What the teams said – Race day at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix

Mercedes

Russell lost out to Norris early on, but managed to stick with the McLarens and used the undercut to get back ahead in the pit stops. The first to call the race as a one-stop, Russell could not keep Norris at bay a second time either. But he absorbed the pressure from Leclerc behind, before coming close to picking off the McLaren late on when Norris started to struggle with his brakes. As for Antonelli, damage picked up on the opening lap cost him some time. He also lost out in the pit stops to the midfield, having to climb back past a gaggle of cars to score a few more points for the team.

READ MORE: Russell overjoyed with ‘one of my best weekends in F1’ after Chinese GP podium finish

George Russell, 3rd

“P3 was the maximum for us today. We can therefore be pleased with the result and getting our second podium in two races to start the season. I made a good start and tried to take the lead from Oscar (Piastri). It was unfortunate to not be able to make the pass, and then to lose out to Lando, but fair play to Oscar as he defended well. Overall, the McLarens were just a little bit too quick for us. As much as we want our race to be with them, at the moment it isn’t. We therefore have to be happy that we were best of the rest today.

“It has been a really positive start our season. We finished P3 in Melbourne, P4 in the Sprint yesterday, and P3 again today. We have been consistent, and the car has felt good. We will keep working hard to make it faster and hopefully we can close the gap to the very front.”

Kimi Antonelli, 6th

“The race was pretty tough after I suffered floor damage on lap one. It looks like I hit some debris and that affected the performance quite heavily. I struggled with the rear in particular after that and that was something I wasn’t expecting. It definitely hindered my pace, but it was good learning to have to deal with that. I think we can still be happy that we were able to bring home some points in P8, even though that wasn’t what we were hoping for ahead of the race. I want to say a thank you to the fans for voting me driver of the day. I definitely wasn’t expecting it given how my race went but it’s great to see the support from the fans.

“Overall, I’m happy with how I, and the team as a whole, have started the year. I think one of the main points of learning for me has been Qualifying. If I can put it all together on a Saturday then we will be starting further forward, less likely to get involved in incidents, and can maximise the pace of the car. I’m excited to get to work ahead of the next triple-header and come back refreshed for the races in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.”

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“That was a solid afternoon’s work. A podium felt like the realistic best-case scenario for us ahead of the race and that is what we were able to achieve. We knew that the McLarens were going to be very strong, and that the Ferraris and Verstappen were also going to be a threat. I don’t often give 10 out of 10s as I think there is always room to improve but George was faultless today. He extracted the maximum from the car and for me, that was a 10 out of 10 drive. He has started this season incredibly well and is performing exactly as we knew he would as the senior driver.

“Kimi’s race was unfortunately compromised by floor damage he sustained on the first lap. He kept his head down though and fought really hard, despite the sizeable performance deficit he was carrying, to come home a creditable P8. He didn’t complain throughout the race, just kept focused on the job, and that’s exactly what we want to see.

“Overall, it’s been a good start to the new season. The ambition is to win but we don’t feel any entitlement that we should. The car is not quite as fast as the McLaren as the moment, but the team are working hard to close that gap. For now, we are maximising the performance we have and to leave China second in the Constructors’ Championship, having taken two podiums for the first two races, is satisfying.”

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

“We’re very pleased to get our second podium of the year with George. He lost one place in the first corner, which meant that McLaren could control the race and realistically, third was the best we could achieve today. There was still a threat to defend from behind with the Ferraris and Verstappen, but it was encouraging that we had the pace to keep them at arm’s length today.

“Kimi was unlucky to pick up debris damage to his underfloor on lap one when he likely ran over some bits of the Ferrari front wing. That really hurt his performance today. We’re nevertheless pleased that he could bring home some points, but it’s a shame as he would have had fun racing with Verstappen and the Ferraris had it not been for that damage.

“Overall, we’re pleased with how the first two races of the season have gone. The car is working well over a range of conditions and whilst we’ll always hope for more, the performance we’ve seen is encouraging as we can certainly improve from here. This is the most solid start to a season that we’ve had for three years. We have a big task ahead of us to catch McLaren but we’re not short of motivation and very excited for the season ahead.”