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The 2025 F1 Chinese GP will be the second race of the season after the mayhem we had in Australia. As far as the first races of the season go, the race in Melbourne was the perfect appetizer for what promises to be a very intriguing season.
The season began with McLaren dominating the grid in qualifying and then having a significant advantage in the race. The rain and the dry spell made things interesting, and we had Max Verstappen right on the tail of Lando Norris as the chequered flag fell.
For the second race of the season, we're going to China on a track that has historically put together some great races. Heading into the race weekend, however, what can we expect from the second race of the season? Let's take a look at our preview for the F1 Chinese GP.
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2025 F1 Chinese GP: Preview
Key Storylines
#1 How fast is McLaren?
A lot of fans and pundits don't remember that even last season McLaren was quite good around Australia and China, and this was before the car got the mega-Miami upgrade that propelled it to the front. The car was three-tenths faster over a lap than the closest challenger in Melbourne.
In Shanghai, a front-limited track, we'll have to wait and see what the gap would be, but it's safe to say that the car should still be the benchmark. If the gap is within a couple of tenths, then we might be in for a closer battle, but for now, McLaren should be the favorite heading into the F1 Chinese GP.
#2 The Mini-DRS
This debate is very interesting for many because there are quite a few who feel it was McLaren who implemented the Mini-DRS. The FIA has not pointed the finger at any team, but the usual suspects could potentially be the top 4 teams.
Whether the stricter measures would have an impact or not is still a question mark, but it would be interesting to see if the field shrinks even further during the F1 Chinese GP because of the new tests.
#3 The chasing pack
McLaren is at the front, there's hardly any doubt about that at the moment, but the question is, which team is going to be second? Could we change the pecking order even more compared to Australia?
The front-limited track in China was not as good for Ferrari in 2024, will it be different in 2025? Could we see the midfield teams mixing things up even more? There are a lot of questions about what the pecking order is potentially going to be and if weather can play a role as well.
Form Guide
In Form
It's hard to look beyond McLaren right now because the team has seemingly nailed the regulations once again. There's something brilliant that the team has done with its rear brakes, which takes the tire management to a completely different level. McLaren and Lando Norris are the favorites at the moment in the championship. Whether they can sustain this lead is a question we will get an answer to soon enough.
Out of Form
It's such a Ferrari thing to dominate a race weekend one year and then come back to the race and be absolutely nowhere in the next one. The team had a '1-2' finish in Melbourne in 2024 and was nowhere in 2025. This is not ideal, and this is not something that Lewis Hamilton would have signed up for. The team now heads to the Chinese GP this weekend, a track where they struggled a bit last year. Things are not looking up for the team at the moment.
2025 F1 Chinese GP: Predictions
Who wins the race?
It's a sprint race weekend, and hence we will have another race on Saturday as well. Keeping that in mind and with temperatures being a bit lower than usual, we'd have to back McLaren once again.
This car was competitive in the F1 Chinese GP last season as well, and this time around it's an upgraded version that's already the gold standard. Now, coming to who would win the race, we're going with Lando Norris.
The driver has a fast car under him, and Shanghai was a track where he got a podium last season as well. We're backing the British to make it two in two at the F1 Chinese GP.
Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Driver)
Kimi Antonelli's debut was slightly underwhelming on Saturday before he kicked things up a notch on Sunday and made his way through the field. The driver is fast, but more importantly, the driver is learning very, very quickly.
He was a bit in the shadow of George Russell in Australia, but for the F1 Chinese GP, we're backing him to secure his first-ever podium.
Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Team)
We're picking Mercedes as the team that would surprise at the Chinese GP, and one of the biggest reasons behind that is the fact that the track is front-limited. The biggest weakness of the new car is the tire management issues that the car encounters.
On a track like the one in Shanghai, the question is mostly focused on the front rather than the rear, and that's what would alleviate a lot of the issues with the car.
Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Driver)
Unfortunately, it might be the second Red Bull driver who ends up having a bad F1 Chinese GP. The young Kiwi has been put in a car that only one of the greatest talents in the sport's history can drive.
The struggle in Australia was alarming, and maybe we won't see it get replicated at the Chinese GP, but it's hard to expect Lawson to be anywhere near what Max Verstappen would achieve in that car.
Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Team)
This one might go to Haas once again. The team was stunned to find out how far behind the car was in Melbourne. It would be great to see the team making a comeback and joining the midfield, but it looks highly unlikely for now. There's something fundamentally wrong with that car, and it would be hard to see it get rectified within a week.
