Oscar Piastri delivered a flawless performance in the Chinese Grand Prix, leading McLaren’s 50th one-two finish ahead of teammate Lando Norris in a controlled and strategic race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The race was decided early when Piastri, starting from pole, got a perfect launch alongside front-row starter George Russell. The Australian squeezed the Mercedes driver to the inside, forcing him into a compromised line into Turn 1. That opened the door for Norris, who swept around the outside of Russell in Turn 3 to snatch second place.

From there, Piastri controlled the pace, benefiting from the clean air at the front while most of the field managed their fragile medium tires on the newly resurfaced circuit.

With pre-race concerns about tire degradation, teams were cautious in the early stages. The first stops came as early as Lap 10, with the front-runners making their moves by Lap 14, when Piastri and Russell swapped their mediums for hards. Norris pitted a lap later but lost track position to both Russell and the yet-to-pit Lance Stroll.

Norris fought back, passing both Russell and Alex Albon within two laps to reclaim second place. However, by that time, Piastri had built a 4-second gap, which remained stable through most of the race as both McLaren drivers managed their tires to the finish.

As the final laps approached, Norris began to eat into Piastri’s lead, but his charge was halted by a worsening brake issue. McLaren assured him the brakes were still functional but advised limiting brake pressure to avoid further problems.

That put an end to any challenge for the win, and Piastri crossed the line 9.7 seconds clear, securing his third career victory.

“It’s been an incredible weekend from start to finish,” Piastri said. “The car’s been pretty mega the whole time. Very, very happy.”

Despite his critical brake problem on the final lap, Norris held onto second by just 1.3 seconds, marking McLaren’s third one-two finish since 2010 and second in as many seasons.

“It’s my worst nightmare,” Norris said of his brake issue. “When I have a nightmare, it’s when the brakes are failing. I was a bit scared, but we survived.”

Russell completed a quiet race in third, keeping Mercedes second in the constructors’ standings.

“It’s a great result,” Russell said. “We knew McLaren were a smidge quicker than us.”

Behind him, Max Verstappen salvaged fourth place with a late-race pass on Charles Leclerc in one of the few exciting battles of the day. Verstappen, who lost positions to both Ferraris at the start, methodically saved his tires and pulled off an aggressive move on Lap 53, outmaneuvering Leclerc through Turns 1-3.

Post-race inspections dramatically altered the final classification, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, along with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, were disqualified due to technical infractions.

This promoted Esteban Ocon to fifth, capping off an impressive drive for Haas after an early stop on lap 11. Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli took sixth in just his fourth F1 start, followed by Alex Albon in seventh for Williams. Haas’s Oliver Bearman finished eighth, while Stroll and Carlos Sainz rounded out the points scorers.

Further back, Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, RB’s Isack Hadjar, and Alpine’s Jack Doohan missed out on the points, while Yuki Tsunoda endured a frustrating day, finishing last after a late-race front wing failure.

Fernando Alonso was the only race-day retirement, pulling off the track on lap 4 with a brake failure.

McLaren’s dominant display in Shanghai has firmly established them as serious contenders this season. With Piastri and Norris both showcasing their potential, the team will be eager to carry this momentum into the next round as the championship battle heats up.

Photo by Clive Rose/ Getty Images