Lewis Hamilton was left “gobsmacked” after claiming pole position on the grid for the first time as a Ferrari driver by topping Sprint Qualifying in China.
Hamilton faced a challenging debut race weekend with Scuderia Ferrari in Australia, but Friday’s session in Shanghai brought a stunning turnaround. He edged out Max Verstappen to take Sprint pole by just 0.018 seconds, setting a lap record time of 1m 30.849s. After trailing teammate Charles Leclerc in the season opener, the seven-time World Champion seized the upper hand during conditions that mirrored both qualifying and race day, while favorites McLaren struggled.
Oscar Piastri managed only the third-best time in SQ3, while last weekend's winner in Melbourne, Lando Norris, ended up sixth. Norris made an error on his first SQ3 lap and abandoned his second, leaving him unable to climb higher on the timing chart.
“I’m just a bit gobsmacked, honestly,” Hamilton said after securing the surprising P1. “I’m a bit taken aback by it. I didn’t know when we would get to this position.
“After last weekend, it was a tough start to the season. I came here with aggression and just wanted to get the car into a really great place for this weekend. Straightaway, I had a much better feeling in the car. I can’t believe we’re at the front, ahead of a McLaren that’s been so strong throughout winter testing, the first race, and even today.”
Reflecting on his lap, Hamilton added, “My first sector was really, really strong. I think that’s where I made most of my improvement, but there were little gains throughout the entire lap.
“There’s still some time to find, for sure, and I’ll work on that for the next Qualifying session. It’s amazing to see the number one on the board when you stop, and to be in that iconic red car, it feels pretty incredible.”
This marks just the second time Hamilton will begin a Sprint from pole position, the first being the inaugural Sprint event at Silverstone in 2021.
When asked about his prospects for holding onto the lead during Saturday’s Sprint, Hamilton explained, “I didn’t get to do a race run in Bahrain, and last weekend’s race was in wet conditions. Tomorrow will be my first real longer run, and Sunday will be my first proper race run in the dry with this car, so there will be a lot of learning.
“I’m hopeful we can hold onto it, but the McLarens are incredibly fast, as is Max. Still, we’re in a great position. We’ll stay positive, keep our heads high, and keep pushing forwards.”
