McLaren driver Oscar Piastri dominantly showed prowess in his win at the F1 2025 Chinese GP. From pole, he took advantage of the clean air to assert his authority in the race.
Oscar Piastri: F1 Chinese GP ‘the most satisfying’ weekend
When Piastri was about the win, the now three-time Grand Prix winner said the Chinese GP has been the most satisfying so far. He then compared it to the wins in Hungary and Azerbaijan last season, saying that this win felt the ‘most complete’. The Australian qualified P2 for both of those races.
“Yeah, very satisfying. Obviously, I think, it’s always a pretty good day when you cross the line first, that’s obvious. But I think for me this has been the most satisfying, not just race, but weekend for myself.
“You know, I think the two wins I had previously were very different, and I think this one’s been the most complete. So I’m very, very happy with the whole effort of the whole team this weekend.
“I think we started with a car that was quick, but pretty tricky at times, and I think we did a good job of trying to tackle that. And to come away with this result is a perfect end to the weekend.”
Redemption built from heartbreak
For Piastri to bounce back from the heartbreak of last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix is no easy feat.
Piastri gave props to the whole team at McLaren for an ‘incredible’ weekend for him. The 23-year-old added that he felt like this is what should have been his end to last week’s Australian Grand Prix.
“It’s been an incredible weekend from start to finish. The car’s been pretty mega the whole time. I think today was a bit of a surprise with how different the tyres behaved, but no, super… yeah, just proud of the whole weekend.
“This is what I feel like I deserved from last week. No, extremely happy. The team did an amazing job, 1-2 obviously. So yeah, very, very happy.“
What made the one-stop work
When Piastri asked about the tyre wear on track during the Chinese GP. The driver from Melbourne claimed that it has improved from the sprint. Although there were glimpses of tyre wear and graining, the hard worked very well and everyone could do long stints on it.
He said that he was very proud that the team was able to pull off a one-stop.
“Yes, I think on the medium it was still a bit tricky, but much better than yesterday. And the hard was a much better tyre than everyone expected, I think, or certainly than we expected.
“So yeah, to go all the way to the end like that was a bit of a surprise. But a happy surprise. So, very, very proud of the race we managed to pull off.
“It wasn’t an easy one going in and yeah, just proud of the whole team and the weekend I’ve been able to pull off.”
Piastri said that on the stint on the hard tyres, it quickly became apparent that a one-stop is feasible. He explained that early on with the mediums on, it was quite tricky to manage, and expected the Hard compounds to be even more so. However it wasn’t the case, to the pleasant surprise of Piastri.
“I mean probably about 10–15 laps on the hard. You know, I think already on the medium it was easier than in the Sprint, but I think the hard behaved much better than we all expected.”
“I think George might have a different answer on that, but certainly for me, I went into it thinking it would be a two-stop and then even early in the race I still thought that, and was pleasantly surprised that the Hard was as strong as it was.”
On to Suzuka for Oscar Piastri and McLaren
Coming in hot on the win at the F1 Chinese GP, Piastri said that it gives a lot of confidence for the next race in Suzuka. Although cautiously excited, he can’t hide the excitement what the rest of the season holds for the Aussie.
“A lot. I think we’ve obviously had a quick car this weekend, but like I said, it’s not been as straightforward as it was in Melbourne. And I think, you know, to still have this result here is a really encouraging sign for us.
“I think there’s still going to be bumps along the road and things we can try and work on, but ultimately I think we’re in a pretty happy place at the moment and, yeah, excited for the rest of the year.”
Asked if the win is a glimpse for a potential title campaign for the Australian, “I hope so,” he concluded.
