Lewis Hamilton Secures Pole Position in Chinese Grand Prix Sprint
Lewis Hamilton, the six-time Chinese Grand Prix winner, has taken a stunning pole position in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, his second race weekend with Ferrari. The 37-year-old driver flew round the resurfaced 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit in 1:30.849s, beating the 1:32.238s set in 2004 by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, also in a Ferrari.
Surprising Performances
A surprise was Melbourne winner Lando Norris, whose McLaren had been fastest by almost half a second in morning practice ahead of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton. However, Norris was only able to secure sixth place after running wide and aborting his final flying lap. "I made a mistake. I locked up in the last corner," he admitted. "Just too many mistakes but just too difficult of a car to drive," the Englishman said.
Ferrari’s Improvement
Ferrari showed significant improvement from Melbourne, where Hamilton was 10th and Leclerc eighth, the Scuderia’s worst season-opening performance since 2009. Leclerc finished fourth, just behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who was second fastest 0.018s behind Hamilton.
Ferrari Team Principal’s Analysis
Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, expressed difficulty in understanding the difference between the two sessions. "Sometimes McLaren had a huge gap, sometimes not so. Let’s analyse it. We have a lot of work to do," he said. "For sure it’s a good feeling and gives a positive energy to the team and Lewis, but I always see the negative side."
Top 10 Shootout
The top 10 shootout saw Verstappen, Piastri, Leclerc, Norris, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, and Hamilton, in that order.
Sprint Race and Grand Prix
The 19-lap sprint race will take place tomorrow morning before Grand Prix qualifying later the same day. Sunday sees the Chinese Grand Prix over 56 laps.
Q&A
Q: What was Lewis Hamilton’s lap time in the qualifying session?
A: 1:30.849s
Q: Who was second-fastest in the qualifying session?
A: Max Verstappen of Red Bull
Q: Who was third-fastest in the qualifying session?
A: Oscar Piastri of McLaren
Q: What was the fastest lap time set in 2004?
A: 1:32.238s by Michael Schumacher