It wasn’t as disappointing as in Australia, but once again in Shanghai, Ferrari lost its edge in the battle for pole position at the Chinese GP. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were stuck on the third row after an impressive sprint race, leading to speculation that the Scuderia might have made another setup change.

Shanghai qualifying favored Oscar Piastri and George Russell, who maximized their final attempts to secure a well-earned front row. Meanwhile, Ferrari—despite securing sprint pole—ended up further down the grid. Compared to the sprint qualifying session, the SF-25 lost performance, failing to take the extra step needed to challenge McLaren for pole.

Charles Leclerc’s admission over team radio
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished Q3 in fifth and sixth place, respectively. While the Ferrari appeared to have improved in drivability, it seemed to have lost some outright performance—at least on Charles Leclerc’s side of the garage.

“We lost a bit of competitiveness in qualifying today,” Charles Leclerc admitted over the team radio at the end of Q3. Despite that, he felt more comfortable with the car: “It’s not too bad from my perspective, but overall, we struggled a bit more than the others.” – he pointed out.

Fred Vasseur responds: another Ferrari setup change?
After the troubled Australian GP weekend, some have suggested that Ferrari may have once again altered the SF-25’s setup before qualifying. This was a key topic in Sky Italia’s post-Q3 interview with Fred Vasseur.

The Ferrari team principal avoided giving too many details but let slip some hints. “I won’t talk about this—there would be too many comments! But it’s true, in the sprint race, tire degradation was higher than expected for everyone.”

Ferrari may have adjusted the setup after the sprint race in response to the tire wear seen over the 19-lap event. According to Fred Vasseur, tire management will be the decisive factor in the Grand Prix, rather than outright speed. “Degradation was much worse for some, less for others, but overall, it was significant. The race will be about managing tire wear rather than pure pace.”

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Saturday’s track action has come to an end for the second race weekend of the 2025 season. While Friday’s performance suggested a tight battle for the top positions, McLaren once again asserted its dominance in qualifying. Unfortunately for Ferrari fans, the team slipped back to being the third or fourth force, failing to replicate its Friday pace. Here’s what Charles Leclerc had to say following Chinese GP qualifying.

The situation was clear. Throughout the weekend in Shanghai, from the sole free practice session onward, Lewis Hamilton appeared more competitive than his teammate. Drawing on his experience—having won the Grand Prix six times—he managed to secure his first pole for Ferrari, valid for the sprint race. During the Italian night, he also claimed victory, bringing Maranello its first “win” of 2025.

Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, struggled throughout the 5 km of the Asian circuit. His biggest losses came in the first sector, particularly through Turns 1, 2, and 3, where he and his teammate took entirely different lines. He qualified fourth in the sprint shootout and finished fifth in the sprint race, unable to regain his position from Russell.

In the Grand Prix qualifying session, his performance dropped even further. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, car number 16, qualified sixth behind Lewis Hamilton with a time of 1:31.021—nearly half a second off Oscar Piastri’s pole.

However, the outlook for tomorrow’s race is entirely different. As seen in the 19-lap sprint, tire degradation—especially graining—will be a crucial factor. Managing tire wear efficiently without stressing them too much in the early laps will be key.

Speaking to Sky Sport F1, Charles Leclerc commented on the situation heading into the race: “The others improved a lot over the weekend, while we didn’t as much as we should have. If I wasn’t happy with my lap yesterday, today I am a bit more because I gave everything I had and couldn’t do more.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.

“I wasn’t expecting a miracle because I don’t like this track. We need to analyze the data since track conditions and pressures have changed, but they changed for everyone. Maybe they affected us more than others, but we need to understand why.”

Charles Leclerc was also not optimistic about the race: “We know Lewis is very strong, but we have to be careful because this isn’t a great starting position. Being in front with clean air helps a lot with tire management. I don’t think we’ll be able to match our sprint pace, but we’ll try to maximize what we can. This morning’s win was positive, but looking ahead, it’s going to be very difficult.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.

