Latest news with #FormulaOneChineseGrandPrix
South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Add oil: China eyes sweaty success as sports-economy boom brings big gains
In its race to attract visitors and fuel spending, China's gateway city of Shanghai welcomed a record-high 220,000 spectators for the rip-roaring Formula One Chinese Grand Prix last month. Advertisement Projected to have brought more than 5 billion yuan (US$685 million) in direct and indirect economic benefits to the city, according to the organiser, the prestigious motor race is among the more than 170 international and national sports events that are scheduled to take place in Shanghai this year. And Shanghai's fervour for holding large-scale sporting events is being shared elsewhere in China as local-level policymakers increasingly turn to the sports industry to stimulate consumption and drive growth amid a challenging economic landscape. While the central government has rolled out supportive measures for the industry amid growing public enthusiasm, local authorities are betting on the sunrise sector as traditional growth drivers such as real estate are not the economic engines they used to be. 'Despite an overall slowing economy, the sports industry has stood out in recent years and is becoming a focus for more local governments, particularly in terms of integrating it with other fields,' said Liu Dongfeng, a professor from the School of Economics and Management at Shanghai University of Sport. Advertisement
Jordan Times
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Jordan Times
Piastri hails 'mega' McLaren as both Ferraris disqualified at Chinese GP
McLaren's British driver Lando Norris drives during the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai on Sunday (AFP photo) SHANGHAI — Oscar Piastri hailed his "mega" McLaren after winning a Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday later overshadowed by the disqualifications of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for technical infringements. Alpine's Pierre Gasly was also kicked out after Piastri led a McLaren one-two from pole position with Lando Norris second. Almost three hours after the chequered flag, stewards ruled that Leclerc and Gasly had cars that weighed less than the 800 kilogram minimum, while Hamilton was found to have excessive plank wear underneath his car. Leclerc had finished fifth and Hamilton sixth. Their points have been stripped with all the drivers below them gaining places. Gasly finished 11th so was already out of the points. It means that Esteban Ocon moves up to fifth, Kimi Antonelli to sixth, Alex Albon to seventh and Oliver Bearman to eighth. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz were promoted to score points for ninth and 10th respectively. It was a disastrous end to a weekend that had started so brilliantly for Ferrari when Hamilton took his maiden win for his new team in Saturday's sprint. The plank assembly is a skid plate which is designed to wear away when the floor strikes against bumps on the track or kerbs. If it is too worn it can improve performance as cars can run closer to track, increasing "ground effect" down force. During the race Piastri kept a cool head to bounce back from the disappointment of his spin in the closing laps of the season-opener in Melbourne a week ago. From the moment he fended off George Russell's Mercedes at the first bend, Piastri was in total control for all 56 laps around the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit as he took his third grand prix win. 'Lucky Norris' Norris darted past from third on the grid at the same turn and the two McLarens then sped away, leaving Russell to take his second third-place finish of the season. It was McLaren's 50th one-two finish in their long history. "It's been an incredible weekend, the car has been pretty mega," said Piastri, 23, after McLaren made a one-stop strategy work to perfection. "Very, very happy. The hard was a much better tyre than everyone expected so to go all the way to the end was a bit of a surprise, but a happy surprise." Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen snatched fourth place after a thrilling late pass on Leclerc. Norris had to cope with a late brake issue which forced him to settle for second rather than launch a challenge on his teammate. "I was lucky. Lucky to finish the race today and that's not something you want to be saying," said a relieved Norris, for whom the finish line came just in time. "Brakes are something you hate but something you really do need and it can save your life," he added. Norris leads the championship after two race weekends on 44 points from Verstappen on 36. Russell is on 35 with Piastri closing in on 34. Russell was delighted with third place. "The car has been great this weekend and probably one of my best weekends in Formula One in terms of performance, so really pleased with that," said the Englishman. Four-time world champion Verstappen showed all his race craft and experience to nurse his tyres to perfection, biding his time to make his move on Leclerc. "I suddenly picked up tyre grip... where others maybe plateaued a bit more," he said. "The first half of the race was quite tough but we set out to do our own pace." Haas were much improved from Melbourne, where they ran 13th and 14th, finishing with two cars in the points with Ocon and rookie Bearman. The third round of the season is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on April 4-6.
