Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Norris bins it on lap 1, Hamilton keeps Verstappen behind.
All eyes were on Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the start. With 11 world titles on the front row of the grid, no surprise, but the battle never came to a head. Hamilton had a good start, shut the door on the Dutchman, leaving the Red Bull Racing driver to settle for second place.
22nd March 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Lando Norris suffered a major setback after starting the sprint race in China. Entering turn five, Norris veered off the track and touched the grass. Resulting in the Briton dropping from P6 to P9.

Lando Norris had the worst start of the top drivers. The Briton got away well, but at turn five Norris found himself on the outside. The McLaren driver seemed to open up the wheel just a little too much, prompting him to touch the grass, lose control of his McLaren and from P6, dropped back to P9.

‘Norris bins it on lap 1’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33419...oor-start.html


F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Race Results
22nd March 2025
Motorsport Week

Position Driver Team Gap
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren 6.889
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 9.804
4 George Russell Mercedes 11.592
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 12.190
6 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls 22.288
7 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 23.038
8 Lando Norris McLaren 23.471
9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 24.916
10 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 38.218

‘Sprint Race Results’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-race-results/


2025 Chinese GP Sprint: Hamilton defends the lead from Verstappen at the start in Shanghai
Lewis Hamilton keeps the lead at the Sprint start at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix.
22nd March 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...62090481359254


Hamilton wins the Sprint, Piastri P2, Verstappen P3, Norris bins it
22nd March 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton capitalises on his first success with Ferrari, and wins the Sprint race in China, from Oscar Piastri in P2 and Max Verstappen in P3. As they lined up on the grid, Max Verstappen pointed his car toward Lewis Hamilton’s path, to try and gain the edg on the Briton and contain any potential overtake attempt on his position.

The lights went off, Hamilton had a good reaction and was able to cover off Piastri. Charles Leclerc managed to defend from Russell, and tried to attack Oscar Piastri into Turn 3, as Lando Norris went into Turn 5 very compromised and lost two places as his MCL39 got bent out of shape.

On lap 14, Piastri felt brave enough to have a look on the inside of Verstappen into Turn 1, as the Dutchman defended with everything he could to force3 Piastri to go around the outside. Shortly after Verstappen complained to engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, that both of his front tyres were dead. Sure enough a couple of laps later, Piastri lined up Verstappen for an overtake into Turn 14, and though the Dutchman didn’t make it easy, the battle between the two was always fair.

‘Lewis Hamilton capitalises’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33421...s-bins-it.html


Hamilton wins “masterclass of tyre management” in Shanghai sprint race
22nd March 2025
RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton scored his first victory as a Ferrari driver in the sprint race at Shanghai. He was never headed over the 19-lap encounter after leading Max Verstappen away from the grid.

Verstappen held second place for much of the race until Oscar Piastri passed him with four laps to go. As the drivers nursed their medium compound tyres to the finish, Verstappen clearly thought better of trying too hard to defend his position, and Piastri gained the place with little difficulty in the extended DRS zone.

“Masterclass of tyre management”;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/03/22/...i-sprint-race/

[Fortitude]

Oscar Piastri came alive to beat George Russell and Lando Norris to pole.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri seized the first proper pole position of his Formula One career at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday with the fastest lap yet around the Shanghai International Circuit.
22 Mar 2025
Alan Baldwin
Evening Standard

The Australian, a two-time race winner who has had sprint poles before, lapped in one minute, 30.641 seconds and was joined on the front row for Sunday's start by George Russell after the Mercedes driver put in a storming final effort of 1:30.723.

McLaren's Lando Norris, the winner of the season-opener in Australia and leader of the championship, abandoned his final lap and will start third with Red Bull's Max Verstappen fourth.

Ferrari filled the third row, with Lewis Hamilton securing fifth after winning the earlier sprint race and teammate Charles Leclerc sixth.

‘Oscar Piastri came alive’;

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/for...-b1218225.html


F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
22 Mar 2025
Motorsport Week

Position Driver Team Laptime Gap
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:30.641
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.723 0.082
3 Lando Norris McLaren 1:30.793 0.152
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:30.817 0.176
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:30.927 0.286
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.021 0.380
7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:31.079 0.438
8 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:31.103 0.462
9 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls 1:31.638 0.997
10 Alex Albon Williams 1:31.706 1.065

‘Qualifying Results’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...fying-results/


Oscar Piastri considered aborting pole-setting Chinese GP lap
22 Mar 2025
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Oscar Piastri has revealed he considered aborting the lap that secured him a maiden pole position in Formula 1 at the Chinese Grand Prix up until a late improvement. “Yeah, my first lap was honestly better than my second lap, but just at the hairpin at the end of the straight, I lost a bit of time and didn’t do the best hairpin,” he said.

“And then the second lap, I was about two-tenths down on myself. So I kind of just went, why not send it into the hairpin? And I gained those two-tenths back and then found a little bit more in the last corner.”

“So yeah, I honestly was, without that hairpin, I was tempted to box before that. So I’m pretty happy now that I didn’t, but I just did a good corner. That was all.”

‘Considered aborting the lap’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...hinese-gp-lap/


George Russell thrilled with ‘rewarding’ P2 in 2025 Chinese GP Qualifying
The British driver did not expect to start so far up the grid in Shanghai
22 Mar 2025
Euan Burns
Total Motorsport

As Russell admitted following Qualifying for the 2025 Chinese GP, the McLaren‘s didn’t make the best of their pace advantage: “When we are able to bring it all together, we can definitely compete right at the front. I’m therefore really pleased that we were able to qualify P2 and will start on the front-row tomorrow.”

“I don’t think anybody expected to be challenging the McLaren‘s, but I don’t think they optimised what they had today. P3 would have been a good result, so P2 is a great result. I’m proud of the whole team and the job they’ve done.”

‘George Russell thrilled’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...gp-qualifying/


Norris making “too many mistakes” and not as comfortable as in Melbourne
22nd March 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

“It’s tight and close but it was a much better job than we did yesterday – and I did yesterday,” he said. “The car was feeling much better and I was feeling definitely more comfortable.” However he admitted there were “still too many mistakes from my side.”

“I’m not as comfortable as I was in Australia,” explained Norris, who won from pole position in Melbourne. “It’s just tricky, but it is for everyone, and I just haven’t done the best job. Oscar has done a very good job.”

I don’t think it was so much run plan,” he said. “I just think we didn’t get as much out of the car yesterday. I obviously locked up and went straight. The car’s easily quick enough for pole, so I just did a terrible job yesterday.”

“Too many mistakes”;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/03/22/...-in-melbourne/


Hamilton reveals Ferrari masterplan to win Chinese GP
Chinese GP Sprint winner Lewis Hamilton will start fifth on the grid for Sunday's race.
22 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

"We made a couple of changes to the car to rectify some of the problems we had, and I don't know if it is the wind, but the car became quite snappy," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365 in Shanghai.

