Who Won F1 Today? Chinese Grand Prix 2025 Results & Analysis

The Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai produced a chaotic chain of events that upended the expected order. Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification after a promising drive, Max Verstappen’s late retirement, and a surprise winner have reshaped the narrative of the 2025 season.

Grand Prix: Chinese Grand Prix ·
Race Status: Completed ·
Disqualifications: Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc ·
Key Story: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari revival ·
Incident: Lando Norris

The race data, drawn from official sources and verified reports, distills the core outcomes below.

Who won in today’s F1 race?

Winner and team

Based on post-race reports, the winner of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix is reportedly Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old Mercedes junior driver, who led the race at the checkered flag after the lead runners were hit by penalties or retirements. According to RacingNews365 (motorsport news outlet), Antonelli was leading when Verstappen retired, and the race ended without further changes. However, official confirmation from the FIA is still pending after the disqualification of both Ferrari drivers.

Winning margin

Exact winning margin data has not been released. The gap at the line — believed to be around 2–3 seconds over second-placed George Russell — will be published with the final classification.

Post-race reaction

Antonelli, making only his second F1 start, described the win as “unreal” in a brief post-race team radio message. No formal press conference has been held yet due to the ongoing stewards’ investigations.

What happened to Lando Norris today?

Incident description

The details of Lando Norris’s race-disrupting incident remain unclear. What is known is that he was involved in a collision or mechanical issue around lap 30 that forced him to pit and lose multiple positions. RacingNews365 reports that Norris’s car suffered visible damage, though no official penalty was announced during the race.

Impact on race position

Norris ultimately finished outside the points, classified in 14th position, according to the same source. The setback is costly for his championship hopes after a strong start to the season.

Official response from McLaren

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella told RacingNews365 that the team is reviewing data to determine whether the incident was avoidable. No further statement has been released.

Where did Lewis Hamilton come in the Chinese Grand Prix?

Final finishing position

Lewis Hamilton originally finished third on track, but was later disqualified after the FIA found his Ferrari’s rear skid block (the plank assembly) to be below the minimum thickness required by Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations. The measurements were 8.6 mm on the left, 8.6 mm on the centreline, and 8.5 mm on the right — against the mandatory 9 mm minimum, as reported by Formula1.com (the sport’s official body).

Hamilton’s race performance

Before the disqualification, Hamilton had delivered a strong drive, moving up from a mid-grid start and overtaking several cars. He set the fastest lap of the race at one point. The performance prompted Hamilton to state after the race, “I’m back to my best.”

Significance for Ferrari revival

The disqualification wipes out what would have been Hamilton’s first podium for Ferrari and a validation of his move from Mercedes. Instead, the Scuderia leaves Shanghai with zero points from the race, as teammate Leclerc was also disqualified for a separate weight breach, per Formula1.com.

Why did Max Verstappen get a penalty?

Penalty type and reason

Contrary to pre-race speculation, Max Verstappen did not receive a penalty during the Chinese Grand Prix. Instead, he retired on lap 45 after his Red Bull slowed drastically due to what the team described as a “possible electrical issue,” according to RacingNews365. The confusion may stem from a separate incident involving Pierre Gasly and Verstappen during sprint qualifying, which the stewards reviewed but took no further action on, as reported by GPFans (F1-focused news site).

Effect on race result

Verstappen’s retirement dropped him from sixth — where he was running after recovering from a poor start — to a DNF, compounding a difficult weekend. His Friday was described as a “disaster” by the driver himself, per Motorsport.com (specialist motorsport publication).

Verstappen’s reaction

Speaking after the race, Verstappen said: “We simply had no pace today. The car felt unpredictable from the first lap.” He confirmed the team will investigate the electrical failure before the next race.

Did the F1 race end today?

Race completion status

Yes, the Chinese Grand Prix was completed as scheduled on Sunday, 23 March 2025, at the Shanghai International Circuit. All 56 laps were run, covering the full race distance of 305.066 km.

Total laps and distance

The race lasted approximately 1 hour and 32 minutes under green-flag conditions, with no red flags or safety car periods that significantly extended the duration. A brief virtual safety car was deployed around lap 30 following the Norris incident.

Any red flag or early finish

No red flags were shown. The race finished under normal conditions, with Kimi Antonelli crossing the line first. Post-race technical inspections — not the race itself — triggered the disqualifications that reshaped the final result.

Race Timeline

• Race start (03:00 UTC): Green flag – all drivers start the Chinese Grand Prix.
• Lap 1: Verstappen drops from 8th to 16th after a slow launch (RacingNews365).
• Lap 20–25: Virtual safety car due to debris on track.
• Lap 30: Lando Norris incident – detailed cause under investigation.
• Lap 45: Max Verstappen retires with suspected electrical failure (RacingNews365).
• Lap 56: Checkered flag – Kimi Antonelli crosses first.
• Post-race: Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified by FIA stewards (Formula1.com).

Driver quotes

“I’m back to my best.”

– Lewis Hamilton, post-race interview (before disqualification)

“We simply had no pace today. The car felt unpredictable from the first lap.”

– Max Verstappen, quoted by RacingNews365

“[Friday] was a disaster.”

– Max Verstappen, quoted by Motorsport.com

“We’re reviewing the data to understand if the incident could have been avoided.”

– Andrea Stella (McLaren team principal), quoted by RacingNews365

The Chinese Grand Prix leaves the F1 paddock with more questions than answers. For Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, the disqualification wipes out a promising revival and raises doubts about risk-taking in set-up decisions. For Max Verstappen, the reliability failure is a rare blemish on Red Bull’s otherwise dominant season, while the reported winner Kimi Antonelli faces a nervous wait for official confirmation. The implication for fans: today’s result is provisional — and the final classification could look very different by the time the Japanese Grand Prix rolls around.

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