JAKARTA McLaren's Oscar Piastri has made history by winning his first pole position in the Formula 1 event after performing brilliantly in the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session at the Shanghai International Circuit, Saturday 22 March.
Piastri recorded the fastest time of 1 minute 30.641 seconds. This makes him the first Australian racer since Daniel Ricciardo at the 2018 Mexican GP who managed to secure the lead. Meanwhile, George Russell of Mercedes will start the race from second after recording a time of 1 minute 30.723 seconds in his last attempt.
McLaren Lock Front Row, Norris In P3
Piastri's teammate, Lando Norris, who currently leads the F1 standings, has to settle for starting the race from third after failing to finish his final lap. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start from fourth.
In the third row, two Ferrari riders fill the grid with Lewis Hamilton in fifth place, 0.286 seconds adrift of pole position, and Charles Leclerc in sixth place. Hamilton previously appeared impressive by winning the sprint race, but failed to maintain maximum performance in the main qualification.
Piastri Proud Of Pole Position Pertama
Piastri expressed her joy after scoring her first pole position in Formula 1. My club is actually a bit messy, but I'm very happy to be at pole position," Piastri said.
McLaren boss Zak Brown also praised his young racer. "It's great to see Oscar get his first pole. He's been close to this position a lot and finally scored an incredible lap today," Brown said.
Norris also acknowledged the greatness of his teammates. He also felt more confident in his car after making major changes after the sprint race, where he only finished in eighth position.
"We changed car arrangements a lot after the sprint, because previously we were not competitive. I made some mistakes too, but the car's performance was much better," said Norris.
Russell Looks Gemilang At The End Of Qualification
George Russell of Mercedes almost stole pole position after recording a very competitive time. He revealed that the key to his success was a change of approach on his final lap.
"I had a hard time activating the tires at the start, but on the last lap I did something really different, and everything felt alive. The lap was incredible," said Russell.
Racing Bulls Debutant Bersinar, Lawson Terpuruk
Isack Hadjar, a rookie racer from France who defended Racing Bulls, impressed by winning seventh place after a poor debut in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes will start from eighth, followed by Yuki Tsunoda in ninth position. Williams' Alex Albon completes the top ten.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
On the other hand, Red Bull's Liam Lawson is in poor qualification and has to start from last position. Lawson, who replaced Sergio Perez at Red Bull, admits that he still has trouble adapting to the car.
"I have to immediately understand this car. The qualifying session was very chaotic, and despite the traffic disruption, the results were still not good enough. I just need to adapt faster," said Lawson.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner also admits that Lawson had a tough day and the team will try to give him the best car suit in the first race.
Meanwhile, Alpine's Jack Doohan, who was awarded a penalty for the sprint race, will start the race from 18th, while his teammate, Pierre Gasly, is in 16th position.
With the predetermined starting position, the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix will certainly be an interesting race, especially with Piastri ambitious to turn its first pole position into a historic victory in Formula 1.
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