Shanghai — As the two finished McLaren’s historic 50th one-two finish in Formula 1, Australian driver Oscar Piastri easily won his first Chinese Grand Prix from pole position, surpassing his teammate Lando Norris.
In the race on Sunday, Piastri, who had taken his first pole position on Saturday, got off to a strong start and led into the first bend, while Norris overtook George Russell’s Mercedes for second place.
After Hungary and Azerbaijan last year, the Australian then gradually extended his legs in a trouble-free drive for his third career victory.
With 22 races remaining, Piastri, who is currently in fourth place in the standings and only 10 points behind leader Norris, remarked, “Obviously, it’s very satisfying.”
“I believe that crossing the finish line first always makes for a happy day, but for me, this has been the most fulfilling racing weekend overall. My two prior victories, in my opinion, were quite dissimilar, and this one has seemed the most comprehensive.
After the race, when Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified, officials changed the final result.After his stop, the British driver had to pass both Russell and Williams’ Alex Albon, making it a more difficult afternoon for Norris to secure his second-place finish. After that, he followed his colleague to the checkered flag, but he had to contend with a deteriorating brake-pedal problem in the final moments that made it unlikely he would finish the race.
It was a more challenging afternoon for Norris to clinch his second-place finish following his stop, as the British driver had to pass both Russell and Williams’ Alex Albon. He then followed his teammate to the checkered flag, but it was unlikely that he would finish the race due to a worsening brake-pedal issue in the closing seconds.
Leclerc and Gasly, who were fifth and sixteenth, respectively, were disqualified, though, when it was discovered that their cars were each one kilogramme under the minimum weight requirement at the end of the race.
Hamilton, who finished sixth on the road in the event and won the Sprint race on Saturday for the first time in a Ferrari, was also disqualified because the seven-time F1 world champion’s Ferrari’s underneath skid block thickness was deemed to be less than the allowed minimum level.
The disqualifications helped Haas’ double points result; rookie Oliver Bearman dropped from 10th to eighth place, and seventh-place finisher Esteban Ocon moved up to sixth.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a rookie for Mercedes, finished sixth, ahead of Alex Albon, who finished seventh. Carlos Sainz of Williams took the final point in 10th place, while Lance Stroll in an Aston Martin rose to ninth.
The next race, which will begin a triple header with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will take place on April 6 at Japan’s storied Suzuka Circuit.
