Lewis Hamilton claims historic first F1 win for Ferrari in Chinese GP sprint race

The 40-year-old won for the first time in over six months as he held off Max Verstappen’s charge

Lewis Hamilton claimed a historic first F1 win for Ferrari as he was victorious in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 40-year-old, who moved to Ferrari amid much fanfare from Mercedes in the off-season, secured a “gobsmacking” pole position with a brilliant lap on Friday.

On Saturday, Hamilton did well to retain the lead from lights out in the 19-lap race and he superbly held off Max Verstappen’s challenge midway through the race, before cruising away from nearest challenger Oscar Piastri.

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first F1 win for Ferrari (Getty Images)

The new Ferrari driver took the chequered flag by over seven seconds, with his sprint win scoring eight points in the world championship.

“I woke up feeling great today” he said after his win. “We have this amazing crowd... the race was difficult, a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to come to a new team.

“The amount of critics, yapping on the way, maybe because they’ve not had the experience. Great to come here and feel more comfortable in the car, we’ve been really on it. We’ve fine-tuned the car and it felt great today.

“I don’t feel the pressure. I know the tifosi [Ferrari fans] wants to win, know it means everything to them. I said the other day, ‘Rome wasn’t built in one day.’ One step at a time. Be diligent and stay calm.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, right!”

It is also Ferrari’s first-ever sprint race victory, in a format introduced back in 2021, as well as Hamilton’s first sprint victory.

“Great job, guys,” said Hamilton over the radio. “Yes, well done, mate, a masterclass in tyre management,” replied his race engineer, Riccardo Adami.

Hamilton held off a challenge from Max Verstappen (Getty Images)

Hamilton celebrates his win with his Ferrari team (Getty Images)

It is also Hamilton’s first win in any format since the 2024 Belgian GP last July.

Oscar Piastri finished second for McLaren, after a late overtake on Verstappen, who finished third. Championship leader Lando Norris finished eighth, taking home just one point.

Yet in qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix, there was disappointment for Hamilton as he could only qualify fifth-fastest.

Piastri took pole - his first pole position for a Formula One grand prix - with Mercedes’ George Russell impressing to go second-fastest. Norris will start third on the grid, alongside defending champion Verstappen.

The Chinese Grand Prix takes place at 7am (GMT) on Sunday morning.