Hamilton Secures First Ferrari Pole for Chinese GP Sprint Race

Synopsis

On March 21, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton dazzled at the Chinese Grand Prix, capturing pole position during Sprint Qualifying. He narrowly defeated Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri in a thrilling qualifying session filled with intense competition and record-setting lap times.

Key Takeaways

Hamilton takes pole with record lap
Close battle with Verstappen and Piastri
George Russell finishes fifth for Mercedes
Alonso misses SQ3 cut
Alpine struggles in SQ1

Shanghai, March 21 (NationPress) Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton delivered an outstanding performance to secure pole position in the Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, narrowly surpassing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in an intensely competitive session.

Hamilton clocked a remarkable lap time of 1m 30.849s during the pivotal SQ3 phase, finishing just 0.018s ahead of Verstappen. Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were also in the mix in this incredibly close contest.

This lap established a new record at the Shanghai International Circuit, and upon learning of his milestone through the team radio, the seven-time world champion expressed disbelief, exclaiming, "Really?" while laughing in astonishment.

George Russell led the Mercedes charge by clinching fifth place, taking advantage of a messy final segment from Lando Norris. The McLaren driver had shown promising speed earlier but made a mistake on his first SQ3 attempt and had to forfeit his second lap.

Kimi Antonelli finished in sixth, trailing his more seasoned teammate Russell by about half a second. The top 10 was rounded out by Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’ Alex Albon, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Fernando Alonso narrowly missed reaching SQ3 in the second Aston Martin, while Haas rookie Ollie Bearman rebounded from a challenging debut in Australia to secure 12th, ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.

Red Bull’s Liam Lawson faced another disappointing outing, continuing his struggles from the season opener. A disqualified final lap due to track limits violations pushed him down to 20th and last on the Sprint grid.

Alpine also had a tough session, with both drivers eliminated in SQ1 - Jack Doohan narrowly edging out teammate Pierre Gasly in 16th and 17th. They were joined in early exit by Lawson, alongside Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.