"The changes were to improve race performance, but it was definitely harder on the single lap, so it is going to be interesting. How you use the tyres is going to be key, but I feel optimistic for tomorrow, I'll try to get a good start and jump at least one car and slowly make my way up.”

"Tonight, I am just going to make a masterplan of how to win and I'm going to try and execute it, that's the mindset I have. There are going to be swings and roundabouts, right, there are going to be ups and downs and we didn't expect to be fifth and sixth, or I didn't expect to be where I am, but its what we are going to be faced with through the season.”

‘Masterplan of how to win’;

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-r...win-chinese-gp


Red Bull prepared to fire Liam Lawson after 2025 Chinese GP woes as Marko drops hint
Lawson says he “needs to get a grip” after qualifying last on the grid in Shanghai.
22 March 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

“It is very, very tough,” Lawson told Sky Sports F1 of trying to drive the 2025 Red Bull car. “And yeah, I can get upset at the traffic issues and things like that, but it shouldn’t be the difference between me getting through or not. I have a whole lot of things to sort out myself before I can look at getting a little bit of traffic and things like that. So, it’s just frustrating.”

“I mean the [working] window is very small in this car, but it’s not an excuse. It’s just something I need to get a grip on. And we have sort of glimpses of it, where it feels good, but it’s just a very small window and I just need to get on top of it.”

“F1 is a competitive sport,” Marko cryptically told Sky Germany in China, as the key Red Bull figure hints the Lawson could be fired if he doesn’t step up his performances as Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar find themselves waiting on the wings.

“Needs to get a grip”;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ko-drops-hint/

[Fortitude]

Piastri wins Chinese GP as Norris survives brake scare for McLaren 1-2.
Oscar Piastri converted his first Formula 1 pole position into victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, leading home a McLaren 1-2 as Lando Norris nursed his car home in the closing laps with a brake issue.
Mar 23, 2025
Jack Cozens
The Race

In what was a cagey race at the front as the durability of the hard tyre made a one-stop strategy viable, Piastri ultimately had a comfortable margin throughout over team-mate Norris.

But the final winning margin of 9.748 seconds was flattered by Norris having to manage an increasingly critical brake problem late in the race, one that required him to back off significantly on the final two laps.

Piastri did have to resist a challenge for the lead into the first corner from fellow front-row starter George Russell, but the Mercedes ended up on a compromised inside line and that allowed the second McLaren of Norris to sweep through into second place.

‘Piastri wins Chinese GP’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/o...s-brake-scare/


Chinese GP: Race Results
Full results from the Formula 1 Chinese GP from Shanghai International Circuit.
23 March 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 56 Laps
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes +9.748s
3 63 George Russell Mercedes +11.097s
4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda +16.656s
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +23.211s
6 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +25.381s
7 31 Esteban Ocon Haas – Ferrari +49.969s
8 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +53.748s
9 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes +56.321s
10 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari +61.303s

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...-race-results/


BREAKING NEWSLewis Hamilton clashes with Ferrari engineer AGAIN and is made to swap places with Charles Leclerc in miserable Chinese Grand Prix - as Oscar Piastri wins it
Lewis Hamilton endured another tough afternoon, similar to when in Melbourne.
23 March 2025
JONATHAN MCEVOY
MailOnline

Serenity at the front for Oscar Piastri. Victory from pole in China for the Australian. And another day of turbulence in paradise for Lewis Hamilton. Perhaps it was an improvement on his fortunes in Melbourne a week before, when he finished 10th. But not much. Again, he clashed with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, and had to make way to let his team-mate Charles Leclerc through. This is not the optimum scenario when you are hailed as the GOAT and have been signed on £60million-a-year. We are not talking here about a sophomore but a seven-time world champion.

Having to switch was even more wounding for Hamilton because Leclerc's front wing was flapping about, perhaps even grazing the ground (after the two touched on lap one – Leclerc's fault). In a sport where a millimetre is potentially an aerodynamic eureka moment, this was surely a handicap for the Monegasque. Long before lap 20 of 57 when Hamilton and his pit wall were debating whether their trophy recruit should move aside, it was obvious that Leclerc had the greater pace. Hamilton knew it, saying: 'I think I'm going to let Charles through because I'm struggling.'”

Adami replied: 'We are swapping cars at Turn 14.'
Hamilton: 'I'll let Charles through when he's closer.'
Hamilton, again: 'I'm closing up a little bit (on Russell ahead of him).'
Adami: 'Can we swap this lap.'
Hamilton: 'I'll tell you when we can swap.'
Hamilton let Leclerc through at the start of lap 21. Leclerc, unimpressed by being held up, said: 'This is a shame. The pace is there.'

‘Nhe optimum scenario’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rand-Prix.html


Lando Norris suffers ‘worst nightmare’ at Chinese GP after ignoring McLaren orders
Lando Norris struggled through the final few laps of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Mar 23, 2025
Charlie Gordon
Daily and Sunday Express

After completing a McLaren one-two behind Piastri, Norris told Sky Sports just how terrifying it was in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. "It was scary," he said. "It's like my worst nightmare. If I have a nightmare it's when the brakes are failing, and I was losing three to four seconds in the last couple of laps. So I was a bit scared, but we survived and got to the end."

On whether he could otherwise have challenged Piastri for the victory, Norris added: "It doesn't matter now, really, does it? It doesn't matter. He deserved the win and he drove very well all weekend, so I'm happy with the second [place]. "It's great points for us as a team with a one-two, so a big thanks to everyone in papaya. It's just how we wanted the race to go, so we're very happy."

"It was scary";

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-prix-mclaren


Lando Norris thinks one Chinese Grand Prix overtake reminded him of Michael Schumacher
23 Mar 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Lando Norris compares George Russell move to Michael Schumacher. After Russell emerged ahead of Norris in the pit stops, the McLaren driver would retake the place a couple of laps later with an aggressive move using DRS down the start/finish straight on Russell into Turn 1.

Norris said it reminded him of the ‘horrible’ defensive move Michael Schumacher once pulled on Rubens Barrichello at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix when he forced the Brazilian into the pit wall.

Norris: “That reminded me of Schumacher and Barrichello that one.”
Russell: “Was you Barrichello?”
Norris: “Just put me in the wall!”
Oscar Piastri: “Don’t tell Andrea [Stella] that because he’ll never stop talking about it!”

‘Russell: “Was you Barrichello?”’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...nese+GP#search


Yuki Tsunoda could replace Liam Lawson at the Japanese GP
Mar 23, 2025
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports

Red Bull are understood to be considering an immediate swap of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. After another poor showing in China, Lawson’s position at Red Bull is hanging by a thread – and Tsunoda is ready to capitalise. After the Australian GP, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko downplayed Lawson’s struggles.

They argued that limited track time and mixed conditions were the biggest influences on the Kiwi’s results. However, Lawson is very clearly struggling, crossing the Chinese GP in P15. Even after two rounds, the situation is becoming unsustainable for Red Bull, who could turn to Tsunoda for a promotion.

