2025 Chinese Grand Prix – McLAREN Sprint and GP Qualifying Report “My first Pole position!"

Shanghai International Circuit, Saturday, 22 March

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Team Principal Andrea Stella, after the Sprint and Qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.

OP81
Started 3rd  
Finished 2nd  
Fastest lap 1m35.854s on Lap 7 (+0.455s, 4th)  
Q1 1m31.591 (Soft) 8th
Q2 1m31.200s (Soft) 3rd
Q3 1m30.641s (Soft) 1st

“My first Pole position! I’m very, very happy with that Qualifying. I found a lot of pace in Q3 after genuinely struggling in Q1 and Q2. The car just came alive, I came alive, and I’m pumped to be on Pole. It was a lot of fun out there, the new surface is extremely grippy, but when you lose grip, it bites pretty hard. It was pretty tricky today, but when you hook it up, it’s mega.

“Looking back to the Sprint, I was pretty happy with how the car performed – I’d have been happier to finish one place higher, but I couldn’t have asked for much more and we learned a lot to take forward, and hopefully can put that to good use tomorrow.”

LN4
Started 6th  
Finished 8th  
Fastest lap 1m36.708s on Lap 4 (+1.309s, 11th)  
Q1 1m30.983s (Soft) 1st
Q2 1m30.787s (Soft) 1st
Q3 1m30.793s (Soft) 3rd

“It's always disappointing not to be on P1 but congratulations to Oscar on his first Grand Prix Pole, he deserved it today. I can’t be too disappointed though because P3 is a step in the right direction after this morning’s frustrating Sprint. The car feels much better, and I've got a lot more confidence with the setup changes. We worked hard to make those improvements for Quali, and I'll continue to work hard with the team overnight in preparation for tomorrow’s race.”

background image

Represent the team!

Andrea Stella

"A strong effort by the team and both drivers in Qualifying to deliver the pace we knew we had in the car, but first of all I want to congratulate Oscar on his first Grand Prix Pole. He put together a beautiful lap in Q3 after two strong sessions in Q1 and Q2, and delivered his best when it mattered most.

"As we expected, we have seen a very high level of competition from other teams once again. After a strong result by Ferrari this morning, Mercedes were extremely close this afternoon. Oscar and Lando have put us in a great position for the race tomorrow, which will no doubt be close and we're focused now on extracting the maximum from the car when it counts."