Formula 1 A surprise that does you good

Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari surprisingly secures pole position for the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix. The record-breaking world champion nips the first dissenting voices in the bud.

Keystone-SDA

21.03.2025, 09:53

SDA

That feels really good! Hamilton showed a strong reaction at the first opportunity to his disappointing performance last Sunday at the season opener in Melbourne. He finished 10th in Albert Park, while Monegasque Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari finished 8th. The Scuderia had already come in for a lot of media criticism.

Despite the initial unrest around Maranello, the conviction within the team that the SF-25 is a good, competitive car has not diminished despite the false start. Hamilton proved it - on a track where he feels extremely comfortable and where he has already won the Grand Prix six times.

It was "only" the battle for the grid positions for the first sprint stage of the season. But the signal that Hamilton sent out further boosts confidence in the red camp. The Englishman secured his second pole position for a Formula 1 race over the shortened distance by a wafer-thin margin. Defending champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull was just 18 thousandths behind, Oscar Piastri in a McLaren eight hundredths. The Australian and Hamilton's compatriot Lando Norris, who only had 6th place on the grid, had started as clear favorites in the orange-colored cars.

Hamilton had to wait a long time for his second pole position in a sprint race. The only time he had ever started from the front of the grid was almost four years ago. It was a special event back then. On that weekend in July 2021, the first race over a third of a Grand Prix distance was on the program as part of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

Team Sauber also had their first disappointment to digest. The German Nico Hülkenberg, who shone with 7th place at the season opener in Melbourne last Sunday, has to settle for 19th place on the grid. His Brazilian team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto will start his first sprint race in Formula 1 from 14th on the grid.