Lewis Hamilton grabs pole for Chinese Grand Prix sprint race

Field Level Media|published: Fri 21st March, 15:47 2025

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Lewis Hamilton (44) of Team Great Britain smiles to the crowd during a fan forum before the Sprint Race in the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Lewis Hamilton already is making strides in his new role with Ferrari, securing the pole for Saturday's 19-lap sprint race that is the prelude to the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai.

Hamilton was a mere 0.018 seconds faster than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc set to start fourth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished third in sprint race qualifying.

Hamilton moved to Ferrari this season after racing for Mercedes from 2013-2024 when he won six of his seven drivers' championships.

"We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready," Hamilton said. "I'm a bit in shock. I can't believe we got a pole in the sprint."

In his Ferrari debut this past weekend, Hamilton finished in 10th place during a rainy Australian Grand Prix.

China is one of six locations that will have a shorter sprint race attached to the main event. Another round of qualifying will take place Saturday in advance of Sunday's 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix.

--Field Level Media