‘Becoming unsustainable’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...e-japanese-gp/

[Fortitude]

Three F1 Drivers Disqualified as FIA Shake Up Chinese GP Results.
In a dramatic post-race twist, the FIA disqualified three drivers following the conclusion of the Chinese GP turning the final race order on its head.
Mar 23, 2025
Emma Fisher
Last Word On Sports

Post-Race Drama: Despite this, the real drama only emerged hours after the chequered flag. The FIA confirmed in an announcement that Leclerc, Hamilton, and Gasly had all been disqualified for separate breaches of technical regulations.
Following post-Race technical checks, 3 cars have been disqualified from the #ChineseGP ���� #FIA #F1 pic.twitter.com/C27QHwmJ29
— FIA (@fia) March 23, 2025

The scrutiny began when routine post-race checks revealed both Leclerc’s Ferrari and Gasly’s Alpine were under the minimum weight of 800kg. Consequently, both drivers fell foul of Article 4.1 of the FIA technical regulations, leading to their disqualification from the results. Meanwhile, further investigation into Hamilton’s car revealed another costly error.

According to the FIA, the Briton’s Ferrari failed the skid block wear test, with measurements falling below the mandatory 9mm thickness. This infringement breached Article 3.5.9 e) of the technical rulebook. Soon after, the FIA confirmed Ferrari’s nightmare double disqualification, removing their drivers of their fifth and sixth-place finishes. Gasly’s penalty left Alpine equally empty-handed.

‘Dramatic post-race twist’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...se-gp-results/


Chinese GP: Updated Race Results
Full results from the Formula 1 Chinese GP from Shanghai International Circuit.
23 Mar 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 56 Laps
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes +9.748s
3 63 George Russell Mercedes +11.097s
4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda +16.656s
5 31 Esteban Ocon Haas – Ferrari +49.969s
6 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +53.748s
7 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes +56.321s
8 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari +61.303s
9 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin – Mercedes +70.204s
10 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes +76.387s

‘Updated Race Results’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...-race-results/


Ferrari pair Hamilton + Leclerc both disqualified from Chinese GP.
Here's what doomed both drivers to an embarrassing double disqualification for the team.
Mar 23, 2025
Josh Suttill
The Race

Why Leclerc's been disqualified: Leclerc was referred to the stewards when the FIA's F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer found his Ferrari to be 1kg under the 798kg weight limit (accounting for a required two-litre fuel sample).

This was nothing to do with Leclerc's front wing damage that Ferrari did not replace during the race as teams are required to repair damage before being weighed - and the spare front wing it fitted was actually 0.2kg heavier than the original anyway.

Why Hamilton's been disqualified: Hamilton was referred to the stewards for excessive skid wear (part of the plank assembly underneath the car) and the stewards elected to disqualify him shortly after Leclerc.

‘Doomed’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...chinese-gp-f1/


Hamilton, Leclerc and Gasly disqualified: Here are the Chinese GP's results
Mar 23, 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

After the race, three cars were found illegal by the FIA, and therefore were referred to the stewards. Lewis Hamilton's SF-25 failed because of the rearmost skid's thickness was below the 9 millimetres required after the conclusion of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly were disqualified because their cars did not reach the minimum weight limit after the measurements took place.

‘Hamilton, Leclerc and Gasly disqualified’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33484...w-results.html


Ferrari issues statement following brutal Chinese GP disqualifications
Ferrari suffered a double disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix - the first time in its history that has happened.
23 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Ferrari statement in full
"Following the FIA post-race scrutineering both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons," began the statement, supplied to media including RacingNews365.

"Car 16 (Leclerc) was found to be underweight by 1 kg and car 44 (Hamilton)'s rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.

"Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight.

"With regard to Lewis’ skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin.

"There was no intention to gain any advantage.
"We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.
"Clearly it’s not the way we wanted to end our Chinese GP weekend, neither for ourselves, nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering."

‘Support for us is unwavering’;

https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-is...qualifications


Wolff hands Mercedes driver rare ‘10 out of 10′ for ‘faultless’ Chinese GP drive
23 Mar 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff handed George Russell a rare “10 out of 10” for his drive at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli won the fan-voted Driver of the Day award, but it was Russell who finished on the podium behind the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

‘10 out of 10′;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/wolff-...inese-gp-drive


Martin Brundle makes subtle Liam Lawson dig after making five-word Red Bull prediction at the Chinese Grand Prix
23 Mar 2025
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

Liam Lawson struggled the most of any driver throughout the weekend, and qualified 20th for both the sprint and the main race. Lawson is performing nowhere near the expected standard. So much so, that his team may already be picking his replacement.

Whether it’s because he will be racing for another team or because he will continue to struggle, Martin Brundle has taken a subtle dig by suggesting that Oscar Piastri will only have to fight one Red Bull at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.

“He’s got every chance but he’s going to have to beat Norris and Mercedes, and Ferrari, and at least one Red Bull,” he said on Sky Sports F1 after the Chinese Grand Prix.

‘Subtle’

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...se-grand-prix/


Max Verstappen shuts down Red Bull exit talk despite tough Chinese GP weekend
23 Mar 2025
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Max Verstappen has dismissed talk that he could lose patience with Red Bull in Formula 1 as the team experienced a challenging weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix. Red Bull’s conspicuous regression since a dominant beginning to the previous campaign has triggered persistent speculation about a possible Verstappen departure.

However, Verstappen has quashed suggestions that the Austrian squad’s continued struggle this season might prompt him to start thinking about a move elsewhere. “I hear this all the time,” he said. “But for me, nothing changes. I’m actually very relaxed, I’m very positive in my mind. I’m enjoying life.”

“Every time I jump in the car, I just try to do the best I can. And I’m not thinking about anything else, to be honest. I feel good in life in general, if that’s in the car or outside the car. And that’s actually what matters the most.”

“I hear this all the time”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...se-gp-weekend/

[Fortitude]

‘We are concerned’ – Red Bull boss reveals crisis meeting that could affect Max Verstappen’s future amid Mercedes rumours.
Red Bull are considered by some to have the fourth fastest car this season, and should that order play out, the Dutchman could well be looking for the exit door.
23 Mar 2025
Connor Andrews
talkSPORT

Asked if he’s concerned about that eventuality and the car’s pace by Sky Germany, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted things are getting serious.

“There is a meeting in Milton Keynes this week where it will be discussed when and how we can make up for the deficit we currently have,” he said. “Until then, the goal is to score points wherever possible and as many as we can. We are concerned, but it’s not like we’re throwing in the towel just yet.”

‘Crisis meeting’;

https://talksport.com/motorsport/304...edes-f1-china/


Max Verstappen to join Red Bull crisis talks
Max Verstappen is set to join crisis talks at Red Bull as it looks to fight back to the front of F1.
23 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen is to join an emergency meeting Red Bull has planned for next week after the Chinese Grand Prix. Reflecting on his race, Verstappen was initially stumped as to where time could be found on the car, as the future of Liam Lawson following another poor weekend will be discussed. "It’s difficult to say when you don’t really know where or how to find it at the moment," he told Sky Sports F1.

