© Getty ImagesChina Weekend DebriefWith the team’s best qualifying in China in 12 years, the first Sprint race of the season and F1 Academy’s inaugural 2025 race weekend, the Shanghai International Circuit was set
Round2ofthe2025FIAFormulaOneWorldChampionshipwasashowingofincrediblerawpaceforIsackandYuki.Withtheteam’sbestqualifyinginChinain12years,thefirstSprintraceoftheseasonandF1Academy’sinaugural2025raceweekend,theShanghaiInternationalCircuitwassettohostadramaticweekendofracing.
In typical Sprint race weekend fashion, Yuki and Isack only had one practice session to get a feel of the 16 twists and turns of Shanghai. The track had been resurfaced since the last visit to China, so times were expected to be quicker than before. Norris set the fastest time of 1:31.504, while Yuki was 10th fastest with a time +1.430 seconds off the pace. Isack finished P17 in practice, +1,881 seconds off Norris’ time, but completed 23 valuable laps to prepare for the upcoming Sprint Qualifying session.
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Isack and Yuki sailed through SQ1, finishing P11 and P9 respectively after Hamilton set the pace with a 1:31.212. Isack’s attempt at a flying lap in SQ2 was undone by the freshly laid surface and lost grip around Turns 1 and 2. Isack wasn’t able to set a time, but in a great showing of teamwork, he gave Yuki a tow down the back straight to solidify his teammate’s place in SQ3. Yuki’s time was just +0.620 seconds off the fastest time from Norris, a 1:31,174. Yuki went even quicker in SQ3 on the soft compound tyre and qualified P8 for the Sprint Race, +0.924 seconds off the 1:30.849 pole time of Hamilton.
Saturday brought with it incredible racing conditions for the 19-lap Sprint race. Yuki made light work of Antonelli and Norris at the race start, jumping to P6 by the end of Lap 1. Isack dropped a position from the race start but was in wheel-to-wheel combat with Bortoleto for the next five laps. Isack gained a position over fellow rookie Bortoleto and was in pursuit of Sainz and Gasly. Meanwhile, Yuki was in a defensive masterclass against the charging rookie of Antonelli and was able to hold the advantage over the Italian rookie to the finish line – Yuki finished P6 overall and secured three valuable points. Isack finished P13 after a race-long battle with Gasly.
Rolling Into The Weekend© Getty Images
In F1 Academy, our very own Rafaela Ferreira was lining up for her first races with VCARB. Rafa put her three-place grid penalty behind her and charged through the pack from P16, finishing P5 in Race 1. A stellar recovery drive to secure four valuable points for the Team..
In Q1, Isack and Yuki finished P2 and P3 respectively against the fastest time of 1:30.983 from Norris. Q2 solidified the pace of the VCARB 02 – Isack was P4 and Yuki was P5, both less than half a second off the fastest time of Norris of 1:30.787. In Q3 Piastri threw down the gauntlet, setting a time of 1:30.641. Isack secured P7, less than four tenths off what was a new lap record for the Shanghai International Circuit and Yuki qualified P9, less than a second off the record-breaking time.
P7 and P9 from our drivers secured the team’s best qualifying performance in China for 12 years. It was time to convert these starting positions into points.
Rafa started P16 in F1 Academy’s Race 2 and stormed to a P8 finish, starting her 2025 campaign with a great showing of form. She’ll join us next month at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Taking In Some F1 Academy Action© Getty Images
Race day was upon us and 56 laps around the Shanghai International Circuit got underway. Isack lost two positions on the race start as Yuki moved up the field. On lap 12 when Yuki boxed and re-emerged P15, he undercut Antonelli and claimed P13 by lap 14. Isack was running in P17 after his pitstop and was quickly chasing down Gasly for P16. We opted for a two-stop strategy in the hopes of regaining the lost ground with a fresh tyre advantage, and by lap 43, Yuki was on the back of the one-stop pack and overtook Doohan for P14.
In a heartbreaking twist of fate, Yuki’s front wing broke while chasing down the top 10 and he was forced to pit on lap 47. Meanwhile, Isack was in wheel-to-wheel combat with fellow rookie Doohan for P14. The Australian lost control of his car into the turn 14 hairpin and received a 10-second penalty, promoting Isack to P14 overall at the chequered flag. Yuki could do no better than P19 after front wing damage unravelled his strong weekend.
WhathavewelearnedinShanghai?
Well, the VCARB 02 is no slouch. Our one-lap pace is strong and we have two drivers who can extract every millisecond out of the car. Both Isack and Yuki drove incredible races, battling against unprecedented tyre wear and managing difficult race strategies. Isack held himself well in his first full race conditions and Yuki’s top 10 charge was ended through no fault of his own. We’ll take this confidence into Yuki’s home Grand Prix in two weeks.
Next up: Japan. The Suzuka Circuit is as iconic as they come and we’re confident that points are on the table for Yuki and Isack. Join VCARB for the FORMULA 1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2025 from 4-6th April.