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Oscar Piastri Claims Pole Position for 2025 Chinese Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri will lead the grid at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix after securing pole position with a blistering lap of 1:30.641 at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Australian driver showcased exceptional pace throughout the session, narrowly edging out George Russell, who secured second place. Lando Norris completed the top three, ensuring a strong starting position for McLaren.

Piastri Capitalizes on Late Session Gains

The opening laps of Q3 saw Piastri, Norris, and Max Verstappen battling for the provisional pole, with the Australian initially holding the top spot. However, while Norris and Verstappen were unable to improve on their final runs, Piastri found additional pace in his last attempt, cementing his position at the front of the grid. George Russell took full advantage of his final lap, climbing to second place and pushing Norris down to third. Lewis Hamilton will start from P5, just ahead of Charles Leclerc, as Ferrari looks to bounce back from a challenging qualifying session.

Isack Hadjar delivered an outstanding performance, outqualifying both his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Meanwhile, Alexander Albon rounded out the top ten, securing a solid starting position for Williams.

Q2: Ferrari and Antonelli Avoid Trouble as Midfield Battles Intensify

The second qualifying session threatened to put Ferrari and Antonelli at risk, but with no major improvements from the midfield challengers, both teams managed to scrape through. Esteban Ocon came agonizingly close to reaching Q3 but ultimately missed out, settling for 11th place. Nico Hülkenberg delivered Sauber’s best qualifying result of the season, securing P12.

Aston Martin endured another disappointing session, with both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll failing to progress. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz found himself eliminated in Q2 once again, ending the session in 15th place, two-tenths behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.

Q2 Eliminations:

P11 Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

P12 Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)

P13 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

P14 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

P15 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Q1: Early Exits for Alpine and Rookie Contenders

The first segment of qualifying saw Liam Lawson struggle once again, finishing in P20, mirroring his Sprint Qualifying result. Alpine had a disastrous session, as Pierre Gasly made a costly mistake in the final corner, preventing him from advancing beyond Q1. Jack Doohan also had a tough outing, spinning at Turn 9 on his opening lap and failing to recover.

Gabriel Bortoleto, who had shown promise in previous rounds, was unable to outqualify Nico Hülkenberg this time, finishing 19th. Oliver Bearman also faced an early exit, ending his session in P17.

Q1 Eliminations:

P16 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

P17 Oliver Bearman (Haas)

P18 Jack Doohan (Alpine)

P19 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

P20 Liam Lawson (RB)

With Piastri leading the charge and an intense midfield battle shaping up, the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix promises to be a thrilling contest. Stay tuned for all the latest updates as race day approaches.

Result Qualification – Chinese GP

#	Driver	Team	Time	Tyre
1	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:30.641
2	George Russell	Mercedes	1:30.723
3	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:30.793
4	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:30.817
5	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:30.927
6	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:31.021
7	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1:31.079
8	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:31.103
9	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	1:31.638
10	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:31.706
11	Esteban Ocon	Haas	1:31.625
12	Nico Hulkenberg	Stake	1:31.632
13	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:31.688
14	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:31.773
15	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:31.840
16	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:31.992
17	Oliver Bearman	Haas	1:32.018
18	Jack Doohan	Alpine	1:32.092
19	Gabriel Bortoleto	Stake	1:32.141
20	Liam Lawson	Red Bull	1:32.174

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Lewis Hamilton crosses the finish line first aboard the Ferrari, while Charles Leclerc finishes the Chinese Sprint race in fifth position. A dream the Briton has had since childhood: winning with the Prancing Horse. It comes true in the second round of the championship, even though not in the main race, but in the smaller 100-kilometer one. A huge satisfaction in the aftermath of the disaster broadcast from the Albert Park swimming pool, where almost nothing worked for the Maranello team.

The Sprint Race is not an easy competition. There are no pit stops, and while the need to push to the maximum prevails, tire management is equally crucial, especially on a track like the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit, which wears out tires significantly. Lewis Hamilton delivered a masterclass in this regard, following his pole position yesterday, as his race engineer Riccardo Adami noted at the end of the Sprint event when he congratulated the Dutch driver over the team radio.