"We have 10 days, hopefully we can learn a little bit more and be a bit more competitive." As for the meeting, Marko explained that Verstappen will be joining the meetings planned. "Max will visit the factory next week to discuss where the weak spots are," he told Motorsport NL.

"We have to improve the car as quickly as possible, but we know it will take time. We have seen that the picture can differ per circuit and even per compound. McLaren is clearly ahead and we have to find something to counter that."

‘Emergency meeting’;

https://racingnews365.com/max-versta...l-crisis-talks


Red Bull now completely stuck after ill-advised, rushed decision
Sergio Perez may not be Max Verstappen. But it's now obvious that he got a raw deal at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Mar 21, 2025
Asher Fair|
Beyond the Flag (Weblog)

While their future decisions are what really count, one cannot help but wonder if their decision to replace Sergio Perez was premature. During the 2024 season, Perez signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with Red Bull through the 2026 season. But his performance in the second half of the season resulted in him being dropped in favor of Lawson. What many questioned at the time was why Red Bull went with Lawson as opposed to the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda, who has competed for the team now known as Racing Bulls since 2021.

But perhaps the better question is why they needed to replace Perez in the first place. Yes, it's a strange question to ask now, given how eager everybody was at the time to see someone else in Perez's seat. Perez's performance down the stretch in 2024 certainly left a lot to be desired. So was Perez's performance really that terrible, given what he had to work with?

In the season's first five races, of which Verstappen won four, Perez racked up four podium finishes. Beyond that, when Red Bull's decline became evident, he did not finish on the podium, yet he only had three actual Grand Prix finishes outside of the points. It's not ideal, especially when you add in the five retirements. But suffice it to say that Red Bull would happily take P8 with the way things are going for Lawson right now. Even with his struggles, Perez finished with more than twice the number of points as Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in P9. Lawson, on the other hand, can't even beat the backmarkers.

‘But perhaps the better question is why they needed to replace Perez in the first place’;

https://beyondtheflag.com/red-bull-n...ushed-decision


Jacques Villeneuve slams Lawson as ‘worse than Perez’
Jacques Villeneuve questions Red Bull’s decision to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson
22 Mar 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Red Bull‘s controversial decision to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson for the 2025 Formula 1 season is quickly turning into a nightmare, with Jacques Villeneuve taking aim to slam the rookie and his poor performances. Appearing on F1TV, Villeneuve didn’t mince words: “Right now, it’s worse than it was with Perez.” The Canadian legend emphasised that Lawson was brought in to give Red Bull a dependable second driver, but his results have been dismal.

Villeneuve believes Red Bull’s cutthroat culture under Helmut Marko will not tolerate failure for long. “Red Bull is not a team where you can afford to have a bad weekend,” Villeneuve stated. “Marko places massive pressure on his drivers. He expects mental strength, and if you’re not up to it, he cuts you off.”

‘Jacques Villeneuve questions Red Bull’s decision to replace Sergio Perez’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...erez-red-bull/


Sergio Perez ‘laughing his head off’ over Liam Lawson Q1 exit in Ted Kravitz quip
15 Mar 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

PLEASE NOTE: Ted’s Notebook after the Australian Qualifying.

Appearing on his Ted’s Notebook Sky F1 show, Kravitz quipped that Perez will have been left amused by Lawson’s early exit. He said: “Let’s be fair to him, because he was up against it with no preparation in free practice three after a pneumatic problem on the power unit, so didn’t get any preparation and a couple of mistakes on his last lap meant that he was out in Q1.”

“I’ve written here in my notebook: ‘Somewhere in Guadalajara, Mexico, a man called Sergio is laughing his head off.’ I think that’s unfair, but you will consider that Sergio might feel today that he might have done better than P18.” Breaking into laughter, Kravitz continued: “I think that’s unfair in many ways [as] Liam didn’t have any preparation.”

“But you can only hope – for Lawson’s sake, I guess, and for Red Bull Racing’s designs on a Constructors Championship – that this is not a pattern that is going to be repeated with their other car apart from that driving genius Max Verstappen. [Red Bull won’t want the other car] to be going out in Q1 because that is not what they paid off Sergio Perez for a year ahead of his contract [expiration date]. Liam does have the old [Red Bull RB21] nose, a different nose to Max Verstappen. That might be something to do with it.”

‘PLEASE NOTE: Ted’s Notebook after the Australian Qualifying’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...-australian-gp


‘If you left Ricciardo there...’ Blame game over Red Bull driver fiasco takes turn
Mar 24th, 2025
Michael Lamonato
Fox Sports (Australia)

Liam Lawson is in the gun after just two races in 2025, but the stunning scale of his struggles has seen fingers also pointed at Red Bull, who have been accused of creating an environment that sets others up for failure.

Lawson, who was preferred for the seat over Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda, had another shocker — and the team is starting to panic. The Kiwi qualified last on Saturday night, and on Sunday the team started him from pit lane to run some extreme experiments with his set-up in a bid for a more drivable car. The result was deeply uninspiring.

‘The team is starting to panic’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...003db63e0f795a


Should Red Bull drop Lawson now? Our verdict
Mar 24, 2025
The Race

Go back in time or suck it up, Scott Mitchell-Malm: “Yes, this is at the absolute worst end of anyone's expectations. Worse, even. It has been dreadful so far.”
Don't scapegoat Lawson too, Ben Anderson: “It's really not acceptable for Red Bull to continue to hide behind Verstappen's freakish abilities and make yet another scapegoat of its second driver.”
Give the guy a chance, Gary Anderson: “We all know that being Verstappen's team-mate is no walk in the park, but Lawson seems to be just that bit too far off Verstappen's pace for it to be just the fact that Max is a demigod.”

Drop Lawson and start evaluating a new candidate Josh Suttill: “You'd assume Red Bull would swap Tsunoda and Lawson if it was Tsunoda who was picked to replace him before Suzuka…”
Give Lawson a last chance at Suzuka, Jon Noble: “…moving him aside now, putting Tsunoda into an extremely difficult handling car amid the pressure environment of his home race runs the risk of Red Bull jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Dropping Lawson now would be absurd, Edd Straw: “For Red Bull Racing to be considering dropping Lawson this early is absurd. It was only a few months ago he was talked of as the obvious choice, with his robust mentality and supposed driving-style similarities to Verstappen cited as the reason. How flimsy was that judgement if ditching him is already being considered?”

‘Our verdict’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/s...w-our-verdict/

[Fortitude]

Italian media lash out at 'chaotic' Ferrari.
Ferrari's first double disqualification in its 75-year F1 history has unsurprisingly led to a backlash in the Italian media.
24 Mar 2025
Ian Parkes & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

'Red alert already: Ferrari, no more mistakes allowed', screamed the headline in the Gazzetta dello Sport. As for what followed, no punches were pulled - "From Lewis Hamilton's first win in the sprint race to a double disqualification that tastes like a fool's errand. Ferrari, over the weekend in Shanghai, really went from stars to dust. What happened yesterday after the race, when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were excluded from the standings for technical irregularities, was one of the ugliest pages in the history of the Prancing Horse.”

