Last weekend's Australian Grand Prix started off a chaotic start to the 2025 Formula One season as Rand Norris holds back elements with Max Verstappen and begins the season with victory.
Heart rates have finally returned to normal for all involved, but are scheduled to race again in Shanghai this weekend in the second half of China's Grand Prix, the season-opening doubleheader.
China's Grand Prix provided one of the most memorable moments of the 2024 season as Zhou Cheon finally managed to race at home after years of absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Max Verstappen doubled last year, winning both the Formula 1 sprint and the Chinese Grand Prix. However, he arrives in Shanghai, sitting second in the driver's championship standings, seven points behind Norris.
This is the first time Verstappen has not led the ranking since the week of the Spanish Grand Prix in 2022. That year, Charles Leclerc got off to an incredible start with two wins and a P2 in his first three races. Verstappen did not score in both the Bahrain Granpuri and the Australian Grand Prix, which opened the season.
However, Verstappen won that race at Barcelona and did not look back, securing the second driver's championship of the season.
What does Shanghai have for the grid? I'll cover it all week here SB Nation.
