Hamilton storms to first Ferrari win in China Sprint ahead of Verstappen and Piastri
Lewis Hamilton clinched victory in the season's first Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, securing his debut P1 for Ferrari. The seven-time World Champion showcased his expertise, despite tire graining challenges, to lead the 19-lap event assertively.
Max Verstappen initially held second place but was overtaken by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, relegating him to third. Mercedes’ George Russell finished fourth after a tough battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who rounded out the top five. Yuki Tsunoda delivered a strong performance in sixth for Racing Bulls, followed by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in seventh. Lando Norris surged to eighth, recovering from an early race incident.
Post one practice session, Sprint Qualifying determined the grid, awarding points to the top eight. McLaren opted for an aggressive strategy, yet ended with Piastri in P3 and Norris in P6. In contrast, Hamilton, in Ferrari, surprisingly claimed pole position.
At race start, Hamilton maintained his lead, fending off challenges while Piastri attempted to overtake Verstappen. Meanwhile, Russell advanced to P4, and Tsunoda climbed to P6. The front-runners saw Hamilton and Verstappen battling intermittently before Piastri overtook the Dutch driver by Lap 15.
Despite tire issues, Hamilton pulled away and took the chequered flag with a 6.889-second lead over Piastri. Verstappen completed the podium, with Russell holding off Leclerc for fourth. Tsunoda earned crucial points in sixth, while Antonelli and Norris took seventh and eighth respectively.
The event saw several close battles, with notable performances from Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and a challenging day for teams like Williams and Alpine, which struggled to capture points. Nico Hulkenberg's run was affected, starting from the pit lane due to car modifications, and he finished 19th.
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