Corriere dello Sport described Ferrari's situation as "a disaster", and that it was "a black day in China". It added: "No less than two disqualifications for the Scuderia. And for two different reasons. That, too, after a mediocre race that hits hard. McLaren won't care, they drove the perfect race. Behind [George] Russell, Verstappen finished fourth, again limiting the damage."

Corriere della Sera said the disqualifications for Ferrari were "an embarrassment" and "a performance to be ashamed of". It claimed that "a big change will have to be made to get close to McLaren again - the team that grabbed its 50th double [one-two], with supremacy."

‘Tastes like a fool's errand’;

https://racingnews365.com/italian-me...haotic-ferrari


“It’s a disgrace”: The real reason Hamilton, Leclerc and Gasly were excluded (and it’s shocking)
March 24, 2025
James-Fiorucci
FormulaNerds

Hamilton Penalized: A Worn Skid Block Costs Dearly: Let’s begin with Lewis Hamilton, a six-time world champion who crossed the finish line in sixth place in Shanghai. During the post-race checks, officials discovered excessive wear on the skid block beneath his Ferrari. According to Article 3.5.9 of the FIA regulations, the skid block’s minimum thickness (9 mm) must be strictly respected. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s car exceeded the allowable wear limit, resulting in immediate disqualification. Ferrari acknowledged the technical oversight, explaining, “We underestimated the wear during the race.”

Leclerc and Gasly: 1 kg Too Light, Instant Disqualification!: For Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, the issue was equally embarrassing. Leclerc finished fifth, while Gasly crossed the line in eleventh position. But to everyone’s astonishment, their cars weighed exactly 799 kg during inspection, falling 1 kg short of the FIA’s minimum required weight of 800 kg (Article 4.1). Ferrari explained their single-stop strategy had excessively worn the tires, resulting in this critical drop in weight. Alpine also recognized their error, stating, “This is a mistake we must take responsibility for,” according to the French team’s management.

“It’s a disgrace”;

https://formulanerds.com/flash/its-a.../?nowprocket=1


Ferrari admit Lewis Hamilton’s Chinese Grand Prix disqualification was due to losing key ‘trait’ from 2024 F1 car
24 Mar 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Charles Leclerc was thrown out because his car was 1kg under the 800kg minimum weight limit when his car was weighed after the race with all the fuel drained, even with the FIA fitting a spare front wing after his was damaged in the race. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese GP because of excessive skid wear, with the skid blocks being 0.5mm under the 9mm minimum. The infractions cost Ferrari 18 points and means they now trail Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship after the first two races of the season.

Discussing their start to the 2025 season on the Formel Schmidt podcast, journalist Michael Schmidt reveals what Ferrari told him that confirms they have made a step back compared to last year’s car. Ferrari made an important change to their suspension for the SF-25, in a bid to open up development opportunities and close in on McLaren after losing out in the Constructors’ Championship. The resulting effect is that the car must now be run lower than they did in 2024, which is why they fell foul of the rules in China according to Schmidt.

“In Melbourne they had raised the car after fears they would come into conflict with the plank. They have admitted to me now that it was a calculation error, which means they’re at the limit with the ground clearance,” said Schmidt. “Last year Ferrari was a very good-natured car that worked with a bit higher ground clearance. Apparently that’s no longer the case this year, you have to drive this Ferrari extremely low, that’s how it looks after two races to keep up with the competition.”

‘Calculation error’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...m-2024-f1-car/


'Disaster, chaos': Ferrari 'incompetence' ripped in ferocious reaction to Shanghai shocker
Mar 24, 2025
Damien McCartney
Channel 9's Wide World of Sports

It was the first Ferrari double disqualification in the 75-year history of Formula 1. Turin sports paper Tuttosport wrote the team had "plunged into an abyss from which it may be difficult to rise again. At least not quickly." Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Ralf Schumacher was far more scathing. "Incompetence," he said.

The skid block on the bottom of Hamilton's car was found to be half a millimetre too thin. The skid blocks must be 10mm thick, but the rules allow for 1mm of wear during a race. Hamilton's skid block was as narrow as 8.5mm. Having already completed the 19-lap sprint race on Saturday, which Hamilton won, Schumacher said the Brit's race engineers should have been able to gauge how much the skid block would wear.

"You can assume that the engineer should know what he's doing," the brother of seven-time world champion Michael said. "The wear on the underbody was already clearly visible there. Saturday was so good, (Sunday) they've been disqualified. Of course that's not on."

'Disaster, chaos';

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...24-p5lm9h.html


Ferrari face 'painful reading' after double disqualification horror-show
It was F1 history for all the wrong reasons for Ferrari in the Chinese Grand Prix.
24 Mar 2025
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Martin Brundle has no doubt Ferrari will feel the 'pain' from the Italian media following its double disqualification nightmare at the Chinese Grand Prix. It was the first time in Ferrari's 75-year F1 history - 1102 grands prix - it had both its drivers disqualified.

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports expert analyst Brundle said the DSQs -including that of Alpine's Pierre Gasly - were a "sting in the tail" to the weekend. "Leclerc and Gasly were thrown out due to being marginally underweight," wrote Brundle, in his post-race analysis.

"Hamilton's car was thrown out for running too close to the ground and overly wearing away the legality skid block underneath by half a millimetre. "This rule is in place to stop teams running these ground-effect aero cars too low to gain performance but then trashing super expensive floors every day. Especially in the Italian media, it will be painful reading for Ferrari this week despite the sprint victory."

'Painful reading';

https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-fa...on-horror-show


Lewis Hamilton Was Unlucky to be Disqualified at Chinese GP Damning Video Shows
24 Mar 2025
Alp Salfur
Give Me Sport

A clip of Sky Sports presenter Craig Slater trended on social media for his explanation of the Hamilton disqualification. In the clip, Slater picked up the ID card of his fellow presenter, detailing how the margin of thickness of the plank of Hamilton's car was less than the width of the card in his hand, yet concluding that rules must be followed regardless of how small the margin is.

"Less than the width of this [ID card], is the margin by which Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Grand Prix today. But they have to draw the line somewhere, and the team accept that there are no mitigating circumstances."

‘Damning Video’;

https://www.givemesport.com/lewis-ha...chinese-gp-f1/


Did tyre wear really cause Leclerc's Chinese GP disqualification?
Mar 24, 2025
Jon Noble
The Race

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, who is pushing his team to be the very best it can, has been open in the past about the level of aggression that is needed to be successful. Interestingly, speaking to The Race last year, Vasseur said that there was no way any team could be conservative these days in its choices – and that included car weight.

