2025 F1 Chinese GP: Top 5 Predictions

The 2025 F1 Chinese GP will be the second race of the season and this time around we will have a sprint weekend. The first race of the season saw Lando Norris hold off Max Verstappen to win the race.

The race in Melbourne was a chaotic one, where we had the weather play a role and then to make things worse, multiple stoppages on a slippery track are not ideal. This weekend we head to China.

The F1 Chinese GP has been more or less a permanent fixture in the sport for a while now. So what can we expect from the race this weekend? Let's take a look.

#5. Expect an improved run from Haas

Haas was shocked to find that the car was just horribly slow in Australia. It does come as a surprise, though, because nothing of this sort was evident during the pre-season test. The car did not appear to be this slow, and even if it did run almost entirely on higher fuel loads, it never appeared to be this off the pace.

There were suggestions that the struggles of the car could have something to do with the way it was set up, and inherently the package is not this slow. We're backing Haas to put together a better run at the F1 Chinese GP as the team finally figured out where things went wrong with the car.

#4. The midfield might be a bit less of a factor

It was interesting to see the midfield teams mixing it up with the Ferrari drivers during the F1 Australian GP. Both Racing Bulls and Williams were in the top 6 in qualifying and got the jump on Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. While we could see something similar in qualifying, things would normalize in the races, though.

It was quite evident in Australia as well that the top 4 have a bit of an advantage over the chasing pack in performance. While overtaking was a bit tougher at the F1 Australian GP, the Chinese GP's track layout is more conducive to that. We'll see the top 4 teams separate themselves a bit more this race weekend.

#3. Kimi Antonelli secures his first F1 podium

Kimi Antonelli finished his rookie race in P4 with a brilliant drive. The Italian has shown that the pace is already there, but where he probably needs to work is on the ability to put an entire weekend together and not make mistakes during qualifying.

There's an outside threat of rain as well on Sunday during the F1 Chinese GP, and in what is one of the bolder predictions, we're backing Kimi Antonelli to secure his first-ever podium in the sport.

#2. Ferrari might struggle again this weekend

Ferrari didn't have a great run in Australia as the car was just not in the right window on Saturday and Sunday. The team is hoping to put together a better run here, and if what the car showed on Friday was a hint of how good it can be, there is reason to have a positive outlook.

At the same time, during the F1 Chinese GP, the temperatures are expected to be on the lower side, with a forecast of rain. You add them up and have a scenario where the Italian might struggle at the F1 Chinese GP.

#1. Lando Norris wins the F1 Chinese GP as McLaren dominates

Something that has not caught everyone's eye yet is the fact that the track surface for the F1 Chinese GP has resurfaced. The track would be grippier, but at the same time, there are indications that the surface is abrasive as well. If there is one team for whom this would be music to the ears, it is McLaren.

Even though the ability to keep the tires alive for a long time does not make the car the benchmark on the grid, it helped both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri pull out a few tenths over the chasing pack.

The track is very front-limited in China, and hence the focus would always be on how well the teams can keep the front tires in the working range, but that doesn't take away from the inherent advantage that McLaren already has. For the F1 Chinese GP, expect Lando Norris to make it two out of two in Shanghai and win the second race of the season.