The Chinese GP 2025 belongs to McLaren with a 1-2 finish. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

Chinese GP Results – How Did McLaren’s 1-Stop Strategy Resulted in a Double Podium Victory!

McLaren pit-wall used a one-stop strategy to define their victory at the 2025 Chinese GP

The Chinese GP 2025 belongs to McLaren with a 1-2 finish. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

The Chinese GP results are out. Piastri and Lando have once again taken the center stage. Norris is leading the world championship ahead of Max Verstappen. Piastri on the other hand was able to capitalise on his race pace and end the weekend on an immensely positive note. Piastri snatched a podium in the sprint and a race victory in the final event of the weekend. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri spent the entire Chinese GP collaborating on various fronts to maximise points for McLaren. Lando Norris was troubled throughout the weekend.

Norris started his season with a victory but made costly mistakes at the start of the weekend. He lost places during qualifying for the sprint race. And during the 19-lap sprint, Norris was not able to manage his tyres well. He regained some confidence with a strong performance during qualifying on Saturday. On Sunday, Norris initially found it difficult to manage his tyres but he went on to complete the 1-2 for McLaren with clear instructions from the pit-wall. Norris was suffering from brake issues in the final laps. He was asked not to take risks and just complete the race without any issues. Even though Russell was gaining on him in the final laps, ultimately McLarens took the win and finished 1-2.

McLaren Strategy Masterclass

Pirrelli had predicted that majority of the teams would utilise a two-stop strategy for the race, considering the tyre graining. McLaren on the other hand, had some different plans for the race. They swapped out tyres at the right moment during the race to minimise the loss of lead. McLaren pitted their drivers during the first stage of the race to equip them with Hard tyres. Norris initally lost P2 to Russell but quickly regained position due to his faster McLaren.

THE PAPAYA BOYS HAVE DONE IT! 🧡

Oscar and Lando take to the podium in Shanghai, marking our 50th 1-2! 🏆#McLaren | #ChineseGP 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/lOBrHuzpIP
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 23, 2025

In the middle stage of the race, Norris was defending against Russell. He was unable to extract the pace out of his car. According to Norris, he did not want to get behind the dirty air of Oscar. Thus, Oscar was asked to increase his pace. McLaren pitwall coordinated the two drivers effectively in order to keep their lead. There was a danger of undercut from George Russell. Norris sped up and extended his gap to Russell more than 4s. The advantage of undercut from Russel was now gone. He could not make a move against Norris without getting devoured by Leclerc raging behind him. Although, Russell managed to claim a podium while Ferrari paid the price for chasing him like a mad hound.

This way McLaren used an effective one-stop strategy paired with their impeccable pace to keep George Russell at bay secure the 50th 1-2 finish in their history. McLaren’s strategy set the perfect example for the rest of the grid. The team managed to keep their drivers patient and utilise their raw speed to secure victory and comfortably lead the majority of the race.

What do you think about McLaren’s one-stop tyre strategy for the 2025 Chinese GP? Follow us at The Playoffs for more Formula 1 news and in depth analysis!

Formula 1

Formula 1 2025 Season

Lando Norris

McLaren F1

Oscar Piastri

Rohan Singh

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.