The Chinese GP is gone, leaving us with bitter disappointments and unexpected surprises. It is time for evaluations, honest thoughts and what the second round of the Formula 1 World Championship has left us with.
Fire in the fire
We could not begin our reflection without starting from her, the protagonist of Sunday's Chinese GP, the Ferrari (0) author of a new record in the entire history of the Red: a double disqualification. Right from the start we witnessed the first problems, with the contact between Leclerc and Hamilton, with the Monegasque too hasty in trying to gain position on his team-mate; author of a complicated weekend, he nevertheless managed to bring the car home unaware of the underweight of his single-seater which made his performance on Sunday in vain (6).
It was a different weekend for Sir Lewis (7), who triumphed in the Sprint: this mini victory brought Ferrari back a success that had been missing in Shanghai since 2006, when it was the evergreen Schumi who won. Hamilton takes a win in the Saturday mini-race for the first time, a triumph that had not yet happened for Ferrari until then. All in all, the Englishman's weekend was more competitive than in Australia. Who knows if, without the mysterious changes on Saturday, we would have seen a very different result from both.
One thing is certain: the world championship is still long, Vasseur still can and MUST cook, with the dispassionate advice to be careful with the cooking, where to avoid other fires of such magnitude in the Ferrari kitchen.
The triumph of the Iceman
And while the fire rages on, all is well in the McLaren household thanks to the first Papaya one-two of the season (9). However, the scene in the race is all Oscar Piastri (10) clearly superior all weekend to Norris (7. 5) inconsistent in his performance and author of many costly mistakes; in the Shanghai weekend the Englishman's emotions took too much of the upper hand in contrast to those of the Australian, who since his debut in Formula 1 is distinguished by his lucidity and glaciality that reminds many of the dear old IceMan, who took a lot of satisfaction in his time as an F1 driver: will it be the same for the good Zen Piastri?
Mercedes: between steady and rising
It continues for George Russell (8) his stay on the third step: it is the second podium of the season for the Englishman, who seems determined not to break away from what, at the moment, is the only position the McLaren outsiders can afford to grab. But whoever possesses it is a difficult opponent to throw out and his performances in qualifying (where he started in second position) and in the race, make it clear that he is marking out territory that he will soon want to own.
An uphill Sunday for our Antonelli (6.5) who, despite being voted Driver of the Day, it is worth noting his underwhelming performance throughout the race. It was only at its conclusion that it was discovered that the Italian had problems with the bottom, which allowed him to achieve a full sufficency: more can be done, but it is fair to appreciate the work done despite the problems with his W16.
Racing in anonymity
Our dear Max had already predicted on Thursday in Shanghai that he would not be among the favourites, getting the scenarios right. But you know, you should never underestimate a driver of his calibre: first row in Sprint qualifying, third in the mini race and fourth in the official one. If on the dry lap the Dutchman was able to patch up the problems of his RB21, in the race he could do little about the weaknesses of the new Red Bull-branded car.
However, in his unusual anonymity, his management of the compounds after the stop is to be appreciated, which allowed him to overtake Leclerc and finish the race in fourth position: even when he is not the protagonist of Sunday, SuperMax always knows how to distinguish himself (7).
When a ‘hello’ becomes pure joy
Amongst the positive notes of the Chinese GP we find Haas, which after the painful Australia leaves Shanghai with a haul of fourteen points: both Ocon and Bearman (8) were the protagonists of an excellent performance, with the Englishman putting a smile on the faces of the media and fans with his ‘hello’ at every overtaking move in his incredible comeback.
In seven days everything has changed at Haas: who knows if the land of the Rising Sun will also be fruitful, bringing with it other great results that will do justice to what the American team saw last season.
One step away from goodbye
All that is missing is the official announcement, but Liam Lawson's stay in Red Bull is already at the end of the line (2): underwhelming even in China, the New Zealander is unable to tame the RB21 owned by the good Max. The top management of Milton Keynes do not like pleasantries, nor are they pro to long waits: Yuki Tsunoda is already ready, who in his native Japan, will debut as Verstappen's new team-mate: will he be able to bring the second Red Bull to the positions that count or will the Dutch lion continue to gain points alone?
Speaking of Racing Bulls (3) Shanghai offers no excitement, with both drivers out of the points zone: Will Lawson return to Faenza from the next GP or will a new recruit join Hadjar in the family of toreros whose first name is Franco and whose surname is Colapinto?
Who resurfaces and who continues to sink
While Williams continues to earn important points with a constant Albon (7) and a Sainz (5) lucky to be disqualified by the two Ferraris, Sauber is backtracking after the good performance of SuperHulk in Australia, with its drivers at the bottom of the standings, ghosts throughout the race.
At Aston Martin's, the start of the world championship is two-faced: an unusual Stroll (7) scores points for the second time, putting a smile on Daddy Lawrence's face, unlike good old Fernando (4), author of yet another retirement due to a problem with the braking system. Pitch black in the Enstone zone, with Alpine (3) disqualified with Gasly (3) and wagon wheel with Doohan (3), overtaken by all but the two Sauber.
Who knows if, when we think of the 2025 Chinese GP, we will remember it with key words: at the moment the one that best describes it is just one: nightmare. This short break will serve many to reset themselves, understand what is happening and rise from the ashes of a fire that, especially in the Ferrari house, needs to be put out as soon as possible.
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