Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari by winning the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint.
Having taken a surprise pole on Friday, Hamilton held off Max Verstappen at the start and in the opening stages, before expertly managing his tyres to cruise to victory.
The victory was a first for both Hamilton and Ferrari in a Sprint, and marked a stunning turnaround from his disappointing debut for the Italian team at last weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
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Hamilton holds Max Verstappen off to secure the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint lead
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri passed Verstappen for second in the closing stages, but had taken too much out of his tyres to chase down Hamilton, who won by almost seven seconds.
In the Sprint, Melbourne winner Lando Norris retained his Drivers’ Championship lead after scoring just a single point for finishing eighth, having dropped three places from his starting position of sixth following an opening-lap error.
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Oscar Piastri moves into second after a battle with Verstappen
George Russell was fourth for Mercedes after holding off Hamilton’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who he overtook on the first lap.
Yuki Tsunoda drove superbly for Racing Bulls to take sixth, holding off Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Chinese GP Sprint: Top 8
1) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari2) Oscar Piastri, McLaren3) Max Verstappen, Red Bull4) George Russell, Mercedes5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari6) Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls7) Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
8) Lando Norris, McLaren
Hamilton silences critics with statement win
Despite the positive vibes that came from Hamilton’s performance on Friday, his and Ferrari’s underwhelming effort in Australia meant there was plenty of doubt as to whether he would be able to convert pole to victory at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Not only did he have Verstappen alongside him, but there was also the looming threat of Piastri from third, in a McLaren that many had believed would be completely dominant this weekend.
The 40-year-old showed his reactions remain as sharp as ever as he got off the line cleanly and cut off across Verstappen to ensure he held the lead at the first corner.
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Hamilton led from start to finish as he claimed his first victory with Ferrari in the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix
Hamilton was swiftly able to extend his lead over Verstappen to just above a second, keeping the Dutchman just outside of DRS range, but that would change when the gap suddenly closed on lap seven.
The seven-time world champion used his experience to deny Verstappen a clear overtaking opportunity, before the Red Bull dropped back a couple of laps later as his tyres struggled in the dirty air of the Ferrari.
With Hamilton moving clear, Verstappen then came under pressure from Piastri, but held him off until lap 15, by which point the Ferrari was almost three seconds clear.
It quickly became clear that Piastri had little life left in his tyres, and Hamilton drove into the distance to deliver a statement result.
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Hamilton was thrilled after winning his first race with Ferrari in the Sprint around Shanghai International Circuit
Hamilton said: “I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team, become acclimatised within the team, understanding and communication – all sorts of things.
“The amount of critics and people I heard, yapping along the way, clearly not understanding maybe because they never had the experience or were unaware.
“It felt great to come here and be more comfortable in the car because in Melbourne I didn’t feel great in the car. From lap one this weekend we have been on it. The engineers and mechanics have done a great job to finetune the car and it felt great.”
What happened to Norris and McLaren?
After Norris had launched his championship campaign with an impressive victory in Australia, one of the big talking points in the Shanghai paddock on Thursday was just how dominant McLaren could be, with Russell suggesting the MCL38 could hold a bigger advantage over the field than Red Bull’s historically dominant 2023 car did.
A questionable run plan in Sprint qualifying and an error from Norris left him sixth on the grid, with Piastri only able to salvage third.
Norris’ task immediately stiffened as he ran off track at Turn 6 on the opening lap as he attempted to pass Russell around the outside and subsequently lost three places.
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McLaren’s Lando Norris admits his opening-lap struggles cost him after he finished eighth in the Sprint
But perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend so far was Norris’ inability to pass the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll for most of the race, before he eventually broke through to eighth with two laps to go.
“I just had a bad first lap,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “Then it was just difficult to do a lot. Qualifying didn’t help but I wasn’t very good today either.
“In the race, I just feel dreadful, so a lot of work to do.”
While running in clear air was clearly a huge advantage for Hamilton, McLaren’s lack of standout pace came as a major surprise and raises hope of an exciting contest in Sunday’s main event, live on Sky Sports F1 7am.
Driver Team Time 1) Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 30:39.965 2) Oscar Piastri McLaren +6.889 3) Max Verstappen Red Bull +9.804 4) George Russell Mercedes +11.592 5) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +12.190 6) Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls +22.288 7) Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +23.038 8) Lando Norris McLaren +23.471 9) Lance Stroll Aston Martin +24.916 10) Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +38.218 11) Alex Albon Williams +39.292 12) Pierre Gasly Alpine +39.649 13) Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +42.400 14) Liam Lawson Red Bull +44.904 15) Oliver Bearman Haas +45.649 16) Esteban Ocon Haas +46.182 17) Carlos Sainz Williams +51.376 18) Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber +53.940 19) Nico Hulkenberg Sauber +56.682 20) Jack Doohan Alpine +60.212
Sky Sports F1’s live Chinese GP schedule
Sunday March 23
- 2.40am: F1 Academy Race 2
- 5.30am: Chinese GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
- 7am: THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
- 9am: Chinese GP reaction: Chequered flag*
- 10am: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Shanghai this week for the first Sprint weekend of the season at the Chinese GP, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
