F1 teams and drivers will head to the Shanghai International Circuit to compete in the annual Chinese Grand Prix this weekend. The race returned to the F1 calendar last year after five years of absence due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions but the venue has extended its stay until the end of the 2030 season.
The 2025 F1 season kicked off last weekend at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix which provided a glimpse into the competitive pecking order and early season excitement throughout the three days.
There were early glimpses that McLaren could be the dominant force in the final year of the current generation of cars, having a pace advantage over its rivals while leading the race.
The reigning world champions made a winning start to their title defense with Lando Norris winning in Melbourne after seeing off the challenge from Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in changeable conditions.
While Australia provided rain and sun on the same weekend, China will present its own challenges given it would be the first Sprint weekend of the year in only the second race of the 2025 season and an added caveat of weather conditions. As per Weather.com, below is the weather forecast for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix:
FRIDAY - FP1 AND SPRINT QUALIFYING
Forecast: Sunny weather with little to no clouds and gusty winds.
Temperature: 24C / 75F
Chance of precipitation: <5%
SATURDAY - SPRINT AND QUALIFYING
Forecast: Sunny weather with little clouds.
Temperature: 26C / 79F
Chance of precipitation: <5%
SUNDAY - RACE
Forecast: Sunny conditions with some clouds over the track.
Highest temperature: 27C / 81F
Chance of precipitation: <5%
Ferrari team boss analyzes their performance ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believed that the conditions in Melbourne were not representative of their car's true potential ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Speaking with Motorsportweek.com, the Frenchman reflected on the season opener and said:
“The conditions today are not representative at all of the picture of the performance. It is more that if you look from what we did Friday morning to Q2 it is much more representative than the pace in race conditions today. The real picture of the performance is Friday and Saturday. Even in this case, McLaren is one step ahead.”
Vasseur expressed his optimism ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix and added:
"Today we didn’t do the best job but we will start from scratch in China. We have to always keep in mind the last four races, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and us, we won one each, always with [a] big gap [to the rest]. It was changing weekend after weekend because the fight is tight. I think next weekend will be different.”
Ferrari finished the Australian Grand Prix in P8 and P10 and got five points in the Constructor's Championship despite leading the race at one point in time.