Lewis Hamilton ‘gobsmacked’ after first F1 pole position for Ferrari in China

Hamilton was fastest on Friday, beating old rival Max Verstappen to P1, while Lando Norris faltered

Lewis Hamilton landed his first pole position as a Ferrari driver by taking top spot for Saturday’s sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The 40-year-old, in only his second appearance for the Italian giants, saw off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.018 seconds in Shanghai to ensure he will start from the front for Saturday’s 19-lap dash to the chequered flag.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third with Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc fourth. George Russell took fifth for Mercedes, one place ahead of Lando Norris.

“I’m a bit gobsmacked and taken aback by it,” Hamilton said after his P1 time. “I didn’t know when we’d get into this position. I had a better feeling in the car and I can’t believe we’re at the front. I’ve always gone well at this track.”

The sprint race starts at 3am (GMT) on Saturday morning, with grand prix qualifying at 7am (GMT).

Norris arrived in China leading the world championship for the first time in his career following his impressive win at last weekend’s rain-hit Australian Grand Prix.

And a day after Mercedes’ George Russell claimed Norris has the car underneath him to win every race this season, McLaren looked the team to beat.

But Norris got out of shape on the exit of Turn 13 on his first run in Q3 and then aborted his second flying lap after running wide at the penultimate corner to leave him way down the order, and more than half a second off the pace.

Hamilton, whose six wins in China is more than any other driver, capitalised with a fine lap to kickstart his career at Ferrari after he finished only 10th on his debut five days ago.

The Shanghai crowd roared as Hamilton took pole before the seven-time world champion embraced his father, Anthony, moments after getting out of his scarlet cockpit.

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole for Ferrari in China (Getty Images)

“Firstly I want to say a big thank you to this amazing crowd we have today,” said Hamilton. “I didn’t expect that result but I’m so happy and so proud.

“The last race was a disaster for us and we knew there was more performance in the car but wasn’t able to extract it.

“To come here to a track I love, Shanghai is a beautiful place, the weather has been amazing and the car came alive from lap one.

TOP-10 - CHINESE GP SPRINT QUALIFYING

1. Lewis Hamilton

2. Max Verstappen

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Charles Leclerc

5. George Russell

6. Lando Norris

7. Kimi Antonelli

8. Yuki Tsunoda

9. Alex Albon

10. Lance Stroll

“We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job in the break to get the car ready. I’m a bit in shock. I can’t believe we got a pole for the sprint race. It puts us in good stead for the race.”

Norris said: “I made a mistake and I locked up in the last corner. We were not quick enough and I struggled with the car. The difficulties showed a lot more today but it is nothing more than that, just too many mistakes and our car was too difficult to drive.

“I cannot make the car perfect but this was me pushing too much. I need to back off a little bit. The car is still good and in a good window, maybe not good enough for pole, but we can definitely go for it.”

After he crashed out on his Red Bull debut, Liam Lawson endured another appearance to forget when he qualified 20th and last.

But there was better news for British rookie Ollie Bearman after he out-qualified experienced Haas teammate Esteban Ocon to line up from 12th, six places ahead of the Frenchman.

The sprint race takes place on Saturday morning, prior to qualifying which will determine the grid for Sunday’s main event.