Hamilton takes first Ferrari pole for China sprint race

Saturday, 22 March 2025 00:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton took his first pole position for Ferrari as he headed sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.018 seconds as McLaren’s challenge faded around the Shanghai circuit and will start Saturday’s sprint race from the front.

Oscar Piastri was third and Lando Norris, winner of the season-opening race in Australia last weekend, sixth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Norris had appeared to be on target to take sprint pole with a blistering first-sector time on a second run but braked too late for the hairpin at the end of the long back straight and ran wide, forcing him to abort the lap.

Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli was seventh, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’ Alex Albon and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Hamilton, who was 0.208secs quicker than Leclerc, had a difficult first race with Ferrari in Melbourne and the seven-time champion said: “I’m a bit in shock. I can’t believe we got a pole in the sprint. It’s not the main race so we have some work to do for tomorrow.”

“I didn’t expect that result but so happy and so proud. The last race was a disaster for us. We knew there was more performance in the car. It came alive from lap one.”

Ferrari qualified only seventh and eighth in Australia and both drivers struggled in the rain in the grand prix, finishing eighth and 10th.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.