HAMILTON SECURES SPRINT TRIUMPH AND CLAIMS FERRARI’S FIRST CHINA WIN, BEATING VERSTAPPEN AND PIASTRI

Lewis Hamilton Wins First Sprint Race of 2025 Season at Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won the first Sprint race of the 2025 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, securing his first victory for Ferrari in Shanghai. The seven-time World Champion had a strong start, quickly took the lead, and managed to stay ahead despite some tire issues during the 19-lap race.

Max Verstappen was in second place for most of the race, but Oscar Piastri from McLaren passed him in the final laps, leaving Verstappen in third. George Russell of Mercedes finished fourth, holding off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who took fifth.

Yuki Tsunoda finished in sixth for Racing Bulls, while Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes took seventh. Lando Norris had a tough start but managed to grab eighth place by the end of the race.

The starting grid for this Sprint was decided by a Sprint Qualifying session on Friday. Hamilton took a surprising pole position for Ferrari, just 0.018 seconds ahead of Verstappen.

As the race began, Hamilton kept his lead into the first corner, while Piastri tried to overtake Verstappen. Norris had a mistake early on, dropping him to ninth, but he later recovered. Russell and Tsunoda moved up in the early laps, with Russell taking fourth place from Leclerc.

Hamilton looked in control as he created a gap of over a second ahead of Verstappen. However, his tires began to wear out, allowing Verstappen to close the gap. Meanwhile, Piastri was also chasing Verstappen closely.

On Lap 15, Piastri managed to pass Verstappen for second place, but Hamilton was already too far ahead. In the end, Hamilton won by nearly seven seconds.

Russell and Leclerc had a close fight for fourth place, with Russell staying ahead. Tsunoda took sixth, Antonelli finished seventh, and Norris grabbed the final point in eighth.

Hamilton expressed his happiness after the race, saying, “I woke up feeling great today. It took a lot to get used to this new team, but we did a great job. The car felt great, and I had a good start.”

The drivers will now prepare for the main race of the Chinese Grand Prix later on Saturday.