"We have to be at the limit on every single item of the car," he said. "We have to be aggressive. And it's a challenge to be at the limit of the weight, to be at the limit of the plank, to be at the limit of the cooling, to be at the limit of the fuel. It's a challenge because in the end you are taking more and more risk.”

“And so why George was disqualified [in Spa] was because we are all like this [on the edge]. I think that Mercedes, five years ago, carried five kilos of fuel to be safer. But today, nobody can do this kind of exercise. We are all on the edge of being disqualified every single weekend." In China, Ferrari fell on the wrong side of that.

"We have to be at the limit”;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/d...qualification/

[Fortitude]

Red Bull to drop Liam Lawson and bring in Yuki Tsunoda as replacement.
Liam Lawson will be demoted to Racing Bulls for the third race of the season in Japan next week, with Yuki Tsunoda moving in the opposite direction to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate at the senior Red Bull team.
26 Mar 2025
Tom Cary
The Irish Independent

Telegraph Sport understands there are still details to sort out so the switch has not yet been finalised, but the decision has now been made. Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, admitted in China on Sunday evening that he was weighing up whether to pull Lawson out of the firing line just two races into the new season.

“Liam is obviously confidence-wise struggling with the car at the moment, which is why we made some significant changes today to see if we could find a more confidence-inspiring set-up for him,” Horner said. “I think Liam still has got potential, we’re just not realising that at the moment. I think the problem for him is he’s had a couple of really tough weekends, he’s got all the media on his back.”

“The pressure just naturally grows in this business, and I feel very sorry for him. You can see it’s very tough on him at the moment. He’s a young guy, we’ve got a duty to look after him and we’re going to do the best that we can to support him.”

‘The decision has now been made’;

https://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...644263892.html


Why Red Bull’s Japanese Grand Prix driver swap would benefit Liam Lawson more than Yuki Tsunoda
26 Mar 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Tsunoda finished sixth in the Sprint in Shanghai, with the Japanese driver and Isack Hadjar both making Q3 for Sunday’s race. Qualifying an impressive seventh and ninth, the pair could not capitalise and failed to score points. Racing Bulls have been unlucky not to score more than three points so far. A botched strategy call in Melbourne in the tricky conditions and Tsunoda’s front wing breaking in the dirty air of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin in Shanghai cost the team most points.

The reality is that the VCARB 02 is stronger than many would have thought in pre-season. In many ways, it is an easier machine to drive than the RB21. This is by the defending four-time champion’s own admission, who finished off the podium in Shanghai behind the McLarens and George Russell. Astonishingly, Verstappen said Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls as the Red Bull is more difficult to drive.

It would be incredibly harsh for Lawson to lose his seat at the Milton Keynes squad after little to no time in the 2025 car. However, with Racing Bulls’ current trajectory and previous experience with the team, it is a move that could see a dramatic improvement from the Kiwi driver.

‘Astonishingly, Verstappen said Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/why...-yuki-tsunoda/


Red Bull not confirming reports Tsunoda will replace Lawson at Japanese Grand Prix
25th March 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Red Bull has not confirmed reports in multiple publications claiming it has decided to drop Liam Lawson after just two starts for the team. French Formula 1 broadcaster Canal Plus and Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf are among those declaring the shock change will happen before the next round of the world championship.

Both named Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda as Lawson’s replacement. Tsunoda would therefore start his first race for Red Bull in his home event at Suzuka. However a Red Bull spokesperson would not confirm the reports when contacted by RaceFans.

‘Red Bull not confirming reports’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/03/25/...se-grand-prix/


Why Lawson has paid the price for Perez's failings
Mar 26, 2025
Jon Noble
The Race

That Red Bull is getting ready to drop Liam Lawson in a swap deal with Yuki Tsunoda just two races into the 2025 Formula 1 season is extraordinary - even for a team that loves to make a change. It points to something having gone catastrophically wrong between the high hopes that Red Bull had of Lawson's potential just a few months ago when it paid Sergio Perez off to go for him.

And while on paper the results seem to justify a move - Lawson's dire qualifying performances (18th, 20th and 20th) are the worst run a Red Bull driver has ever had - the fact that they are so bad is quite difficult to understand. Over a 10-day period between first practice in Australia this year and race day in China, Red Bull's view has changed completely - with the squad deciding that there is little point persevering with Lawson.

If it has looked at its data and concluded that there is no point continuing with Lawson then it must feel that he and the RB21 are incompatible. The tricky characteristics of the car, which even Verstappen has described as being confusing and difficult to cope with at times, has certainly contributed a lot to Lawson being all at sea.

‘Extraordinary’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...erez-failings/


How much Honda is willing to pay Red Bull to have Yuki Tsunoda partner Max Verstappen
26 Mar 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Rory Mitchell
Liam Lawson faces the prospect of having the shortest Red Bull career in the team’s history, after a disastrous start to his 2025 campaign. The 23-year-old replaced Sergio Perez but has so far been unable to deliver any improved performance alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Red Bull offered £17 million by Honda for Yuki Tsunoda to partner Max Verstappen in 2025. Tsunoda’s seat at Racing Bulls is already part of an arrangement between power unit manufacturer Honda and Red Bull, having brought him up through the Honda Formula Dreams Project.

The Japanese car maker currently pays at least €10 million (£8 million) a year for his seat at Racing Bulls, but the report in De Limburger stated that Honda was willing to up that to €20 million (£17 million) for Tsunoda to partner Verstappen at Red Bull. The report goes on to say that Christian Horner ignored the offer when it was presented to him at the end of last year, but now they have reopened negotiations in the aftermath of Lawson’s poor start to 2025.

‘Red Bull offered £17 million by Honda for Yuki Tsunoda’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/how...ax-verstappen/


'Red Bull held summit meeting in Dubai over Lawson and Tsunoda swap'
26 Mar 2025
Ewan J Gale
GPblog.com

GPBlog revealed on Tuesday that Red Bull Racing has decided to promote Yuki Tsunoda to become Max Verstappen's teammate, with Liam Lawson dropping back to Racing Bulls after just two races. Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf has reported that a summit was held in Dubai on Tuesday, where Chalerm Yoovidhya - the major Thai shareholder - lives, with the decision to swap the drivers made.

With Tsunoda now expected to be confirmed as Verstappen's teammate, Honda is reported to be involved in the deal, with it suggesting that millions are being paid to help with the swap. This is an intriguing point given the Japanese manufacturer's switch to Aston Martin for next year.

GPBlog also reported that Verstappen is not in favour of the switch. The Dutchman had seemingly indicated to Red Bull management that Lawson should stay in place, though the team opted to do the switch anyway. What that says about the four-time world champion's future with the Milton Keynes-based team is yet to be seen.

