Piastri secures first career pole as Lawson starts from pit lane at Shanghai GP

Oscar Piastri will start from pole position for the first time in his career at the Chinese Grand Prix. The McLaren driver secured the top spot, lining up alongside George Russell’s Mercedes on the front row. Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris, will start in P3, while Red Bull’s reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen, holds the fourth position on the grid for the 56-lap race.

The third row features an all-Ferrari lineup with Sprint winner Lewis Hamilton in P5 and Charles Leclerc in P6. Impressive qualifying performances saw rookies Isack Hadjar of Racing Bull and Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes secure P7 and P8 respectively. Rounding out the top ten are Racing Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in P9 and Alex Albon of Williams in P10.

Liam Lawson, who qualified in P20, will start from the pit lane. The New Zealander is banking on pre-race setup adjustments on his Red Bull to turn around what has so far been a challenging weekend for him in China.

Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2025: Starting Grid

1. Oscar Piastri – McLaren

2. George Russell – Mercedes

3. Lando Norris – McLaren

4. Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing

5. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari

6. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari

7. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls

8. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes

9. Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls

10. Alexander Albon – Williams

Check out the full qualifying results for the Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2025 [here].

The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix starts at 1500 local time.

Up Next

• Tough Sprint for Norris as tyre woes strike in China; Piastri secures P2
• Lewis Hamilton secures first Ferrari victory in thrilling Chinese GP Sprint race

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