Lewis Hamilton achieved a surprising pole position for the Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday, his first pole since joining Ferrari.
After a challenging debut with Ferrari in Melbourne where he finished tenth, Hamilton rebounded remarkably at the Shanghai circuit, a track where he has a record of six Grand Prix wins. He consistently performed at the front during Sprint Qualifying.
Despite McLaren being tipped as favorites, Hamilton had other plans. The seven-time world champion not only outperformed his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc for the first time but also demonstrated superior pace compared to his rivals. This pole position is his first in Ferrari red in only his second attempt.
Hamilton, aged 40, last secured a pole position in any F1 qualifying format in July 2023.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished third, while Lando Norris, who initially led the title race, ended up sixth after a mistake on his final lap.
Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, will start alongside Hamilton on the front row for the Sprint. Leclerc will start fourth, being 0.2 seconds slower than the leading Ferrari.
Overjoyed by the news of his pole position, Hamilton responded with surprise and excitement, acknowledging the unexpected result and expressing pride in the team’s achievement.
Hamilton later added that he was shocked and incredibly happy with the unexpected pole, especially after a disastrous previous race. He noted the team’s understanding that the car had more potential and their successful effort to find a better setup.
Reactions to Hamilton’s Pole Position
Lewis Hamilton: “I’m a bit gobsmacked, taken back by it. I didn’t know when we would get to this position. After last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week. We came here with aggression and wanting to go into the weekend and get the car into a great place. I started out straight away with a better feeling in the car. I can’t believe we are at the front, ahead of a McLaren which has been so fast throughout winter testing, Australia and even today.”
Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle: “You could see straight away in the first four turns, Hamilton had it on point. The car was really stable and he was hustling the throttle and he got the tyres, pressures and temperatures absolutely in the window, so did Max.”
Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok: “What a story! Lewis Hamilton is on pole! We didn’t get a fairytale moment in Melbourne but we only had to wait six days. It’s justified his move in some ways. He’s re-energised, re-invigorated, re-motivated but most importantly he’s delivered on the timesheets.”
Hamilton’s Comeback
Shanghai is the first of six Sprint weekends this season, featuring an additional qualifying session and a shorter race before the main Grand Prix.
Following Ferrari’s struggles in Melbourne, Hamilton mentioned earlier in the week his intention to experiment with a different car setup for the Chinese GP weekend.
Whether due to these adjustments or the Shanghai circuit better suiting the Ferrari car compared to Melbourne’s Albert Park, Ferrari displayed improved competitiveness from the start. Leclerc finished second and Hamilton fourth in the practice session preceding Sprint Qualifying.
As the weekend progressed, Ferrari’s performance strengthened, with Hamilton excelling, particularly on a track where he has historically performed well.
Hamilton was fastest in SQ1 by a tenth of a second ahead of Norris, and although fourth in SQ2 led by Norris, he regained the top spot in SQ3 as McLaren’s challenge faded.
The qualifying session was very tight, with Hamilton’s pole time of 1:30.849 being only 0.018 seconds faster than Verstappen and 0.080 seconds quicker than Piastri.
Hamilton expressed hope of maintaining his position in the Sprint race but acknowledged the speed of McLarens and Verstappen. He remained positive and determined to push forward.
Leclerc, who had outqualified Hamilton in Melbourne, was behind his teammate in all three qualifying segments in China. He expressed surprise at Ferrari’s SQ2 strategy where he was instructed to let Hamilton pass.
Verstappen, second to Norris in the previous race, also admitted surprise at his good qualifying result, noting their practice performance was not as strong.
Norris’s Qualifying Struggles
Despite McLaren’s apparent advantage at the beginning of the weekend and Norris topping SQ2, he underperformed in SQ3. A mistake at the hairpin turn in his second run forced him to abandon the lap, resulting in a sixth-place start.
Norris admitted to making a mistake and locking up in the final corner. He noted that McLaren struggled more in these conditions and that the car was challenging to drive, leading to too many errors.
Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying Top 10:
1) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) George Russell, Mercedes
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
8) Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls
9) Alex Albon, Williams
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