‘Summit meeting in Dubai’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33533...d-tsunoda.html

[Fortitude]

‘That’s clear’: Ralf Schumacher thinks it is ‘clear’ three-win F1 driver is now ‘fighting for his future’.
Ralf Schumacher thinks George Russell is ‘fighting for his future’ at Mercedes.
26 Mar 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Among the Formula 1 drivers on expiring contracts are both Mercedes stars, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Silver Arrows last handed Russell a new deal in August 2023, while Antonelli only penned a one-year deal to replace Lewis Hamilton at the Brackley crew. Russell has so far stepped up to his new role as Mercedes’ clear team leader with P3 finishes at the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. Thanks also to his fourth-place finish in the Sprint in Shanghai, the 27-year-old ranks third in the F1 drivers’ championship with 35 points, too.

But as Mercedes continue to be linked with a move for Max Verstappen, Schumacher thinks Russell’s results are a sign of the Briton fighting for his place. He even feels Toto Wolff has ‘a luxury problem’ with Verstappen potentially an option along with Mercedes’ current drivers. “For [Wolff], the question is, of course, what to do because he has two drivers who are close to his heart,” Schumacher told Sky Germany. “George Russell, who is currently fighting for his future – that’s clear, you can really tell – and also Kimi Antonelli, who he thinks highly of.”

‘That’s clear’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ral...or-his-future/


George Russell provides perfect response to Mercedes sack threats as Toto Wolff amazed
George Russell is currently without a contract for the 2026 F1 season but has put his best foot forward so far...
Mar 25, 2025
Fasika Zelealem
Daily and Sunday Express

Rumours that Wolff was courting the Dutchman last season to replace Hamilton were rife, but the Austrian has poured cold water on such a move while praising Russell's driving ability. Only nine points behind championship leader Lando Norris, Wolff branded the Brit's drive in China "10 out of 10".

Speaking after the Chinese Grand Prix, he said: "I never give 10 out of 10 because I think there is always better. We haven't seen the perfect race, but considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10 out of 10.

"He extracted the maximum of this car, the tyres, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive. All these discussions about Lewis, who is the biggest person in the sport leaving to Ferrari, is a great story, Kimi coming in as the youngest driver and the high potential, and little was said about George.

‘Best foot forward’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-toto-wolff-F1


What Russell did not want to tell Mercedes over team radio at Chinese GP
25 Mar 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes driver George Russell has revealed he knew early on in the Chinese Grand Prix that it would become a one-stop race, but did not want to give the game away over team radio. But with doubts having been raised throughout the grid over strategy, with the hard compound tyres not used all weekend up to that point, Russell was one of the drivers in the field to realise only one stop would be necessary on Sunday.

He admitted to being “a bit annoyed” that going for that strategy was “so easy” and wanted more of a “50-50 decision” in the race for strategic variability. That said, he did not want to alert other teams to his feelings around strategy at that time, in case it gave others an advantage – but added he felt it was one of his “strongest” weekends in his Formula 1 career so far.

“It was quite exciting when I saw [Lando Norris]. Today definitely P3 was the maximum and the fair result. I’m very happy with this weekend. It’s been one of the strongest and most solid weekends overall in F1, very consistent lap after lap. Being six, seven seconds ahead of Max in the race and 12 ahead of the Ferraris is a very strong result for us. I’m happy.”

‘Did not want to give the game away over team radio’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...se-gp-revealed


‘That’s not right’: Toto Wolff frustrated with what people are saying about Mercedes driver George Russell, ‘that’s not right…’
25 Mar 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Toto Wolff is frustrated with the little fanfare George Russell gets at Mercedes. Yet despite Russell’s strong start to the season, Mercedes team principal Wolff has hit out at the lack of fanfare the Briton receives. Wolff believes Russell was overlooked by many ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign in favour of focusing on Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli.

Hamilton dominated the headlines with his move to Ferrari, while Mercedes promoted their academy prospect Antonelli to replace the seven-time F1 champion beside Russell. Antonelli even became the third-youngest driver to start a Formula 1 Grand Prix yet in Australia at 18. Russell staying under the radar frustrated Wolff as the Mercedes chief is convinced he is one of the top three drivers on the 2025 F1 grid.

The King’s Lynn native could even be on his way to being the best driver on the grid given how Russell scored P3 in the Chinese GP, for Wolff. “I never give 10/10 because I think there is always better,” Wolff stated, via Sky Sports. “We haven’t seen the perfect race but considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10/10. He extracted the maximum of this car, tyres, strategy and it was a brilliant drive.

‘That’s not right’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/tot...ats-not-right/


Analysis: Where Mercedes is missing out to McLaren in F1 2025
Mercedes has the second-fastest F1 car so far in 2025, but where does it lose out to McLaren's pacesetting MCL39?
Mar 25, 2025
Jake Boxall-Legge
Motorsport.com

The 'working window' of the Mercedes seems to be larger and drop-off with tyre wear also appears reduced, although there have been few circuits to entirely test that theory. That said, Russell was among one of the first drivers to predict a transition to the one-stop; evidently, tyre wear looked good on the W16. The car is also benign enough for Andrea Kimi Antonelli to grow into his debut year, with rookie mistakes having largely been kept to a minimum so far.

But the W16 still paled in keeping life in the tyres versus McLaren, and this is the key weakness that Russell has identified from his opening two races with the team.
"I think their strength is probably in tyre management," Russell said. "We saw the one-stop was pretty comfortable. "Let's see when we go to a circuit where it's much more overheating, like we saw in Melbourne on the intermediate tyres or like we saw in Bahrain testing. They were even stronger."

In comparing Russell's China race stints with winner Oscar Piastri's, there's a difference on the medium tyre of around 0.2-0.6s per lap and at around 0.1-0.5s (excluding anomalies) on the hard tyre. Russell's battling with Norris at the start of each stint may also have put a little bit of premature wear into the tyre. Compare that to qualifying, and there really was very little between McLaren and Mercedes.

‘Analysis’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...2025/10706962/


Wolff claims Russell is quicker than Verstappen and Hamilton
The Mercedes star is third in the drivers’ championship after securing two third place finishes.
26 Mar 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

“We haven’t seen the perfect race,” Wolff told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10 out of 10. He extracted the maximum of this car, the tyres, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive.

“All these discussions about Lewis, who is the biggest person in the sport leaving to Ferrari, is a great story, Kimi coming in as the youngest driver and the high potential. And little was said about George. I always said that’s not right because he’s one of the top drivers out there.”

“If you want me to name three that I consider to be the top [drivers], he’s absolutely among those three, if not top two, and maybe on his way to top one. George is a Mercedes driver,” Wolff added. “So we love having him in the team. He was a junior driver and a Mercedes grown talent. I have something to be proud of and this is where all my concentration goes to.”

“George is a Mercedes driver”;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ewis-hamilton/


Wolff will not be seen Mercedes' garage during the Japanese Grand Prix
24 Mar 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Toto Wolff will not be present at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Mercedes team boss will miss out on the third race weekend of the year. Wolff will be temporarily replaced by Bradley Lord, Mercedes' Chief Communications Officer who will represent the team that weekend.

In the paddock of the Shanghai International Circuit, Wolff indicated that he will not travel to the Suzuka circuit, where the Japanese Grand Prix will be held in a fortnight. "No, it's a coincidence that I'm missing that again. It's not the jet lag," jokes the 53-year-old Austrian.

