History is made! Hamilton wins with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) triumphed in the first Sprint race of the season, held as part of the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend, marking his first victory with his new team. He was joined on the podium by Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

The seven-time champion started from pole position for the first time with Ferrari in only his second race weekend for the Italian team. He defended well against Verstappen into the first corner and maintained a consistent gap over the Dutchman, staying in the lead until the very end. Crossing the finish line first, Hamilton secured his first-ever Sprint race victory since the format was introduced in 2021.

While Ferrari showed signs of improvement compared to their struggles in Australia last weekend, the main race in China—where more points are at stake and strategy will play a bigger role—is expected to bring tougher competition.

Defending champion Verstappen was close to using DRS in the opening laps and finally got within one second of his 2021 title rival in Lap 8, only to start losing time soon after. Meanwhile, third-placed Piastri closed in on the Red Bull driver lap by lap. On Lap 15, the Australian successfully overtook Verstappen in Turn 14 to claim second place.

Charles Leclerc, in the second Ferrari, caught up to George Russell towards the end of the race and attempted to overtake the Mercedes driver for fourth place on the final lap but fell short. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) finished sixth, ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in seventh. The young Italian spent most of the race within DRS range of the Japanese driver but never found a real opportunity to pass.

While the front of the pack remained stable, championship leader Lando Norris struggled. Starting from sixth, he dropped three places on the opening lap after running off track and touching the grass. He lacked pace throughout the race but managed to overtake Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) on Lap 17 to secure the final points position.

Many of the on-track battles during the 19-lap Sprint in Shanghai took place in the midfield. Red Bull’s Liam Lawson made the most progress, climbing from 19th on the grid to 14th, despite a minor incident with Jack Doohan (Alpine).

Sprint Race Results – Shanghai:

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Max Verstappen
4. George Russell
5. Charles Leclerc
6. Yuki Tsunoda
7. Andrea Kimi Antonelli
8. Lando Norris