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Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton during the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
(Photo: Xavi Bonilla/DPPI via Ferrari)

Lewis Hamilton Takes 1st Ferrari Win in China Sprint

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Lewis Hamilton led from pole to claim his first Ferrari victory in China’s Formula 1 Sprint race on Saturday (March 22). Max Verstappen challenged the Ferrari for the first half of the race, before tire wear dropped him back into the clutches of Oscar Piastri, who ultimately passed to take the second step on the podium.

As with last week’s race in Melbourne, George Russell had a relatively anonymous race in fourth place, unable to keep up with the top three. By the end of the race, Charles Leclerc was challenging Russell in the second Ferrari, finishing just .598 seconds behind.

Yuki Tsunoda once again reminded Red Bull of his existence, claiming another strong result in sixth, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli also continued his impressive early showing, claiming seventh place and giving a late-race challenge to Tsunoda.

Lando Norris claimed the final sprint point in eighth place, after losing several positions at the start.

How It Unfolded

The season’s first sprint race saw Hamilton joined by Verstappen on the front row, a once-familiar lineup that has been notably absent in recent years. Despite showing ominous early pace, the McLarens of Piastri and Norris were only able to take third and sixth places on the grid, respectively, with Leclerc in fourth and Russell in fifth.

Verstappen made his intentions clear, positioning his Red Bull on the grid with a significant angle towards Hamilton’s Ferrari. However, the prancing horse wasn’t to be overhauled, getting a good start and leading through the sweeping 270-degree first corner.

Norris suffered a repeat of last year’s first-lap woes, losing two places through turn 6 to drop him into eighth position. All other cars held position for an uneventful race start.

Verstappen stayed within touching distance of Hamilton’s Ferrari during the first four laps, at times closing within the critical 1-second gap that would allow him to deploy DRS, but always at the wrong point on the track. Some strategic use of the Ferrari’s battery may have been at play.

By lap six, Piastri had closed onto the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull, with just 1.5 seconds now separating the top three cars.

Tire wear was a common complaint, particularly for cars that were following, allowing Hamilton to begin pulling away in clean air.

After following closely for a significant portion of the race, Piastri closed within striking distance on lap 15, passing Verstappen for second place through the hairpin at the end of the back-straight.

As with Melbourne, Russell’s Mercedes held onto fourth position, but it was unable to worry the top three cars, falling back to a 4-second gap. That spacing may have had a positive impact on the Mercedes’ tire wear, allowing it to close within 2 seconds of Verstappen by the chequered flag.

Having been passed by Russell in the opening laps, the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc held on to fifth place, with a late charge putting him just .568 seconds behind the Mercedes.

From a qualifying position of eighth, Tsunoda was one of several cars to pass Norris on the opening lap, also overhauling Antonelli’s Mercedes to give him sixth place. Antonelli finished the race .750 seconds behind Tsunoda to continue a strong early showing in his rookie season.

Further back, Liam Lawson made some amends for a disappointing qualifying, moving from 19th to 15th during the first half of the race, and finally taking 14th.

After finishing in eighth, Norris has allowed Verstappen to close within two points of him in the Drivers’ Championship, the pair now sitting on 26 and 24 respectively. A much bigger haul of points is available in Sunday’s main race.

2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Results

Next up is qualifying for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, which is just a few hours away. Coverage on ESPN begins at 2:55 a.m. ET.

Peter Molloy began following Formula 1 during the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. He cheered for a certain Ayrton Senna, who was driving the same black and gold colors as a toy F1 car that Pete had been given. Pete continued to be a fan of Senna throughout his childhood. Fast forward many moons, and Peter now combines significant journalistic experience with decades of watching F1 to cover the latest on-track and off-track action.