Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying: Hamilton’s Stunning Pole for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton achieved a surprising pole position for Saturday’s Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, marking only his second race weekend with Ferrari.

After a challenging debut with Ferrari in Melbourne last weekend where he finished tenth, Hamilton made a remarkable comeback. He was competitive throughout the Sprint Qualifying session at the Shanghai circuit, a track where he has previously won the grand prix a record six times.

Despite McLaren being considered the favorites for the top grid position, Hamilton had different plans. The seven-time world champion not only outperformed his new teammate Charles Leclerc for the first time but also demonstrated superior pace compared to his rivals. This secured his first pole position in Ferrari red on only his second attempt.

It is Hamilton’s first pole position in any F1 qualifying format since July 2023.

McLaren managed to secure third place with Oscar Piastri and sixth with Lando Norris, who made a mistake on his last lap.

Max Verstappen will start alongside Hamilton on the front row for the Sprint, following another strong performance for Red Bull. Leclerc will start fourth, being 0.2 seconds slower than the leading Ferrari.

Upon hearing from his race engineer Riccardo Adami that he had achieved pole position, a clearly surprised Hamilton responded with excitement.

Driver Reactions

‘A Bit Gobsmacked’ – Hamilton’s Reaction to First Ferrari Pole

Lewis Hamilton: ‘I’m just 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.’

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.’

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.’

Lift-off for Lewis! Hamilton’s Comeback

Shanghai is hosting the first of six Sprint events this season. These weekends include an additional qualifying session and a shorter race before the main Grand Prix.

After Ferrari’s struggles in Melbourne, Hamilton mentioned on Thursday that he would try a different car setup for this weekend.

Whether due to these setup changes or the Shanghai circuit being better suited to the Ferrari car compared to Albert Park, Ferrari showed improved competitiveness from the start. Leclerc finished second and Hamilton fourth in the practice session before Sprint Qualifying.

Ferrari’s performance continued to improve into qualifying, with Hamilton standing out on a track where he has historically performed well.

Hamilton was fastest in SQ1 by a tenth of a second over Norris, fourth in SQ2 which Norris topped, and then fastest again in SQ3 as McLaren’s challenge faded.

The session was very close, with Hamilton’s pole time of 1:30.849 being only 0.018 seconds faster than Verstappen and 0.080 seconds faster than Piastri.

‘I’m hoping we can hold onto it [on Saturday] but I think the McLarens are very fast, as is Max,’ Hamilton said before the Sprint race. ‘But we are in a good position, we will stay positive and keep our heads high, and keep pushing forwards.’

Leclerc, who outqualified Hamilton in Melbourne, was behind his teammate in all three qualifying segments this time. He expressed surprise at Ferrari’s strategy in SQ2 when instructed to let Hamilton pass.

Verstappen, who finished second in the previous race, also expressed surprise at his qualifying performance, stating he was very happy to be on the front row after being off the pace in practice.

Norris’s Qualifying Struggles

Despite McLaren’s apparent early weekend advantage and Norris topping SQ2, Norris was not as competitive in SQ3. A mistake at the hairpin in the penultimate corner on his second run led him to abandon the lap, leaving him in sixth place.

McLaren opted for two runs on soft tires in SQ3, while Ferrari chose only one run at the end.

‘I made a mistake,’ Norris admitted. ‘I locked up in the last corner. We just struggled a bit more now, just not quick enough, simply. Struggled a lot with the car. Just our difficulties that we’ve been struggling with showed a lot more today. So, nothing more than that, honestly. Just too many mistakes but just too difficult of a car to drive.’

Chinese GP Sprint Qualifying Results