Lewis Hamilton took his first win with Ferrari after dominating the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday. The seven-time world champion, who started the race in pole position, led throughout the race and crossed the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Hamilton, competing in only his second outings for Ferrari, was cheered on by roaring Shanghai fans, who bore banners in the Briton’s defense. In regards to his win, Hamilton said that while it was hard to switch to a new team, he was happy his growing confidence in the car.
He teammates Charles Leclerc followed in fifth place, behind Mercedes driver George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda (RB) and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli follow sixth and seventh. McLaren’s Lando Norris was eighth and well off the pace.
Hamilton led the race from the beginning, pulling away from Verstappen over a second ahead of lap three. Piastri put pressure on Verstappen in the closing stages of the race and passed him on lap 16. But Hamilton’s long-game tire management paid off, with the Englishman fending off Piastri to claim victory for the first time in Ferrari red.
The win was a personal milestone for Hamilton as he is in his first year with Ferrari, and many anticipate a strong performance from the team in Sunday’s main race.