Yet, it wasn’t easy. Undoubtedly, running at the front helped, avoiding the turbulence generated by other cars. However, the tedious graining phenomenon also appeared on the left front tire of car number 44 and, for a moment in the race, caused slight concern for the former Mercedes driver. Lewis Hamilton, however, remained calm, despite Max Verstappen trying to close the gap behind him.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion’s display of Ferrari’s strength should not be underestimated, especially considering Pirelli’s pressure adjustments. The Italian tire manufacturer was concerned that the cars’ higher-than-expected downforce levels could cause issues. The British champion showed great intelligence, building his victory through many small details.

Without a doubt, Lewis Hamilton has vast experience after nearly two decades in Formula One. On the other hand, unlike Charles Leclerc, who struggled tremendously due to an incorrect setup, failing to turn properly in Turn 13 due to an endemic lack of rotation, the Briton dominated the race without too many issues. However, before the competition, some noteworthy events unfolded.

On the starting grid, with about ten minutes to go before the race, Lewis Hamilton asked a series of questions regarding tire management. An exchange of information with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, that was useful for optimizing tire usage. The British driver was forward-thinking, precise, and eager for information, wanting to understand where he could push or hold back in every single corner of the track.

Discussions took place before the formation lap to prepare the tires optimally for the start and later regarding the race itself, where all strategies were executed to perfection. Additionally, during the Sprint Race, guidance was provided on how to use the differential to best manage the car’s rotation. The same applied to brake system mappings and power unit settings.

On the other hand, the Monegasque driver had a much more complicated race, despite the fact that his clutch release at the start was excellent, allowing him to pull alongside Oscar Piastri and engage in a wheel-to-wheel battle up to the second sector of the track. Unfortunately, the Australian defended brilliantly and, as often happens in such situations, the third party benefitted. Indeed, George Russell’s Mercedes bided its time before taking advantage of its superior traction in Turn 13, leading onto the 1.2 kilometer straight.

The Briton exploited his lower-drag setup and, at the end of the long high-speed section, overtook the Ferrari driver. From that point on, Charles Leclerc struggled with graining and the aforementioned understeer, only managing to get close toward the race’s end in an attempt to reclaim the position. He tried everything, but George Russell consistently shut the door, defending excellently.

After the Sprint Race, teams are allowed to adjust their car’s setup. Ferrari has therefore decided to tweak the setup of car number 16 to improve Charles Leclerc’s confidence with the SF-25. A move that could turn around a weekend that has been underwhelming so far, as a qualifying session and a 300-kilometer race still remain, offering a chance to overturn the situation.

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Charles Leclerc caught off guard by George Russell

On Ferrari’s 19th attempt, the team finally secured a Sprint race victory, thanks to Lewis Hamilton, who in just his second weekend with the Scuderia has already claimed a Sprint pole and a Saturday race win. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, started from fourth but lost ground, ultimately finishing in fifth place.

The Monegasque was overtaken by George Russell on the second lap: “I was conservative,” Charles Leclerc admitted to Sky at the end of the Chinese Sprint race. “But in both the first and middle parts of the race, I didn’t have great pace. It’s definitely a missed point. Historically, this track—like Melbourne—has always been a bit tricky for me. That’s not an excuse, but so far, I haven’t been at Hamilton’s level.” – he pointed out.

Charles Leclerc knows he must respond, starting with the upcoming Qualifying session in just a few hours: “After these races, I hope to look ahead to the next rounds, but right now, I need to focus on maximizing points here. In this race, for example, I could have finished fourth. This afternoon, I hope to find a better feeling with the car to qualify in a stronger position.”

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The FIA has officially decided not to take any action against Charles Leclerc following the investigation initiated during the Sprint Qualifying of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver was under scrutiny for allegedly driving too slowly during his preparation lap, but the stewards determined that he did not break any rules.

