F1: Oscar Piastri won in China and sent a message inside McLaren

The Australian beat from end to end and with total authority on the second date of the World Cup and enhanced his dream of fighting for the title. Lando Norris, his partner, completed McLaren 1-2. George Russell went to the podium and Max Verstappen, fourth.

“I think I can be world champion this year,” said Oscar Piastri on February 13 during McLaren’s presentation in Silverstone. The Australian statement surprised, not because he lacked attributes and talent to achieve the crown, but because at the entrance all the cannons pointed to Lando Norris as the bow mask of the Woking team but the former champion of F3 and F2 in consecutive years wanted to mark the entrance court, very early in the year, so prematurely that it was barely the first sample And the World Cup’s start, in the career of his house, arrived and was managed. An error when the rain raised in the end changed the second place almost signed by a frustrating ninth, while Lando left with the largest and most full trophy. But the pilot born in Melbourne rearranged the pieces and in the China GP gave a sample of talent and that mental strength that characterizes him to take an unobjectable triumph.

Piastri dominated from the start, taking advantage of his position as Pole and pressed enough to George Russell not only so that he could not put his position in check, it was also key so that Norris could overcome Mercedes’s to be second. Then, it was a remarkable performance, without fissures, to achieve its third triumph in the highest category, after Hungary and Azerbaijan 2024.

With Piastri in another story, Norris had to defend himself at the end of the race because he suffered serious brakes of his MCL39 and suffered Russell’s attack. The one with the silver arrows had the chance to recover the second place lost in the start after the output of boxes, because it came to pass it to Lando, but the World Cup leader recovered in the same turn. Russell had to settle for third place. “The goal is to be the best behind McLaren,” said Mercedes.

After two dates of exercise 2025, those words of Piestri of February charge greater strength. Because he achieved the pole position, he left perfect, did not make mistakes, led from end to end and sent a message inside McLaren much more powerful than that of the presentation of the team. Because he demonstrated with actions that he is in a position to fight for the crown. Now the ball has the popes of the Woking team, who must demonstrate that they can handle the internal struggle, distributing the necessary equipment orders in the appropriate times. That was precisely one of the most lazy points of the team in 2024.

“On my side I had a lot of work, I think it was my best weekend in F1. I had many problems last year, I am very satisfied,” he said after the celebration on the podium. What can make the difference in the fight with Norris? Mental strength. Piastri is a predator and psychologically it is much stronger than the Lando and the more I win, the more doubts it will generate in English.

For Norris, the second place in China is to celebrate, after having made five mistakes on the weekend (Two in the classification of the Sprint, one in the Sprint and two others in the qualy for the long race). The World Cup is still very young and English continues as a leader, but Piastri is already only ten points. The rest is far, because McLaren showed the best car at the start of the World Cup. “With the difference they have, they can already think about the 2026 car,” Russell said before arriving in China. Woking cars signed in China the 1-2 that escaped by Piastri’s error in Australia. It is the 50th double of the Woking team in history, the second with the current driver alignment and, in both cases, with Pastri ahead of Norris (Hungary 2024, the previous one).

Can anyone run to McLaren? At the moment, no. In normal conditions, China 1-2 will be repeated several times. Australia’s rain mixed the deck and changed for a conductive error, but in Shanghai the superiority was embodied on the track. Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari fight, for now, in the second lot to see who is closer to the papaya chassis.

China GP result

Pilot Championship Positions