Hamilton Claims Ferrari's First Chinese GP Sprint Pole with Record Lap
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint race with a stunning track record lap in his Ferrari, edging out Max Verstappen by just 0.018 seconds.
Hamilton's time of 1m30.849s came despite McLaren entering qualifying as favorites after dominating practice. The seven-time world champion pieced together a perfect middle sector to claim his first pole for Ferrari.
F1 car racing during Grand Prix
"I didn't expect that result, but I'm so, so happy and so proud," Hamilton said. "The car really came alive from lap 1. We made some great changes and the team did a fantastic job."
Verstappen secured second place with his final flying lap, while Oscar Piastri managed third for McLaren despite missing pole by just 0.08s. Charles Leclerc took fourth, 0.208s behind his pole-winning teammate Hamilton.
The McLaren challenge faded in the final session, with Lando Norris making crucial mistakes in his attempts that relegated him to sixth position behind Mercedes' George Russell in fifth.
The top 10 was completed by:
- P7: Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- P8: Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
- P9: Alex Albon (Williams)
- P10: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Notable exclusions included Fernando Alonso in 11th, Carlos Sainz in 13th, and Red Bull's Liam Lawson who will start last after struggling with tire temperatures.
F1 Sprint China Results