122-win F1 team have privately conceded the championship after what they’ve seen at Chinese Grand Prix

McLaren and Mercedes share the lead of the F1 constructors’ championship ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Lando Norris’ victory in Melbourne gives the former the tiebreaker.

McLaren looked poised to score more than 40 points, with Oscar Piastri repassing Max Verstappen during the race. But Piastri spun and belatedly crawled out of the grass, dropping him way down the order.

His last-lap move on Lewis Hamilton denied Mercedes, who finished fourth and fifth through George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, a surprise lead. Red Bull sit third thanks to Verstappen following Norris home in second.

Ferrari were the biggest disappointment in Australia as Charles Leclerc and debutant Hamilton crossed the line eighth and 10th. With a meagre five points, they’re below Williams, Aston Martin and last year’s bottom-place team Sauber.

Laughing Red Bull staff say the championship is lost after Liam Lawson woes at Chinese Grand Prix

Before the season started, F1 fans voted Ferrari’s line-up as the best on the grid. McLaren, who won last year’s championship, were second.

Martin Brundle fears Mercedes will be a one-horse team, though Antonelli’s impressive debut suggests he can bust that narrative. Brundle had the same concerns about Red Bull, who partnered world champion Verstappen with 11-race newbie Liam Lawson.

Lawson has started poorly. A Q1 exit preceded a race-ending crash in Australia, and he was slowest of all in Sprint qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Speaking on Autosport’s round-up, journalist Ronald Vording said Red Bull had staff had already conceded the championship in a private conversation. They were laughing at the time, but this looks like a ‘fair assessment’ given the learning curve Lawson faces.

“[Helmut Marko said] it’s a track he’s never been to before,” Vording revealed. “He needs to get in some kind of rhythm, which obviously didn’t work out today.

“Liam himself said he couldn’t cool down the tyres. That’s tough.

“Helmut was not too harsh on him. They’re mainly looking at one car – Max’s car.

“I talked to some other team members and they were joking. They said they ‘I don’t think we will win the constructors’ championship this year’.

“I think that’s a fair assessment. But they are positively surprised with the performance Max [P2] put in.”

Martin Brundle could have been talking about Sergio Perez when reacting to Liam Lawson performance

Red Bull have won 122 F1 races and six constructors’ championships. It’s a little alarming, in that sense, to hear them so pessimistic before the second round of the season has concluded.

They slipped to third last year after back-to-back titles and appear content to prioritise Verstappen’s title bid. He’s looking to match Michael Schumacher’s record of five in a row this term.

James Hinchliffe fears Lawson has accepted a ‘career-ending’ seat at Red Bull. He wonders if the team could look to make a change midway through the season.

Martin Brundle expressed his sympathy for Lawson moments after SQ1 on Friday. But his exasperated tone sounded familiar – it was exactly how he sounded when he spoke about predecessor Sergio Perez in 2024.