China Grand Prix Fall Out - Formula 1 2025

Whew, what a weekend indeed! And now we are dealing with even MORE questions coming out of Shanghai as we make our way to Suzuka. But has one been answered already??

Courtesy Motorsports.com

Goodbye Liam, Hello Yuki? Well if the current scuttlebutt in the news is to believed, and I'm pretty sure it is, Liam is on his way back to VCARB, and Yuki is promoted to the hot seat over at Red Bull for the Japan Grand Prix next weekend. Will it be a permanent seat? Well that remains to be seen. But, it is the best decision Red Bull can make in this albeit short period of time. I absolutely feel Yuki got screwed by Red Bull with not being 'awarded' (and I use that term lightly) the varsity team position. He has much more experience now over Liam in Formula 1, and had shown he does have the pace, even in the VCARB machine, on more than enough occasions in the past few years.

So why the change now? Shouldn't Liam Lawson have another shot to right the ship with only two races under his belt? Not if you are Red Bull. It's a ridiculously competitive environment there, and it makes for a life or death with no resuscitation option available for their #2 drivers while Verstappen is their guy. Red Bull is looking at the long game with a short term viewpoint. The more they stutter in the early races, the wider the gap to McLaren for the constructors title. As Christian Horner stated after Shanghai, 'we need both cars to be putting up points'. Never more apparent was that fact then with last years lack luster effort from Sergio Perez. The best they could muster was a drivers championship for Max. The one-man show couldn't sustain the two-man team effort it takes for a constructor's title.

So will it work? Well, that remains to be seen, and we will find out as soon as next weekend. The Red Bull car is not the car of yesteryear and has been a bit of a bear to drive, even for Verstappen. Can Yuki tame the wild beast? I believe so, but it sure won't be done over one weekend. He may just be a bit better to handle it than Liam. At the very least, it will add even more drama to this year's season.

Speaking of drama, what the F Ferrari?? Ok so it was a plus one day, minus the next for the boys in red, but way too dramatically! Cheers and elation for Hamilton's performance in Sprint Qualifying and taking the Sprint win on Saturday. The Lewis of old showed up in a great performance, and the car was set up to match. He absolutely outdrove Verstappen and the rest of the pack, and it was a day of excitement for all the Tifosi near and far.

Sunday however, well it was a mixed bag of stumbles. The biggest of which resulted in not one, but two disqualifications. There is something to be said about 'leaving well enough alone', and unfortunately Ferrari didn't heed that advice. Actually, none of the teams do, and it boggles my mind. But if your car just took pole for the sprint, and took the sprint win, why oh why would you make adjustments??? Hamilton's car was right on spec Saturday, but a world of difference on Sunday. The weather was more or less the same. The track was wearing tires the same. So why tweak it?? In my opinion, let the drivers do the work once you know the car is in a good window. But what do I know, I'm just a hapless writer. However, enough adjustment was made to wear out the skid plate just enough for Hamilton's disqualification, slower pace, and a disappointing finish to an otherwise great weekend. As for Charles? It comes down to a broken wing of dreams and a tire wearing of love (and rubber) that's been lost. Strategy is everything, and unfortunately it feels like once again strategy wasn't what Ferrari had on Sunday. Hopefully, once again, they get going in the right direction come Suzuka.

Final notes on this past weekend:

Where oh where has the pace gone Carlos Sainz?? And when will you get it back?

McLaren needs to start thinking long term on the Drivers' championship. The constructors is still up in the air of course, but they really need to get behind one driver unless they can truly get first and seconds from here on out.

Don't look now, but here comes George. Two races down, two podium finishes. Will he be the Alonso Fernando to Red Bull's 2023 season? The merc team is off to a tremendous start, and it seems it will only get better at the moment. Kimi is proving his worth, and they sit alone at #2 in the constructor's race. If George continues to drive well, Lando and Oscar are going to have two drivers to keep in their rear-view mirrors rather than looking ahead and fighting each other for wins.

Haas - Williams, Williams - Haas. Who will it be? Get in the fight Sainz, get in the fight! Both teams are benefiting from the stumbling of Ferrari at the moment, but as the season moves on, it will be those two teams fighting tooth and nail for #5. Better make hay now, cause Aston Martin will start to heat up and make noise at some point.

A weekend off, but big things await next weekend in Suzuka!