Hamilton takes first Ferrari pole for Chinese GP sprint race
Lewis Hamilton put in a sensational drive to claim pole position in Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix
- SHANGHAI — Ferrari’s
Lewis Hamilton put in a sensational drive to claim pole position in Sprint
Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in a fiercely contested session.
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- Hamilton set a blistering lap time of 1m 30.849s during the
crucial SQ3 phase, beating Verstappen by a mere 0.018s. Piastri and Ferrari’s
Charles Leclerc were also in close contention in an incredibly tight battle.
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- Hamilton's lap set a new record at the Shanghai
International Circuit, and when informed of his achievement over team radio,
the seven-time world champion reacted with disbelief. "Really?"
Hamilton asked, laughing in surprise.
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- George Russell led Mercedes' efforts by securing fifth
place, capitalising on a scruffy final segment from Lando Norris. The McLaren
driver had shown strong pace earlier but made an error on his first SQ3 attempt
and had to abandon his second lap.
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- Kimi Antonelli followed in sixth, about half a second behind
his more experienced teammate Russell. Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’
Alex Albon and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the top 10.
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- Fernando Alonso narrowly missed out on SQ3 in the second
Aston Martin, while Haas rookie Ollie Bearman bounced back from a tough debut
in Australia to claim 12th, ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Kick Sauber’s
Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.
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- Red Bull’s Liam Lawson had another frustrating outing, with
his struggles from the season opener continuing. A deleted final lap due to
track limits violations saw him drop to 20th and last on the Sprint grid.
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- Alpine endured a difficult session as well, losing both
drivers in SQ1 - Jack Doohan narrowly outpacing teammate Pierre Gasly in 16th
and 17th. They were joined in early elimination by Lawson, along with Haas’
Esteban Ocon and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.
