Mercedes Prepares for 2025 Chinese Grand Prix and Season’s First Sprint Challenge

Mercedes targets momentum at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, facing rivals in the season’s first F1 Sprint weekend. Full preview, key stats, and race weekend details inside.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS is heading to Shanghai with renewed confidence — but also a clear sense of the challenges ahead. The Chinese Grand Prix, the second round of the season and the year’s first Sprint weekend, will test both the team’s progress and their rookie’s mettle.

Melbourne delivered reasons for optimism. George Russell secured the team’s first podium of the year with a calm, calculated drive, capitalizing on every opportunity. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli stunned the paddock with an assured debut. Thrown into tricky conditions and starting out of position, the young Italian kept his cool, finishing an impressive fourth. His pace in clean air and fearless overtakes earned praise from within the team.

Shanghai, however, will be a different challenge. The high-speed back straight and technical corners have historically delivered drama. The track has been resurfaced for 2025, adding another unknown to an already demanding weekend — the season’s first Sprint format.

Mercedes has fond memories of China. Nico Rosberg claimed their first win in the modern era here in 2012, and the team boasts six victories and seven pole positions in Shanghai. Yet this time, the competition is fierce. McLaren started the season strong with Lando Norris leading the standings after winning in Australia. Ferrari looks determined to fight back with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull, meanwhile, faces development hurdles that could shake up the pecking order.

Russell, who finished sixth here last year, will look to build on his early momentum. Antonelli, fresh off an eye-catching debut, faces another steep learning curve on one of the calendar’s trickiest circuits.

The championship battle is already heating up. Norris tops the table with 25 points, followed by Verstappen and Russell. Remarkably, Antonelli sits fifth — an impressive start to his rookie season.

The Shanghai weekend also marks the season opener for F1 Academy, where Mercedes junior Doriane Pin returns. Further details remain scarce, but it adds another layer to a packed schedule.

Despite the absence of local star Zhou Guanyu in the main grid, the Chinese Grand Prix is expected to draw huge crowds. Formula 1 continues to see China as a critical market — one eager to embrace the sport’s return.

Three intense days await: Sprint Qualifying, Sprint Race, Saturday’s Qualifying, and Sunday’s Grand Prix. For Mercedes, the pursuit of their 300th podium finish in Formula 1 history is well and truly on.

Source: media.mercedes-benz.com