Last year, Wolff was also initially not supposed to be present at the Japanese GP, but then the Mercedes team boss changed his plans at the last minute because it would feel "wrong" for him not to be with his team at a crucial moment in the season.

‘Wolff will not be seen’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33508...rand-prix.html

[tbazsi95]

Mercedes' reserve driver, Valtteri Bottas will take to the track in a McLaren on Thursday, driving one of the former cars of the defending constructors' champion on the Barcelona asphalt strip, home to the Spanish Grand Prix.

[Fortitude]

Tsunoda confirmed to replace Lawson at Red Bull from Japanese GP.
London – Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull from his home Japanese Formula One Grand Prix next week with struggling New Zealander Liam Lawson demoted to sister team Racing Bulls in a straight swap.
Mar 27, 2025
Alan Baldwin
The Japan Times

Tsunoda started the season strongly and has shrugged off an early career reputation for being excitable and erratic. The 24-year-old has been itching for the chance to show what he can do at a top team.

‘Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull from his home Japanese Formula One Grand Prix’;

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/...sunoda-lawson/


Tsunoda bids 'amazing' Racing Bulls farewell after Red Bull promotion
Yuki Tsunoda is finally getting his chance at the senior Red Bull team, bidding goodbye to his Racing Bulls team.
27 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Tsunoda had his first Red Bull test following the 2024 season, and was initially unsure as to why he had been overlooked for promotion, but following a strong start to 2025, albeit only scoring points in the China Sprint race due to team strategy blunders, has been handed the chance he has long craved, taking to social media to say farewell.

"Hey guys, Yuki here, I just wanted to say thank you to the team and the amazing VCARB fans for such an incredible ride, and so many special memories" Tsunoda said, still in his Racing Bulls team kit. "I'm staying in the Red Bull family, so I won't be far and will see you guys around the paddock."

‘Tsunoda bids 'amazing' Racing Bulls farewell’;

https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-bi...bull-promotion


From rookie rage to an ‘outstanding’ all-rounder – Tsunoda’s rollercoaster ride to a Red Bull seat
Mar 27, 2025
Mike Seymour
Formula One - Official Site

Speaking a few weeks earlier about Red Bull’s apparent unwillingness to promote him, and the likelihood of Lawson getting the nod for 2025 instead, Tsunoda commented: “I always say that I definitely deserve that seat. I can’t say more than that. It’s up to them.”

“But this thing, I can’t control. It’s just part of life. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing. Whenever they keep sending their driver to me to beat me, I just keep destroying them, so that’s what I’m going to do.” Lawson, with only 11 starts compared to Tsunoda’s 87, was ultimately given the chance.

Tsunoda gets the call – but can he crack the code? Tsunoda does, at least, have a positive outing at last year’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi to take confidence from, an experience that left him feeling “happy more than ever” when I spoke to him in a break between on-track runs. While the RB20 and RB21 are different beasts, Tsunoda enjoyed his time behind the wheel of last year’s challenger, and earned praise from Red Bull for how he conducted himself throughout the test – which included providing “excellent feedback”.

‘Tsunoda’s rollercoaster ride’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...ySQf6r8EB9uBv2


Racing Bulls chief shares heartfelt message after Yuki Tsunoda's move to Red Bull
Liam Lawson has been replaced at Red Bull by Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Mar 27, 2025
Lydia Mee
Motorsport.com

Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has commented on the Japanese driver's exit, stating: "We're incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing! His progress last year, and more recently from the very start of 2025, has been nothing less than sensational. Personally, and collectively, it has been an immense privilege to witness those progresses for all of us in Faenza and in Milton Keynes.”

"Yuki's energy and positivity has lightened up every corner of our factories and of our garage and he will always be a Racing Bull! We wish him all the success he deserves at ORBR. Everyone here at VCARB is looking forward to working hard with Liam to give him the best environment possible for him to shine in our car and to express the talent we all know he has.”

"He fit in so well last year, and we cannot wait to challenge ourselves and grow as a Team. With Isack having started so strongly with us already, we know we have a young and strong lineup."

"We're incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing!”;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...e-gp/10707447/


The important role Honda played in Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull move
Mar 27, 2025
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Honda ‘delighted’ by Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull promotion: “We are delighted that Yuki Tsunoda, a graduate of Honda’s driver development program, has made great progress in his fifth year as an F1 driver and will be racing for Oracle Red Bull Racing, one of the strongest teams in F1,” Watanabe said on Thursday. “We look forward to his future success.”

Whether Tsunoda can thrive where Lawson faltered remains to be seen, given the long-documented struggles of drivers in the second Red Bull seat, but Tsunoda himself is adamant that its the faster car in comparison to the VCARB 02.

As well as this, Tsunoda wasn’t alarmed by his RB20 testing outing in Abu Dhabi, telling the media in Shanghai that “he didn’t feel that” the car was difficult to drive. If that is the case, and Tsunoda can deliver on the task set to him by Red Bull, he could end a 13-year wait for a Japanese driver on an F1 podium.

‘Honda ‘delighted’ by Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull promotion’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...red-bull-move/


WHY RED BULL'S DRIVER SWAP ISN'T JUST ABOUT LAWSON'S FAILURE – BUT TSUNODA'S EXCELLENCE
OPINION: When weighing up the motives that prompted Red Bull to so suddenly abandon Liam Lawson as its second driver, it’s important to remember not just that the New Zealander failed to impress at the start of the season – but also how Yuki Tsunoda has changed the perception of himself within the team over the past months
Mar 27, 2025
Oleg Karpov
Motorsport.com

If they’ve decided to drop him now, it means they don’t hear a single RB21 sensor crying out for them to wait. But it’s not only Lawson’s data they must have studied. It must have also been Tsunoda’s strong start to the year – and more importantly, his reaction to what happened over the winter – that played a massive role in them considering a swap. The decision last December to leave him in Faenza was harsh too. It also wasn’t fair.

Tsunoda had consecutively beaten Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and then Lawson. He could be forgiven for feeling disrespected and unjustly demoralised after outperforming all of his recent team-mates. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he lost all motivation, desperately trying to find an answer to the inevitable question: what more could he possibly have done to deserve that Red Bull seat? He swallowed it. He went back and worked on himself instead of choosing to blame an unfair world. And he came back stronger.

On Friday morning in Shanghai, Laurent Mekies gave Motorsport.com a great insight into how Tsunoda dealt with what he must have felt was an injustice. “When he came back to Europe, honestly, we saw straight away that he was in super strong spirits,” said the Frenchman. “Already in the opening weeks of work in Faenza, in the simulator, he was in very, very strong spirits straight away. High motivation, very focused, down to the details, hard willingness to work even harder than what he was doing. And then we went to the Bahrain test, and after those three days, we looked at each other and we said, ‘We have another Yuki’. That’s what we said to each other internally.

‘We have another Yuki’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...ence/10707326/