The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session marked Oscar Piastri‘s maiden F1 pole position as McLaren dominated the proceedings.
The Australian driver, who has been steadily building his reputation as one of the sport’s rising stars, outpaced Mercedes’ George Russell and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in a closely contested session at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Oscar Piastri’s maiden F1 pole position came after he delivered a remarkable laptime of 1:30.641, narrowly beating Russell by just 0.082 seconds.
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session unfolded under clear skies with drivers vying for optimal track conditions to secure the top grid spots.
Q1 saw a flurry of activity, with drivers jostling for position and pushing their cars to the limit.
Lewis Hamilton initially set the pace, demonstrating the potential of the Ferrari after his Sprint Race win earlier in the day but was quickly surpassed by Piastri and then Verstappen.
READ ALSO:
- Lewis Hamilton’s first Ferrari F1 win – 2025 Chinese GP Sprint highlights
- F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race Results
Several drivers opted for fresh soft tires for their final runs, resulting in a series of improvements. Lando Norris ultimately set the fastest time in Q1 with a time of 1:30.983, followed by Racing Bulls duo Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda.
Unfortunately, not everyone could advance. Alpine faced disappointment as both Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan were knocked out.
Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson also failed to make the cut, with Lawson continuing to struggle in qualifying.
Q2 saw further drama as drivers pushed their limits to make it into the final shootout. The margins were incredibly tight, with mere hundredths of a second separating the competitors.
Oscar Piastri set the fastest time in Q2 with a time of 1:31.200, followed by Norris and Verstappen.
Esteban Ocon delivered a commendable performance for Haas, qualifying 11th and showing signs of improvement for the team.
Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg placed 12th for Kick Sauber, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in 13th and 14th respectively. Carlos Sainz could only manage 15th as he continued to adapt to his new Williams machinery.
The decisive Q3 session was where Piastri truly shone.
Oscar Piastri set a blistering pace on his first run, delivering a time of 1m 30.703s. He later improved to 1m 30.641s on his second effort, putting him in pole position.
Russell, determined to challenge for the top spot pushed his Mercedes to the limit on his final lap and managed to find a significant chunk of time, securing a spot on the front row alongside Piastri.
Lando Norris had initially looked poised to challenge for pole but encountered a mistake midway through his final lap and opted not to complete it, settling for third.
Reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen took fourth place for Red Bull but appeared unable to match McLaren’s pace throughout the session.
Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc qualified fifth and sixth respectively but struggled with tire management during their laps. Hamilton was particularly disappointed after failing to replicate his sprint race heroics earlier in the weekend.
The midfield battle was equally captivating during the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying. Racing Bulls continued their impressive form with Hadjar and Tsunoda securing strong positions in seventh and ninth respectively.
Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli placed eighth while Williams’ Alex Albon completed the top ten with a consistent performance that underscored his ability to extract maximum performance from his car.
Oscar Piastri’s maiden F1 pole position marked a significant milestone in his career as he became only the 107th driver in Formula 1 history to achieve such a feat.
Reflecting on his achievement, Piastri expressed both relief and excitement: “It means a lot. In Q3, I found a lot of speed; I was genuinely struggling in Q1 and Q2, but the car really came alive in Q3.”
