F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather guide: What to expect

Straight off the back of the Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1 is headed to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. 

Although wet weather saw multiple interruptions and crashes in Melbourne, the Chinese Grand Prix is expected to be a dry but hot weekend.

Lando Norris celebrated the first win of the season in Australia. McLaren currently leads the championship with 27 points. However, Mercedes sits in second with the same amount of points after impressive drives from both George Russell, who finished third, and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished fourth.

Max Verstappen, who won the Chinese Grand Prix last year, finished in second in Australia.

2025 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast

Friday, 21 March

Practice 1: 11:30 – 12:30 local time
Sprint Qualifying: 15:30 – 16:14 local time

Friday will host the only practice session of the weekend, followed by sprint qualifying, which will determine the grid lineup for the sprint race on Saturday morning. Both sessions are expected to see sunny weather with a high of 25°C. 

Unlike Australia, there is currently a 0% chance of rain according to Weather.com, but there will be winds WSW at 10-20 mph and 30% humidity.

Saturday, 22 March

Sprint: 11:00 – 12:00 local time
Qualifying: 15:00 – 16:00 local time

Saturday, which will feature the sprint race and qualifying for the Grand Prix, is set to be very similar to the conditions on Friday. It is expected to be a high of 26°C, 28% humidity, winds WSW at 10-20 mph and 0% chance of rain.

Sunday, 23 March

Grand Prix: 15:00 local time

Race day will be partly cloudy with a high of 27°C. Humidity is expected to be 30%, and winds WSW will be at 10-15 mph. Sunset is expected at 18:07 so any delays to the race could bring in the challenge of limited daylight. The chance of rain increases ever so slightly, however, only to 1%.