode to his name and mascot.

Ocon scored HAAS’ second-highest finish in the history of the team, tying Kevin Magnussen’s performance from Austria 2018. After a disastrous Australian Grand Prix and struggling with slow pace, the American team will be glad to know they haven’t dropped off from their fight for the top of the midfield.

Right now, Williams is leading that fight, but could HAAS continue with this momentum from the Chinese Grand Prix and make a comeback in the next 22 race weekends?

McLaren

Their 50th 1-2 finish since their establishment 62 years ago and a third win for their Australian driver, Oscar Piastri, who struggled at his home Grand Prix the previous week, McLaren rebounded stronger than ever, holding a 21-point lead over Mercedes in the World Constructors' Championship (WCC).

Their two drivers have dominated the 2025 season so far, taking both of the wins up for grabs and gliding into their dominance era that started post-Miami in 2024.

Will they make it two WCCs in a row, or will Mercedes, Red Bull, or Ferrari manage to ramp up their season just in time to challenge McLaren?

George Russell

Finishing P3 meant George Russell had scored two podiums at two Grands Prix in a row. While Mercedes struggled with reliability and performance over the course of the 2024 season, they’ve turned that rhetoric upside down, providing their two drivers with a car capable of podiums and perhaps winning races if McLaren wasn’t so quick.

Russell has confirmed through his success that he’s ready to be the #1 veteran driver and to lead the team to strong finishes, boosting their winnings in the Constructors’.

Will he be a championship contender down the line? Could he disrupt Lando Norris and Max Verstappen’s lead for the 2025 World Drivers' Championship (WDC) title?

Lance Stroll

Another points finish in 2025 for the Canadian driver slots him 10 points and 12 positions in the WDC ahead of his two-time World Champion teammate, Fernando Alonso. A stark contrast to the previous year and a pleasant surprise for Aston Martin, who struggled with two drivers producing consistent results last year.

Lance Stroll, the son of Aston Martin chairman and owner Lawrence Stroll, has faced controversy in the past for his possible privileges due to nepotism, but his results this season have been nothing short of great, creating a driver dynamic for Aston to feel good about.

The Oxfordshire-based outfit placed fifth in the standings in 2024. Will they be able to break the wall to the “top four teams” and start working their way towards championships while their designer, Adrian Newey, continues to make progress in their car development?

Losers

Liam Lawson

A lack of performance in the first two rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season puts Liam Lawson on the hot seat, facing possible removal from his Red Bull seat to make way for his former VCARB teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.

Rumors surrounding the second Red Bull seat have swirled since Sergio “Checo” Pérez’s decline in the second half of the 2024 season and didn’t stop upon Lawson’s announcement. With Red Bull’s reputation for sacking drivers midseason, he’ll have his work cut out for him to retain his ride with the Milton Keynes team.

Several reports have outlined the possibility of Lawson being replaced with Tsunoda at Suzuka, the third round of the championship, as Team Principal Christian Horner has said they need two drivers scoring on a consistent basis. Lawson has failed to add a point to their Constructors' total in two races and a sprint and has qualified in 19.67 position on average, a start more grave than Nikita Mazepin’s first three races with HAAS in 2021.

Will he be able to close the gap to his teammate Verstappen—who outpaced him by 64.491 seconds on Sunday—before his tenure in F1 is compromised?

Jack Doohan

Alpine’s difficulties from 2024 have only continued into this season, with both of their drivers putting in solid performances and still coming out of two race weekends with no points. Jack Doohan, in particular, has faced an uphill battle, taking a penalty in China for reacting to VCARB driver Hadjar’s moves. Ten seconds were added to his time, and he slotted down into P13 after post-race disqualifications.

The French team is the only constructor with 0 points heading into the third race weekend of the season in Suzuka, a stat they’ll rue until they’re able to catch up with the strong midfield.

Is their car as slow as the results have been illustrating lately, or do they have to look at other driver options to move their team forward?

Ferrari

After Lewis Hamilton scored the Scuderia’s first-ever sprint win on Saturday, their fanbase, the Tifosi, had high hopes for a Grand Prix win and a charge forward in the championship, closing the gap to McLaren. Unfortunately for their fanbase, both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggled in qualifying, lining up P5 and P6 for the race, a sizable distance behind their rivals.

On the first lap of the race, when the bunched-up pack made their first run around the Shang symbol that the Shanghai track is molded into, Leclerc hit the back of Hamilton’s car, damaging his front wing and losing downforce, which would prove to be a struggle around the track’s long turns.

They ended the race in swapped spots, but their fortune took a turn yet again. When the cars were evaluated by the FIA post-race, both drivers were disqualified—Car 16 (Leclerc) for being underweight and for the plank assembly being too thin on Car 44 (Hamilton).

Can they spin the Wheel of Fortune and outplay Zak Brown and McLaren at their own game?

Fernando Alonso

An unlucky start to the season for the Spaniard, taking his second DNF of 2025 and retiring on the fourth lap in a race where more points-paying positions were open than usual due to a couple of “top four” teams' DNFs.

His teammate, Stroll, has been outperforming him so far, but can the two-time World Champion rebound and show why he’s been in the sport for 24 years—the longest tenure of any F1 driver?

Stake Kick Sauber

After Sauber’s points scored in Australia, their regression will be frustrating. Both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto finished a lap off the leader’s pace and struggled to fight with the midfield cars for position.

Will they go back to being one of the last-place finishers in the Constructors' for the third year running?