Lewis Hamilton Just Snared His First Pole Position with Ferrari
After a disappointing 10th-place finish at the 2025 Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton is certainly looking to bounce back this weekend in China. And the new Ferrari driver is off to a good start, after setting a record lap time on his way to securing pole position for the Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
In the third qualifying session, Hamilton put on a set of soft tires and set a blistering lap time of 1:30.849. That was just enough to edge out the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by 0.018s. Oscar Piastri placed his McLaren in P3, while Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc will round out the second row of the Sprint race on Saturday.
According to a report on Formula1.com, Hamilton was not expecting his Ferrari to be so quick. 'I'm just a bit gobsmacked, honestly. I'm a bit taken aback by it. I didn't know when we would get to this position,' said Hamilton after the session.
This marks Hamilton's first pole with Ferrari, and only the second time in his illustrious career that he will start a Sprint race from P1. The last time was back in 2021 in Silverstone. Verstappen would end up winning that Sprint race; however, Hamilton would go on to win the Grand Prix the next day after he collided with Verstappen on the first lap, ending the race for the Dutch driver.
China is the first of six circuits to host an F1 Sprint race in 2025. The Sprint race will run for 19 laps or 60 minutes; there are 36 championship points up for grabs at the Sprint race. The winner will receive eight points, P2 gets seven points, P3 gets six, and so on down to P8.
Hamilton putting his car on pole shows that Ferrari has the pace this weekend to put up a serious challenge to the McLaren and Red Bull teams. However, the driver realizes there is still plenty of work to be done. "I'm hoping that we can hold onto it, but I think the McLarens are very, very fast, as is Max," Hamilton said about his chances this weekend. "But we're in a good position, we'll stay positive, we'll keep our heads high and keep pushing forwards.'You Might Also Like
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