Lewis Hamilton Secures First Victory with Ferrari in Shanghai

Formula 1 record champion Lewis Hamilton achieved his first victory with Ferrari in the sprint race held in Shanghai. The 40-year-old Briton dominated the 100-kilometer short race, finishing ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and reigning champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull. Hamilton’s win comes just in his second race weekend for Scuderia Ferrari after switching from Mercedes, where he secured six of his seven world titles.

„I woke up feeling great today,“ Hamilton remarked. „We did a great job from the first lap here. It felt fantastic.“ After a disappointing tenth-place finish in Melbourne the previous week, Hamilton expressed no pressure, stating, „We need to stay calm and take it one step at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.“

Norris Misses Podium After Mistake

While Hamilton held his pole position against Verstappen’s aggressive challenges, championship leader Lando Norris faltered again. A mistake during qualifying cost the favored Brit a better starting position, forcing him to begin the race from sixth place. Norris fell to ninth early in the race due to a driving error.

After winning the season opener in Australia, Norris remains at the top of the standings despite finishing eighth in the sprint race. „I didn’t perform well today. I felt terrible during the race. We have a lot of work ahead of us,“ Norris admitted.

Hamilton Overcomes Tire Issues

At the front, Hamilton quickly noted problems with his left front tire due to overheating, particularly challenging on the newly paved track known for its fast right turns. Nevertheless, the seasoned driver was undeterred and celebrated a start-to-finish victory. Four laps from the end, Verstappen lost his second position to Piastri, who executed a well-timed overtaking maneuver.

Hülkenberg Struggles

Nico Hülkenberg finished in 19th place driving for Sauber, having started from the pit lane due to some technical adjustments made to his car.

Norris must now defend his slim championship lead against Verstappen in the main Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday at 8:00 AM (RTL and Sky). Last year, Verstappen won the Chinese Grand Prix ahead of Norris.