Lewis Hamilton shattered the Shanghai track record to secure pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, marking a strong response from Ferrari after a disappointing season opener.
The seven-time world champion, a six-time winner at the Shanghai circuit, clocked a blistering lap time of 1min 30.849sec, just 0.018 seconds ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured third place.
Ferrari and McLaren battle for top spots
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Mercedes’ George Russell took fifth. Lando Norris of McLaren, who led the early championship standings, aborted his final flying lap and settled for sixth.
The session ended with a rapturous ovation from the Shanghai crowd as Hamilton stepped out of his car.
“I’m a bit in shock,” said Hamilton. “I can’t believe we got pole for the sprint. It puts us in good stead for the race.”
Top 10 finishers in sprint qualifying
The top 10 was rounded out by:
7th: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8th: Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
9th: Alex Albon (Williams)
10th: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Weekend schedule
The 19-lap sprint race will take place on Saturday morning, followed by Grand Prix qualifying later in the day. The 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix is set for Sunday.
