Three newcomers facing significant pressure in China.

      "I don’t think I've ever talked to him," said Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen's new teammate, who is facing immense pressure after a difficult weekend in Australia that included a lack of pace and a crash. McLaren CEO Zak Brown commented that Red Bull should have chosen Yuki Tsunoda for the car instead. Lawson responded in Shanghai, "I don't care what Zak says, to be honest."

      Former Haas team principal Gunther Steiner labeled Lawson as "the most disappointing of all the rookies" in Melbourne, suggesting that a replacement might not be out of the question, especially since Tsunoda aspires to be Verstappen’s teammate. Tsunoda expressed his appreciation for the positive comments but emphasized the need to maintain his own performance: "It’s good when people speak highly of me, but I just have to keep doing what I’m doing."

      Jack Doohan, the Alpine rookie, is also under significant pressure, with speculations that Franco Colapinto could take his place within a few races. However, Team Principal Oliver Oakes downplayed Doohan's crash in Melbourne, stating, "He wasn’t the only rookie that had that happen to him. It’s not like he did anything crazy. Up until that point, he’d had a really good weekend, and he’s faced a lot in the last few weeks." Oakes noted that the collaboration between Doohan and Pierre Gasly is proving effective, saying that their teamwork with engineers is something "we haven’t seen here for a while," implying a contrast to Esteban Ocon.

      Additionally, Isack Hadjar's performance was notably poor in Melbourne, as he didn’t complete the formation lap and received criticism from Dr. Helmut Marko for his "embarrassing" display of tears. Hadjar, the 20-year-old French-Algerian driver, reflected, "I found it embarrassing myself." He mentioned that he spoke with Marko the following day and reassured that everything was fine, guessing that Marko's comments in German had possibly been misinterpreted.