Hamilton Secures First Victory for Ferrari at Chinese GP Sprint
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Synopsis
Lewis Hamilton achieved a remarkable victory in the first Sprint of the 2025 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, showcasing his skill in the Ferrari. This win marks a significant milestone as it is his debut P1 for Scuderia Ferrari and adds to his impressive record in Shanghai.
Key Takeaways
- Hamilton wins his first Sprint in Ferrari at the Chinese GP.
- Verstappen finishes in third after losing second to Piastri.
- Russell and Leclerc battle for fourth place.
- Impressive performance from Yuki Tsunoda in sixth.
- Norris recovers to finish eighth after early struggles.
Shanghai, March 22 (NationPress) Lewis Hamilton has achieved triumph in the inaugural Sprint of the 2025 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, demonstrating a confident performance that adds to his victories in Shanghai and marks his first P1 for the Scuderia.
Following a strong launch at the start, Hamilton built a significant lead. Although it wasn't completely trouble-free, with his SF-25 experiencing graining on the tires at one point, the seven-time World Champion showcased exceptional form throughout the 19-lap race.
Max Verstappen ran in second place for most of the Sprint but ultimately fell to McLaren's Oscar Piastri in the closing laps, relegating Red Bull to third. Meanwhile, Mercedes' George Russell maintained fourth position despite a late-race tussle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished fifth.
Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda delivered an impressive sixth-place finish, with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli scoring two additional points in seventh after his performance in Melbourne. Lando Norris rounded out the top eight after a challenging start, losing places early on but recovering towards the end.
With just one practice session on Friday, the Sprint Qualifying determined the grid for the season's first 100km sprint, awarding points to the top eight finishers, ranging from eight for P1 to one for P8.
Despite McLaren's strong showing in practice, their strategy of two push laps in SQ3 did not yield the desired results, with Piastri and Norris finishing P3 and P6, respectively.
Hamilton surprised everyone by clinching pole in the Ferrari, while Verstappen, who won the Shanghai Sprint in 2024, was a mere 0.018s behind in second.
Before the Sprint, a grid change was confirmed with Nico Hulkenberg starting from the pit lane after modifications to his Kick Sauber under parc ferme conditions. As the formation lap began, all 20 cars were revealed to be on used medium tires.
As the lights signaled the beginning of the 19-lap race, Hamilton smoothly took the lead into the first corner, while Piastri attempted to challenge Verstappen and Norris battled side-by-side with Russell. The championship leader faced a setback, locking up and dropping to P9.
By Lap 2, Russell and Tsunoda had gained positions, with Russell moving to P4 from Leclerc and Tsunoda advancing to P6 from his starting position. Meanwhile, Hamilton was comfortably leading, extending his gap to 1.1 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
As Verstappen aimed to close the gap to his rival, replays showed his Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson battling Alpine’s Jack Doohan for P18, clearly in a fighting mood after a disappointing qualifying session.
By Lap 6, Hamilton maintained a lead of over a second from Verstappen, while Piastri was in pursuit, with a gap of approximately 0.7 seconds. The other drivers in scoring positions included Russell, Leclerc, Tsunoda, Antonelli, and Lance Stroll.
Norris, however, was struggling with tire issues, unable to close in on Stroll's Aston Martin. Hamilton was also facing tire concerns, with graining on his front left, allowing Verstappen to narrow the gap to the Ferrari.
