2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Highlights

George Russell finished third and Kimi Antonelli battled home to P8, despite floor damage, at the 2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. George Russell lined up on the front row alongside the McLaren of Oscar Piastri for the 56-lap race. As the lights went out, George made the better start but couldn’t quite pass the Australian; as he backed out, Lando Norris was able to get ahead.

Kimi, meanwhile, started P8 and gained one position by passing the Racing Bull of Isaac Hadjar. Unfortunately, he suffered significant floor damage that compromised his entire race, likely from running over debris. Nevertheless, the Italian battled on gamely. After switching to the Hard compound, he fought the other Racing Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and ultimately used a one-stop strategy to finish P8.

George meanwhile controlled his pace throughout before deploying the undercut to regain Norris for P2. Ultimately, the pace of the McLarens was too strong, and Norris retook the second position during the second stint. Nevertheless, George drove a faultless race to maximise the result, take P3, and make it back-to-back podiums to start the year and an all-Mercedes-powered top-three.

George’s P3 marks Mercedes-Benz’s 300th podium in F1 as a works team and his best start to an F1 season after two races. The team returns to Brackley after this opening double-header before kicking off the Japan/Bahrain/Saudi Arabia triple-header in two weeks.

George Russell, Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

P3 was the absolute maximum we could achieve today, so we can be delighted with the result and secure our second podium in as many races as possible to start the season. I got off to a strong start and gave everything to take the lead from Oscar (Piastri), but he defended well. It was unfortunate not to make the pass and then to lose position to Lando, but credit to Oscar—he did a great job holding his ground. Ultimately, the McLarens just had the edge on us today. As much as we want to be in the fight with them, at the moment, we’re not quite there. Given that, we must be satisfied with being ‘best of the rest’ this weekend.

It has been a really positive start to our season. We finished P3 in Melbourne, P4 in the Sprint yesterday, and another P3 today. The consistency is there, and the car is feeling strong. Now, our focus is on pushing, finding more pace, and closing the gap to the leaders.

Kimi Antonelli, Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

It was a tough race after I picked up floor damage on lap one. It looks like I ran over some debris, which significantly impacted performance—especially with rear-end stability, which caught me off guard. That really affected my pace, but it was a valuable learning experience in managing the situation. Even though P8 wasn’t what we aimed for, I’m still happy that we could bring some points home.

Thank you to the fans for voting me Driver of the Day! Given how my race unfolded, I wasn’t expecting that at all, but it means a lot to have that support.

Overall, I’m pleased with how I and the team have started the season. So far, one of my biggest takeaways has been the importance of nailing Qualifying. If I can put it all together on a Saturday, we’ll start further up the grid, avoid early incidents, and maximise the car’s potential. I’m excited to return to work ahead of the upcoming triple-header and return stronger for Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

That was a solid afternoon’s work. A podium was our realistic best-case scenario today, and we delivered on that. We knew McLaren would be strong, and with Ferrari and Verstappen in the mix, it would always be a challenge.

I don’t often give out 10 out of 10 ratings, as there’s always room for improvement, but today, George was faultless. He maximized everything from the car; that was a perfect drive for me. He has started this season in exceptional form, performing exactly as we knew he would in his role as the senior driver.

Kimi’s race was unfortunately compromised by the floor damage he sustained on lap one. Despite carrying a significant performance deficit, he kept his head down and fought hard to bring home P8. He didn’t complain once—he just got on with the job, and that’s precisely the attitude we want to see.

Overall, it’s been a strong start to the season. We always aim to win but don’t take that for granted. Our car isn’t quite at McLaren’s level, but the entire team is pushing hard to close that gap. For now, we’re extracting the most from what we have, and leaving China second in the Constructors’ Championship, with two podiums in two races, is a satisfying position to be in.

1. Previous
2. 1
3. 2
4. 3
5. 4
6. 5
7. 6
8. 7
9. 8
10. 9
11. 10
12. 11
13. Next