The first sprint of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton to stand on the top step of the podium, followed by Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.
The Shanghai International Circuit had been resurfaced for the year, providing strong grip from the outset—something the drivers welcomed. However, this also raised concerns about tyre degradation, particularly on the front tyres. While medium compounds appeared the safest option, some teams might have risked the softs or played it conservatively with the hards.
The Sprint at the Chinese GP spanned 19 laps. There was no mandatory pit stop or tyre change, and teams had the freedom to select any of the three available Pirelli compounds. Points were awarded to the top eight finishers, ranging from eight for P1 down to one for P8. Any penalties issued during the Sprint will be carried over to Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Hamilton claimed Sprint Pole as McLaren faltered in China
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix F1 sprint race, capitalizing on Ferrari’s pace as McLaren’s early speed faded. In challenging hot conditions at the Shanghai International Circuit, overtaking opportunities and the FIA’s rear wing clampdown played key roles.
Despite McLaren’s dominance in practice, the fight for pole saw Hamilton edge out Max Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri slotting into third. Meanwhile, rookie struggles continued—Jack Doohan’s power steering failure triggered a red flag, and Liam Lawson faced another tough session. With the grid set, all eyes turn to the sprint race showdown.
Regarding penalties – Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber was worked on and changed during parc fermé, so he had to start from the pitlane.
Lights out for the first time at the Chinese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton won the start of the F1 Sprint against Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, who were already preparing for an attack by Charles Leclerc right at the start. However, Leclerc took a kerb badly, losing momentum, which allowed George Russell to overtake him.
A little further back, Lando Norris had a lock up in Turn 2 and dropped to 9th place behind Kimi Antonelli and Lance Stroll. Yuki Tsunoda made up three places on the first lap and was in 6th place after lap 1. Alex Albon dropped to P11.
On lap two, DRS was enabled, but at the front, this hardly played a role – Hamilton drove directly out of the important one-second range. Leclerc kept Russell on his foot, being on his tail and ready to overtake any second.
Liam Lawson tried an overtaking manoeuvre on Jack Doohan from P19 to P18, he pulled it off even though they were wheel to wheel. The stewards viewed this critically and took a closer look at this situation again.
Halfway point – The tyres started to drop off
Red Bull appeared to be wearing their tyres faster than McLaren, who had shown the strongest race pace during practice. Norris remained in ninth place but had lost DRS on Stroll ahead, making it harder to close the gap. With concerns over tyre degradation, it was worth watching how things unfolded. Hamilton led by 1.3 seconds, while Verstappen had Piastri closing in fast, just 0.7 seconds behind.
Further back, Russell and Leclerc maintained their positions, while Tsunoda defended well against Antonelli.
McLaren’s expected tyre advantage seemed to vanish—Norris reported over the radio that his tyres were already worn, explaining his lack of pace and inability to challenge Stroll.
At the front, Hamilton began to struggle, allowing Verstappen to edge back into DRS range. Onboard footage revealed graining on Hamilton’s front left tyre, while Piastri backed off slightly to preserve his own rubber and avoid the dirty air from the Red Bull. Verstappen was also at risk, sitting just six-tenths behind Hamilton in the dirty air, which could accelerate his tyre wear. However, drivers could work through the graining phase, meaning the upcoming laps would be crucial in holding position.
Further down the order, Hadjar, Sainz, Gasly, and Bortoleto were locked in a tight battle for the lower places. Sainz managed to overtake Hadjar for P13, while Lawson joined the fight at the back of the pack.
Lando Norris seemed to be struggling with tyre performance, unable to make progress despite pushing to the limit. When his team asked, “How can we help?”, Norris simply responded, “I’m flat out.” Despite giving it everything, he remained stuck in ninth place, 2.4 seconds adrift of Stroll’s Aston Martin. If this pace continued, it could spell trouble for McLaren heading into tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix.
Final laps
Hamilton’s lead extended to 1.8 seconds as the laps ticked by. Meanwhile, Piastri was pressuring Verstappen, closing to just three-tenths behind. He made a move into Turn 1, but Verstappen defended the inside, forcing Piastri to try the outside line. With no space to make it work, the McLaren driver backed out.
“Both of my front tyres are dead,” Verstappen reported over the radio, his struggles playing into Hamilton’s hands as the gap grew.
Despite Verstappen’s tyre issues, Piastri still couldn’t find a way through. He ran wide at Turn 1 to stay out of the dirty air, then closed right up at the hairpin, but there was no clear opening. He needed to make a move soon—before the dirty air began to wear his own tyres beyond recovery.
On lap 15, Piastri managed to get past Verstappen after the long straight.
Nico Hülkenberg, who started from the pit lane, managed to pass Doohan for P18. Antonelli was close to Tsunoda, with only two laps to go he wanted to pass the Racing Bulls driver. Norris managed to get into Stroll’s DRS range, but it was only on lap 17 that he managed to pass him.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has the luxury of managing his tyres, his lead now stretching to six seconds. Piastri is chipping away at his teammate’s points advantage, while Leclerc, with DRS activated, lines up a move on Russell into the hairpin for fourth. Further back, Norris is closing in on Antonelli, adding another battle to the mix.
In the end, Lewis Hamilton took his first race win in red. Further down the order, Jack Doohan tipped Gabriel Bortoleto which led to them, Sainz and Hülkenberg to have to take pace out of the final lap. Doohan limped home with damage.
Final results
- Lewis Hamilton
- Oscar Piastri
- Max Verstappen
- George Russell
- Charles Leclerc
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Kimi Antonelli
- Lando Norris
- Lance Stroll
- Fernando Alonso
- Alex Albon
- Pierre Gasly
- Isack Hadjar
- Liam Lawson
- Ollie Bearman
- Esteban Ocon
- Carlos Sainz
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Jack Doohan
