Oscar Piastri took the first pole position of his F1 career during Saturday’s (March 22) qualifying session at China’s Shanghai International Circuit. He will share the front row with George Russell, while his McLaren teammate Lando Norris will line up third alongside Max Verstappen.
Piastri’s pole lap set a new record for the circuit and suggested McLaren does, in fact have the fastest car to start 2025, even in dry conditions.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Piastri told Sky Sports after the session. “I think with the new surface, it’s extremely grippy which for us is the best feeling in the world.”
“The only thing that comes with that is when you lose grip, it bites. I think you’ve probably seen a lot snaps, a lot of moments this weekend and with the setups we’ve got, it’s pretty tricky. But when you hook it up, it feels pretty manic so I’ll take the fastest lap around Shanghai.”
Understated brilliance from @OscarPiastri
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 22, 2025
The Aussie storms to his first F1 pole position 🤩#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/Kx2higw7M8
Q3
It was a day to be remembered for Aussie fans as Piastri got his first pole position while screaming and celebrating inside his helmet. “I think that was the hairpin of my life,” he commented.
Surprisingly, his papaya partner Norris was on track to beat him but aborted the lap on the last corner, qualifying third behind Russell’s Mercedes.
It’s fourth position for the four-time-champion Verstappen, whose uneventful qualifying session almost took turn for the worst as he avoided an unsafely released Racing Bull on the pitlane.
The Ferraris still have chance tomorrow filling the middle of the grid in fifth and sixth position. Just ahead of the rookies Isack Hadjar and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who put a comendable effort and found themselves seventh and eighth.
Double Q3 you loveeeee to see it 💙#F1 #VCARB #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/2VZmH363q3
— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) March 22, 2025
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:30:641s |
| 2. | 63 | George Russel | Mercedes | +0.082s |
| 3. | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.152s |
| 4. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.176s |
| 5. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.286s |
| 6. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.380s |
| 7. | 21 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.438s |
| 8. | 99 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.462s |
| 9. | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +0.997s |
| 10. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1.065s |
Q2
The Racing Bulls are flying this weekend as both rookie Hadjar and Tsunoda nailed the fourth and fifth positions while Ferrari and Mercedes lagged behind. Meanwhile, the ideal 1-2 from the Mclarens was split by Verstappen being second-fastest.
Both Aston Martins were knocked out by a significant margin from Albon in 10th position, showing a severe lack of pace given their ample funding for development. Carlos Sainz‘s Williams was the worst of the 15 while Esteban Ocon‘s Haas was impressively close to adavancing to Q3.
That's all for qualifying in Shanghai. 🏁
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 22, 2025
Still plenty to play for in tomorrow's #ChineseGP. pic.twitter.com/5ROQ7ZhgSt
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.03s |
| 12. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.037s |
| 13. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.093s |
| 14. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.138s |
| 15. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.245s |
Q1
An unpredictable first session unfolded as the track conditions improved significantly during the last minute. Norris would be the fastest, but eyes were set on the incredible performance from Hadjar and Tsunoda, finishing second and third, respectively, outperforming the likes of Russell and Verstappen.
The hammer came down hard on the Alpine team — both drivers looked lost on-track. The rookies got hit badly as Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto and, most notably, Liam Lawson were all eliminated. This marks two disappointing qualifying performances in a row for Lawson, while his partner Verstappen went through in a comfortable fifth place.
We'll be charging from the second row on Race Day 🏁
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 22, 2025
Result ⏱️ PIA, RUS, NOR, Max P4, HAM, LEC, HAD, ANT, TSU, ALB. Liam P20.#F1 || #ChineseGP 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/2h2OU4yZ2f
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.364s |
| 17. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +0.390s |
| 18. | 11 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | +0.464s |
| 19. | 42 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +0.513s |
| 20. | 40 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | +0.546s |
The Chinese Grand Prix will begin at 3 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 23, with coverage on ESPN.