The investigation into Charles Leclerc and Ferrari: what happened with Lewis Hamilton?

During the session, Charles Leclerc was on track behind Lance Stroll and ahead of Lewis Hamilton. According to the stewards’ analysis, the Monegasque was trying to create a proper gap to start his fast lap, waiting for Stroll to begin his push lap. At that moment, following instructions from the Mercedes team, Hamilton overtook Charles Leclerc.

The FIA examined positioning system data, onboard videos, and television footage, concluding that Charles Leclerc always maintained a reasonable speed and did not obstruct any other driver.

In the official statement, the stewards clarified: “Leclerc always maintained a reasonable speed and attempted to create an appropriate gap behind Lewis Hamilton. Everything occurred in an orderly manner, and no car behind was affected by this.”

As a result, the Monegasque driver was not deemed responsible for driving “unnecessarily slowly” and did not gain any sporting advantage from his actions. The FIA has therefore decided that no further action will be taken against the Ferrari driver.

This decision brings some relief to Ferrari after the difficulties faced during the Melbourne weekend. With the goal of redemption in China, Leclerc can now fully focus on the Sprint and Sunday’s race without any pending penalties.

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Unusual order

Before the excellent SQ3, which gave Lewis Hamilton the first ‘mini’ pole position for Ferrari and a decent fourth place for Charles Leclerc, the two Ferrari drivers were involved in a particular situation during SQ2. While both were completing their out-laps, the Monegasque was asked via radio to let the seven-time world champion, who was following him, pass. This request was followed by Leclerc, though he expressed some displeasure: “I’ll do it, but we’ve never done this before and I’m also a bit in trouble, so…” For this slow-down, Charles Leclerc was also investigated by the stewards for not respecting the minimum time set by Race Direction but was later ‘absolved.’

The explanation

So, how did this situation come about? To understand this, we need to analyze the radio communications between the two drivers – which clearly show that the request for the position swap came directly from Hamilton – and also the laps prior during SQ2. The two Ferraris had actually exited the pits with car #44 ahead of #16. However, during the first timed lap, Hamilton completed his lap, while Leclerc made a mistake at Turn 6 and aborted his fast lap, asking his track engineer for permission to attempt another lap in the following lap, instead of using the entire lap to cool down his tires.

Leclerc: “Can we do a ‘push-cool-push’?”
Bozzi: “Yes, we can do a ‘push-cool-push.’ So we’ll push after this lap.”

Hamilton, ahead of him, completed his first attempt normally, even though it wasn’t a perfect lap.

Now Hamilton proceeds slowly on track to cool down his tires and find the right temperature, while Leclerc, behind him, is working on his fast lap after aborting his first attempt. Hamilton is promptly informed by Adami of Leclerc’s position and lets him pass. However, it was also decided to have Hamilton complete a second cooling lap, preferring this to a pit stop, which could have caused difficulties with traffic on track.

Adami: “Charles aborted, just for info.”
Hamilton: “Did you say we stay out?”
Adami: “Yes, we prefer to stay out due to traffic. Charles is pushing behind.”
Hamilton: “It’s very hard to lower the temperature.”
Adami: “Got it, understood. Charles is pushing behind, 10 seconds.”
Adami: “Charles is pushing behind, four seconds. Charles is closing in, watch your mirrors and do your cooling on the straight.”

After completing his fast lap – finally finished – Leclerc is told to do just one cooling lap, likely due to time constraints. So, on track, Leclerc and Hamilton are aligned, both doing a slow lap, but with their positions swapped compared to the order in which they exited the pit lane. This situation was not liked by Hamilton, who explicitly asked for clear track ahead to manage his tire temperature better. This request led to the position swap on track, which occurred at the exit of Turn 10.

Bozzi (to Leclerc): “Let’s do just one cooling lap. One lap.”
Hamilton: “Charles is ahead of me. Is he going for the next lap or…?”
Adami: “He’s going for the next lap. The car behind, no pressure from behind.”
Hamilton: “Yes, but I don’t have any space.”
Adami: “Do you want to swap cars, question?”
Hamilton: “Yes, that’s where I should be.”