Daily Tribune
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
Formula One: Chinese Grand Prix results
Oscar Piastri claimed a commanding victory in the 2025 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, held at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Australian driver, racing for McLaren, took control of the 56-lap race from start to finish, crossing the line in 1 hour, 30 minutes, and 55.026 seconds. Piastri's teammate, Lando Norris, secured second place, finishing 9.748 seconds behind his teammate. George Russell of Mercedes completed the podium in third, finishing 11.097 seconds off the lead. Despite some challenges, Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished in fourth, 16.656 seconds behind Piastri, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc rounding out the top five, 23.211 seconds behind. Lewis Hamilton, also driving for Ferrari, finished sixth, while Esteban Ocon (Haas), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), and Alexander Albon (Williams) secured positions seven through nine. Oliver Bearman (Haas) completed the top ten, ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), who finished 11th and 12th, respectively. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), and Liam Lawson (Red Bull) finished in 13th to 15th, while Jack Doohan (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) all finished one lap down. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) was forced to retire from the race on the fifth lap due to brake issues. World Championship Standings: In the driver's standings, Lando Norris leads with 44 points, closely followed by Max Verstappen (36 points) and George Russell (35 points). Oscar Piastri moves into fourth place with 34 points. In the constructors' standings, McLaren leads with 78 points, ahead of Mercedes (53 points) and Red Bull (36 points). Ferrari sits in fourth with 35 points, while Williams, Aston Martin, and Haas round out the rest of the field. As the season progresses, McLaren's strong performance in China puts them firmly in the hunt for both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. Formula One Chinese Grand Prix Results: Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:30:55.026 Lando Norris (McLaren) – +9.748s George Russell (Mercedes) – +11.097s Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +16.656s Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +23.211s Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +25.381s Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +49.969s Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +53.748s Alexander Albon (Williams) – +56.321s Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +1:01.303s Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +1:07.195s Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – +1:10.204s Carlos Sainz Jr (Williams) – +1:16.387s Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +1:18.875s Liam Lawson (Red Bull) – +1:21.147s Jack Doohan (Alpine) – +1:28.401s Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 1 lap Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) – 1 lap Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 1 lap Retirement: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – Brake issues (Lap 5) World Championship Standings (After Chinese Grand Prix): Drivers' Championship: Lando Norris (44 pts) Max Verstappen (36 pts) George Russell (35 pts) Oscar Piastri (34 pts) Kimi Antonelli (18 pts) Charles Leclerc (18 pts) Lewis Hamilton (17 pts) Alexander Albon (12 pts) Lance Stroll (8 pts) Esteban Ocon (6 pts) Nico Hulkenberg (6 pts) Yuki Tsunoda (3 pts) Oliver Bearman (1 pt) Constructors' Championship: McLaren (78 pts) Mercedes (53 pts) Red Bull (36 pts) Ferrari (35 pts) Williams (12 pts) Aston Martin (8 pts) Haas (7 pts) Sauber (6 pts) RB (3 pts)
Express Tribune
22-03-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Hamilton 'gobsmacked' by Ferrari sprint pole
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton during the sprint qualifying Pool of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit on March 21. PHOTO: REUTERS Lewis Hamilton said he was "gobsmacked" after a breakthrough sprint pole in China for Ferrari in only his second race weekend with the Italian Formula One team. The seven-times world champion, who joined from Mercedes with a record 105 wins and 104 poles to his name, also smashed the Shanghai circuit lap record in securing the top slot for Saturday's 100km sprint race. Friday's sprint qualifying was a moment the fans had hoped for, justifying some of the hype that had dimmed after the 40-year-old qualified eighth and finished 10th in the season-opening Australian race. Asked about laying down a "marker in the sand", even if sprint poles do not count among the tally of poles, Hamilton said it had been unexpected and he was shocked. His initial reaction over the team radio was "really?", followed by laughter. "I'm just a bit gobsmacked, I'm a bit taken aback by it," he said after beating Red Bull's Max Verstappen by just 0.018 of a second. "I didn't know when we would get to this position," added the Briton, who has had to adjust to a new way of working at Ferrari. "After last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week, to come here with just aggression and wanting to go into the weekend and really get the car into a great place. "I started out straight away with a better feeling in the car. I can't believe we are at the front, ahead of a McLaren which has been so fast throughout winter testing, and the last race and even today." McLaren's Oscar Piastri qualified third, with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris sixth. "Even though it's not the main pole it gives me real inspiration to go into tomorrow and try to find more performance and see if we can compete again," said Hamilton. "There's definitely a little more performance to find, for sure." Hamilton, a record six-times winner in China, has not had a pole of any sort since Hungary in 2023 and Friday was also the first time he had out-qualified teammate Charles Leclerc in Ferrari red. Leclerc, one of the quickest drivers over a single lap, was 0.208 slower. "I struggled on my side of the garage. From the beginning I felt I was a step back from Lewis and he was just faster," said the Monegasque.
