China Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton clinches first pole in Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Piastri, go close

Lewis Hamilton has claimed his first sprint race pole since 2021 after scorching the Shanghai track in record pace, with Australian star Oscar Piastri third fastest.

Lewis Hamilton broke the Shanghai lap record to take a stunning pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race as Ferrari bounced back from a torrid season-opener in style on Friday.

Hamilton, who has won a record six Chinese Grands Prix, flew round the resurfaced 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit in 1min 30.849sec in only his second race weekend with Ferrari.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was second 0.018sec behind and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri third.

Charles Leclerc was fourth in the second Ferrari, Mercedes’ George Russell was fifth, with early championship leader Lando Norris only sixth after he aborted his final flying lap in his McLaren.

Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the sprint at Shanghai. Picture: AFP

Hamilton emerged from his car to a huge ovation from the Shanghai fans. “I’m a bit in shock,” said the seven-time world champion from Britain, who was only 10th on his Ferrari debut at the season-opening race in Melbourne.

“I can’t believe we get a pole for the sprint. It puts us in good stead for the race.” Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda’s RB, Alex Albon’s Williams and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin rounded out the top 10.

All the cars were obligated to run medium-compound tyres in the first two sprint qualifying sessions, termed SQ1 and SQ2.

Red Bull rookie Liam Lawson had a bad start to his weekend, failing to get out of the first session after having a lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and the New Zealander will start 20th and last.

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen was just 0.018 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. Picture: AFP

Also eliminated after the first session were the Alpine pair of Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly, Haas’s Esteban Ocon and the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.

In SQ2, Fernando Alonso was 11th in the Aston Martin and missed out on the top-10 shootout.

Also eliminated were Oliver Bearman’s Haas, the Williams of Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto in a Sauber and Isack Hadjar’s RB.

The 19-lap sprint race will take place on Saturday morning before grand prix qualifying later the same day. The 56-lap Grand Prix will be held on Sunday.

NORRIS FASTEST IN PRACTICE

Lando Norris was fastest in practice on Friday for the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix, the championship leader lapping almost half a second quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri third.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest as Ferrari bounced back from a dismal opening race in Australia last weekend to split the dominant McLaren duo ahead of sprint race qualifying later Friday.

Norris won in Melbourne and McLaren would have had a one-two if not for Piastri’s late spin, which handed defending four-time world champion Max Verstappen second in his Red Bull.

Verstappen, who won both the sprint race and the grand prix in Shanghai last year, struggled and aborted his final lap on soft tyres leaving him only 16th fastest.

Lando Norris fastest in first practice in Shanghai. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Norris clocked 1min 31.504sec around the resurfaced 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit, where long turns and heavy braking zones are notoriously punishing on tyres.

He was 0.454sec ahead of Leclerc with Piastri 0.195 further back. The conditions were a contrast to last weekend’s wet and wild season-opener in Melbourne which saw several crashes and stints under the safety car.

The session was the teams’ only opportunity to hone their set-ups before Friday afternoon’s sprint qualifying.

Times tumbled as the new asphalt rubbered in.

The “big four” teams – Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes – all battled for early supremacy, swapping fastest times on the medium compound tyres.

It was a much improved session for Ferrari after Melbourne, where the seven-time world champion Hamilton came home only 10th after the team strategists gambled and lost on leaving him out on slick tyres in rain.

Leclerc was eighth with Ferrari’s five points representing their worst season-opening performance since 2009.

Jack Doohan’s woes continue into the second race weekend of 2025. Picture: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Rookie Jack Doohan failed to complete a lap on his debut and had more woe in Shanghai when his Alpine lost power, bringing out the red flags 13 minutes from the end of the session.

At that point all the teams had run only on medium tyres.

When the session resumed with eight minutes to go it saw a congested dash from the pit lane to record a qualifying simulation lap as everyone bolted on the faster softs.

George Russell’s Mercedes was fifth fastest.

Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber was sixth, with Alex Albon’s Williams, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes and Yuki Tsunoda’s RB making up the rest of the top 10.

The 19-lap sprint race will take place on Saturday morning before grand prix qualifying later the same day.

Sunday sees the main race over 56 laps.

Originally published as China Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton clinches first pole in Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Piastri, go close