Bozzi: “Can we swap the cars, please?”
Leclerc: “Swap the cars now?”
Bozzi: “Yes, please.”
Leclerc: “Yes, I’ll do it, but we’ve never done this before, and I’m also a bit in trouble, so…”

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Second row
The mood in the Ferrari garage is divided. While Lewis Hamilton’s side is smiling and celebrating the first ‘mini-pole’ for #44, Charles Leclerc cannot be satisfied with his fourth-place finish in SQ3. The Monegasque was two-tenths behind his teammate and was also beaten by Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. Most notably, Charles Leclerc never seemed able to keep up with Lewis Hamilton in terms of speed in this start of the race weekend at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit.

A step back
“I struggled on my side of the garage,” admitted the #16 Ferrari driver to the official F1 channel microphones. “From the start, I felt a step behind Lewis, who was simply faster today. I struggled a lot in turns 2-3, where I also had issues last year; it’s a bit of a shame. Beyond that, we’re all close. It’s a shame to start from fourth, but Lewis is on pole, and we hope to have a good race together tomorrow. Tire management in FP1? Very difficult. We struggled to get everything in the right window. But in the end, I felt a bit better in qualifying, though not as I would have liked.”

Especially on a Sprint weekend, though, there are still opportunities to redeem himself: “There’s still work to do for tomorrow’s qualifying,” Charles Leclerc continued. “However, the race will be another story. How to reset? First of all, there will be the Sprint race, which I think will be very tricky for the tires, so we’ll have to focus on that. Then we’ll see how the other qualifying sessions go after that.” – the Monegasque driver concluded after qualifying fourth for the Chinese GP Sprint race.

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Controversy at the End of Qualifying
Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll have been summoned by the stewards following the Sprint Qualifying session at the Chinese GP for failing to respect the delta time.

Charles Leclerc’s difficulty in adhering to the delta time may have been caused by a request from the Ferrari pit wall during Q2 when he was instructed via team radio to let Lewis Hamilton through with the message “Swap Cars,” a call that took the Monegasque driver by surprise.

Charles Leclerc complied with the Ferrari pit wall’s request, but in doing so, he may have failed to respect the delta time, leading to the investigation—though such inquiries rarely result in actual penalties. Neither Charles Leclerc nor Lance Stroll are expected to face consequences. The Monegasque driver qualified in fourth position, while Lance Stroll secured tenth.

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Not only Lewis Hamilton, but also Charles Leclerc was critical via radio during the Australian GP: a former F1 driver is calling for action from Ferrari and Frédéric Vasseur. The attitude of the two Ferrari drivers does not seem to have gone unnoticed. While many observers are pointing fingers at the team and the track engineers, some have deemed their responses overly “annoyed.”

In a motorsport world that resists the FIA’s impositions on foul language, there is an opposing voice calling for more self-control. This time, it is not about swearing or using language inappropriate for children: what Ralf Schumacher is asking for, in the German Sky Sport podcast, is more respect for the team.

A criticism directed at Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, both fired up in Melbourne. The two Ferrari drivers are accused of communicating via radio in a fit of excessive anger. According to the former driver and now respected pundit, Frédéric Vasseur himself should give them a lesson.

Ralf Schumacher calls on Fred Vasseur: “He should reprimand his drivers”
While the media focused solely on the relationship between Riccardo Adami and Lewis Hamilton, Ralf Schumacher also puts Bryan Bozzi and Charles Leclerc under the magnifying glass.

“It was the same for both. Not only Lewis Hamilton, but also Charles Leclerc got angry over the radio. If I were the team principal right now, I would call them both into my office and give them a rap on the knuckles because this is not acceptable. At the end of the day, the whole team is out there, doing nothing but trying to help the two drivers.” – he pointed out.

“It’s really not the time to be angry with the team. They could have said, apologetically, that it wasn’t a good moment to talk to them on the radio.”

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