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The Hamilton-Ferrari era begins: what his victory in the Shanghai sprint race means for F1

Tire degradation became the deciding factor in the 19-lap sprint race in Shanghai, where Lewis Hamilton secured a dominant victory, marking his first win for Ferrari, just hours before the Chinese Grand Prix main race.

Por: Alejandro Carrillo
Lewis Hamilton capitalized on his pole position, leading from start to finish in a race where managing tire wear was crucial / Photo via F1
Lewis Hamilton capitalized on his pole position, leading from start to finish in a race where managing tire wear was crucial / Photo via F1

Lewis Hamilton capitalized on his pole position, leading from start to finish in a race where managing tire wear was crucial. His performance added another win to his impressive record at the Shanghai circuit, where he has claimed multiple victories over the years.

 

Oscar Piastri finished in second place, trailing nearly seven seconds behind Hamilton, while Max Verstappen completed the podium in third. Championship leader Lando Norris had a challenging race after a poor qualifying session left him starting in sixth. His struggles continued as he made an early mistake on the first lap, which forced him to fight his way back into the points throughout the race.

Lewis Hamilton secured a dominant victory, marking his first win for Ferrari, just hours before the Chinese Grand Prix / Photo via F1
Lewis Hamilton secured a dominant victory, marking his first win for Ferrari, just hours before the Chinese Grand Prix / Photo via F1

The front runners got off to a clean start, except for Norris, who ran wide at Turn 6, losing three positions. George Russell managed to overtake Charles Leclerc by the end of the opening lap, moving up to fourth, while Norris found himself stuck behind Lance Stroll, unable to make significant progress.

Shanghai’s tire battle

Meanwhile, Liam Lawson, who had started from the back in the second Red Bull, clashed wheels with fellow rookie Jack Doohan in his attempt to overtake the Alpine but was later cleared by the stewards after an investigation.

 

At the front, Hamilton began voicing concerns over graining on his front-left tire, with Norris also struggling with tire performance. Verstappen, who initially put pressure on Hamilton, soon found himself unable to maintain the challenge and started losing ground. This allowed Piastri to close in and eventually overtake the Red Bull driver on lap 15, securing second place.

Hamilton began voicing concerns over graining on his front-left tire, with Norris also struggling with tire performance / Photo via FIA
Hamilton began voicing concerns over graining on his front-left tire, with Norris also struggling with tire performance / Photo via FIA

With his rivals battling behind him, Hamilton steadily extended his lead, building a comfortable five-second gap in the final laps. As he crossed the finish line, the 40-year-old Ferrari driver received an enthusiastic reception from the Chinese fans, celebrating his hard-fought victory. Meanwhile, Leclerc was unable to reclaim his position ahead of Russell, who secured fourth place for Mercedes.

 

Yuki Tsunoda put in an impressive performance, finishing sixth for Racing Bulls, successfully holding off Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In the closing moments of the race, Norris finally managed to overtake Stroll, claiming eighth place and securing the final sprint race point.

The 40-year-old Ferrari driver received an enthusiastic reception from the Chinese fans / Photo via Scuderia Ferrari
The 40-year-old Ferrari driver received an enthusiastic reception from the Chinese fans / Photo via Scuderia Ferrari

More about the Chinese Grand Prix

Following the sprint, Piastri achieved a career milestone by securing his first-ever Formula 1 pole position ahead of the Grand Prix in Shanghai. Starting from the front row proved to be particularly advantageous, given how significantly tire wear affected drivers throughout the sprint event.

Piastri had previously lined up on the front row seven times but took his maiden pole on Saturday with a lap time of 1m30.641s. His McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, qualified in third, adding to the anticipation for the main race.

Key information

  • How did Hamilton perform in the sprint race? He dominated from pole position and won his first race for Ferrari, setting him up for today's feature race at the Shanghai circuit.
  • What was the main challenge for drivers in the sprint race? Tire wear was a major issue, affecting the entire field.
  • Who finished second and third in the sprint race? Oscar Piastri finished second, while Max Verstappen took third.
  • What milestone did Piastri achieve after the sprint race? He secured his first-ever pole position for a Formula 1 grand prix.

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