Formula 1 is heading to Shanghai for the second race of the 2025 season, continuing the double-header.
Although it’s early in the season with 23 races still to go, Lando Norris is surprisingly leading the drivers’ championship. His team, McLaren, the current world champions, are tied in points with Mercedes for the constructors’ championship.
Lewis Hamilton has been very successful in Shanghai, but Max Verstappen won his first race here last year. Historically, drivers starting in pole position, like Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Verstappen, often win here. Will this trend continue this weekend? McLaren’s last victory at the Chinese Grand Prix was between 2008 and 2011, with Hamilton winning twice and Jenson Button once.
The weather forecast for the weekend is good, with warm, sunny, and settled conditions, reaching highs of 25°C. Sunday is expected to be warm and cloudy with a low chance of rain.
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Charles Leclerc mentioned that McLaren was so fast at the Australian Grand Prix that his engineer didn’t even tell him their lap times. Meanwhile, Norris stated that McLaren has learned from their past mistakes.
Did Lewis Hamilton truly experience Ferrari at the last Grand Prix? He told reporters after the race, “It went much worse than I anticipated.”
Could there be a Thai Grand Prix? Thailand’s Prime Minister is looking into the possibility of hosting a Grand Prix on the streets of Bangkok starting in 2028.
If you missed it, you can catch up on analysis from the season-opening race in Australia, and read about the overreactions from the first race.
Circuit Stats and History
The Shanghai International Circuit, built in 2003 on marshland and former rice fields for an estimated $450 million, is quite unique. The design of Turns 1 through 4 is said to be inspired by the Chinese character ‘Shang,’ meaning ‘above’ or ‘ascend.’ It also features one of the longest straights on the F1 calendar, at 1.2km, and the entire facility can hold around 200,000 people.
Another unique feature is that each team has its own building instead of the usual motorhomes. These buildings are designed to resemble the traditional Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai.
- First race: 2004
- Laps: 56 laps of 5.4km. Total race distance 305km
- Lap record: 1:32.238, Michael Schumacher (2004)
- Most wins: Hamilton with six (2008, 2011, 2014-2015, 2017, 2019). Fernando Alonso (2005, 2013) and Verstappen (2024) have also won from pole here.
- Most poles: Hamilton with seven (2008, 2011, 2014-2015, 2017, 2019). Fernando Alonso (2005, 2013) and Verstappen (2024) have also started on pole here.
- What makes it special: The large spiraling first corner and the iconic pit building with covered bridges over the pit straight.
- What the drivers say about it: ‘When I think of Shanghai, I always remember the impressive towers on the main straight and the cool paddock buildings by the lake. It’s definitely a circuit with a special character and its own personality.’ — Nico Hülkenberg.
What Happened Last Year?
Verstappen achieved a dominant victory in the Chinese Grand Prix last year, his first win at this circuit. He finished 14 seconds ahead of Lando Norris, even with two safety car periods during the race.
Who Will Win?
Considering McLaren’s performance in Melbourne, they seem to be the favorites to win again. While Oscar Piastri will be highly motivated, Norris is still likely the safer bet.
