Hamilton Roars to Victory in China Sprint, Securing First Ferrari Win Ahead of Verstappen and Piastri

At the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton earned his first win for Ferrari by claiming Saturday’s Sprint race from pole position. The British driver established an early advantage at turn one, holding off a challenge from Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. However, on lap 15, Verstappen was overtaken for second place by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri as they navigated the back straight’s hairpin.

Hamilton gradually built on his lead to finish nearly 6.9 seconds ahead of Piastri, which awarded him eight points (nine overall) and boosted his championship standing by three places, moving him up to seventh. Reflecting on the closing laps, Hamilton remarked, “The last like five laps or something I was in a really pretty comfortable position. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like.” Although the Sprint race is not the main event, he views this win as a significant stepping stone toward his broader goals.

Despite already having a record-equalling seven titles and 104 wins, Hamilton continues to savor each moment with Ferrari. His success in Shanghai was heavily influenced by meticulous tire management—a challenge he faced head-on by getting into the car early to acclimatize and enjoy the experience, especially given the pronounced tire degradation during the race.

Arriving in Shanghai after a disappointing tenth-place finish in his season debut at the Australian race, Hamilton’s turnaround was welcomed. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri expressed mixed feelings; he was pleased to overtake Verstappen for second but disappointed not to convert his strong pace into a win, given McLaren’s overall performance advantage. “It was probably one of the more difficult ones in terms of tire degradation, so I knew I had to try and be patient,” Piastri explained.

The focus now shifts to Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, where McLaren aims to secure a front-runner position. Piastri noted, “The difference between qualifying and the race, in terms of what you want from the car and what the tires need, seems to be quite big.” He acknowledged that, in hindsight, some adjustments in qualifying might have been beneficial, though he remains confident in their pace and forthcoming performance.

Red Bull’s Verstappen, satisfied with a top-three finish, collected seven points to bring his total to 24—just two points behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, who had a challenging race. Verstappen admitted that as the race progressed, tire degradation became more aggressive than anticipated, affecting his base pace. “But to be in the top-three I think is still a good result for us,” he commented.

Lando Norris, starting from sixth, encountered difficulties after running wide at the turn six hairpin on the opening lap. Losing several positions early on, he only managed to regain ground later, overtaking Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in the final laps. “It certainly didn’t help. The further back you start, the harder it is,” Norris said. Despite scoring the final point to bring his total to 26, he acknowledged the need for improvement. “It’s another session, it’s qualifying, so I’ll be a bit more confident. At the minute, in the race, I just feel dreadful. So a lot of work to do, but it’s where it is.”

Mercedes’ George Russell finished fourth after overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at turn 14 on the opening lap. Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda secured sixth, ahead of Mercedes’ rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli and the two Aston Martin drivers, with Lance Stroll finishing ahead of Fernando Alonso to complete the top 10.