Piastri wins in China as Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified

Oscar Piastri delivered a masterful performance at the Chinese Grand Prix, converting his pole position into a controlled victory as McLaren secured their 50th one-two finish in Formula 1 history.

The Australian racer led home teammate Lando Norris, while an extraordinary post-race inspection resulted in both Ferrari drivers being disqualified from the final classification.

McLaren dominance on display

Piastri's start proved crucial as he squeezed Mercedes' George Russell off the line, allowing teammate Norris to capitalize and move up to second position.

Working together under what paddock insiders call "Papaya Rules," the McLaren duo quickly established their dominance.

Running in clean air at the front, Piastri managed his tires expertly while Norris reported early graining on his troublesome left-front tire just eight laps into the race.

This tire management storyline became central throughout the grand prix, with Piastri's leading position proving advantageous.

The pit stop sequence began on lap 11, with Piastri stopping on lap 15 despite a slightly sluggish 3.8-second stationary time.

Norris pitted a lap later, briefly losing position to Russell who had stopped earlier, but the McLaren driver quickly reclaimed second place.

Late-race drama and brake concerns

The closing stages brought unexpected tension as Norris reported brake issues, prompting his team to urge caution rather than allowing him to challenge Piastri for the win.

Despite losing over three seconds to Russell on the final lap, Norris managed to nurse his McLaren home in second place.

Russell secured Mercedes' second consecutive third-place finish for 2025, while Max Verstappen performed admirably to finish fourth after passing Charles Leclerc with three laps remaining.

The Ferrari pair of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton originally crossed the line fifth and sixth respectively.

American team Haas continued their remarkable resurgence after struggling at the season opener in Australia, with Esteban Ocon finishing seventh and rookie Oliver Bearman claiming tenth position.

Both Ferraris disqualified

The celebrations at Ferrari were short-lived as both Leclerc and Hamilton were disqualified following post-race scrutineering, dramatically altering the final result.

FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer found Leclerc's car weighed just 799kg after fuel was drained – one kilogram below the minimum weight requirement outlined in the technical regulations.

"After the Race, car number 16 was weighed and its weight was 800.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required," Bauer's report stated.

After replacing a damaged front wing and draining fuel, the car fell below the legal limit despite the replacement wing being 0.2kg heavier than the race-used component.

Hamilton's disqualification came after officials discovered excessive wear on his rearmost underbody skid block.

Measurements revealed thickness between 8.5 and 8.6mm at various points, below the 9mm minimum requirement.

During separate stewards' hearings, Ferrari representatives acknowledged the infractions without seeking mitigating circumstances.

"The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team," the stewards noted in their reports.

Standings reshuffle benefits midfield

Alpine's Pierre Gasly also failed post-race inspection for a similar weight infringement, though he had already finished outside the points in 11th position.

The disqualifications significantly benefited several midfield teams, with Haas' Esteban Ocon elevated to an impressive fifth place.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alexander Albon, and Oliver Bearman all moved up positions in the final classification, while Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Williams driver Carlos Sainz were promoted into the points-paying positions.