Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory with his new team Scuderia Ferrari after a dominant performance in the 2025 Chinese GP Sprint Race. Having started on pole after an impressive Friday Qualifying session, Hamilton had a strong start off the line, claiming an early lead ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.
The seven-time world champion held on to a comfortable lead throughout the race, eventually crossing the line first, ahead of McLaren Racing’s Oscar Piastri who claimed second place after getting past Verstappen on Lap 15. Having finished the race on dead tyres, Verstappen crossed the line third, ahead of Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate, George Russell (P4), and current Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc (P5)
Critics underestimated the work required to become acclimatised to new team — Hamilton
Despite a difficult and disappointing weekend in Melbourne, Hamilton said that he had been optimistic going into the Chinese GP Sprint Race, especially in front of the “amazing crowd” in Shanghai.
“Today, I woke up feeling great today. You know, the weather is beautiful here in Shanghai. So, I mean, now we have this amazing crowd.”
He explained that his optimism was due to his improved comfort at Ferrari, and especially with the SF-25, criticising those who underestimated the work required to become acclimatised within a new team, especially after so many years at his former team.
“Yeah, the first race was really difficult. And obviously, I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised within a team, understanding and communication, all sorts of things.
“And the amount of critics and people I’ve heard yapping along the way, just clearly not understanding maybe because they never had the experience or just unaware.”
Hamilton more comfortable in SF-25 after “great job” by Ferrari
Having worked with his team since their disappointing outing in Melbourne, Hamilton feels more comfortable in the SF-25. He attributed this increased comfort, as well as his success in Shanghai, to the “great job” done by his engineers and mechanics.
“And so it felt great to come here and feel more comfortable in the car, because in Melbourne, I really didn’t feel comfortable in the car.
“From lap one here this weekend, really feeling on it. We’ve done a great job with the engineers, done a great job. Mechanics have done a great job to really fine-tune the car. And it felt great today.”
Hamilton also acknowledged the role that his “good start” off the line played in securing him the victory, noting that he, like most drivers, had struggled with their tyre management due to the high grip on track.
“I got a good start. And then it was really so much grip on this new tarmac. It’s really hard to look after these tyres. But I think everyone was struggling the same.”
Ferrari taking season “one step at a time” despite strong performance in Shanghai
For the loyal Ferrari tifosi, Hamilton’s win is a special one. However, despite the expectations of the fans, Hamilton stated that he did not feel any additional pressure to win, instead choosing to take the season “one step at a time.”
“I don’t feel the pressure. I know the tifosi, I know the fans, I know the team wants to win. And I know it means everything to them.
“But I said the other day, “Rome wasn’t built in one day.” [We have to take it] one step at a time. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We cannot.”
Hamilton added that it was most important for the team to be diligent and to remain calm and focused, as while victories, such as his in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race are exciting, the team needed to pursue their long-term objectives.
“We’ve got to continue to push. We’ve got to be diligent and just remain focused. Stay calm. Most importantly, stay calm. Because these moments get us all excited.
“But we’ll be back at our desks after this and focused on qualifying this afternoon. And, you know, it’s a long, long way. So it’s a marathon, not a sprint, right. So we’ve just got to take our time.”
