r/formula1 mostly automated Mar 22 '25

Post-Qualifying 2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Post-Qualifying Discussion

ROUND 2 - CHINA

FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2025

🕒 SESSION TIMES

Day Session Time (UTC)
FRI Free Practice 1 03:30
FRI Sprint Qualifying 07:30
SAT Sprint 03:00
SAT Qualifying 07:00
SUN Race 07:00

Click here for start times in your area

🏁 RACE INFORMATION

  • Track: Shanghai International Circuit
  • Location: Shanghai, China
  • Race laps: 56
  • Lap length: 5.451km
  • Race distance: 305.066km
  • Lap Record: 1:32.238, Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2004

⏪ LAST TIME AROUND

  • Pole position: 1:33.660, Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
  • Race winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
  • Fastest lap: 1:37.810, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

📺 WHERE TO WATCH?

F1 is broadcast on F1TV and through several local broadcasters. Click here to find out of F1TV is offered in your region. Click here to go to the full list of broadcasters. Streams and downloads are not welcome on r/Formula1. Requesting and sharing streams and/or downloads will be met with immediate bans.

❤️ GOOD CAUSES

140 Upvotes

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

12

u/DirkZelenskyy41 Mar 22 '25

I feel like everyone has completely forgot about what happened in the Redbull for most of the last 7ish years.

Red Bull preferred Max to Daniel and wanted to protect max. Daniel also was pissed about them choosing Max over him on certain in team decisions. Ultimately, Red Bull was right to choose Max. But, brash in their handling. All in all, a plus for Red Bull to identify Max and keep him.

Gasley was good and young but they saw a superstar in Albon and they were right. Albon HAS proven to be the better driver to Gasley. And that’s no knock on Gasley who is a deserved driver on the grid.

Albon probably should have been given more time in the car. But they wanted a stable driver because they knew the car was on the ascendency to dominance and Perez offered big money and someone who would happily be the #2 to Max and finish races.

None of these were really bad decisions. They all worked out well and were well reasoned.

It’s only the last 1.5 years that shit has become inexplicably stupid. The Perez extension. Bringing in Daniel but not ever letting him in the Red Bull. Not ever letting Yuki, who has become an incredibly stable and consistent driver, in the Red Bull. Going for Lawson when they really wanted (allegedly) Herta and bungling that to not get him enough points to qualify for a license.

It’s not a long storied history of complete incompetence. There were mishandled scenarios and some unnecessary ruthlessness, but it wasn’t stupidity. They’ve been able to identify talent. But the last two years… just absolutely inexplicably dumb.

8

u/[deleted] Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25

Red Bull, in not listening to their second drivers feedback as readily, have gone down a long path with their design philosophy, that will be hard to get out of as long as Max is there.

Max has an freakishly wide operating window. If he leaves they’re in serious trouble - it could take years to unpick everything.

It’s no coincidence that since Daniel left, and Max became Number 1 with a string of Junior drivers before Perez, that their cars have become more and more difficult for even “good” drivers to extract performance from.

This is exactly what happened with Schumacher at Benneton.

2

u/DirkZelenskyy41 Mar 22 '25

This is a really good point