Lewis Hamilton marked an impressive milestone in his career, clinching his premier victory with Ferrari in the Shanghai sprint race. The British racing titan deftly commandeered the race from the pole position, successfully warding off any challenges as he led the pack out of the tricky downhill Turn 3.
In his wake, Max Verstappen followed suit, but behind him, the race was heating up. A fierce contest for the third position erupted between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. Despite Leclerc’s strategic positioning on the inside of Turn 3, Piastri’s superior exit allowed him to maintain his place.
The drama wasn’t limited to the top three, however. Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate from McLaren who began from the sixth position, was embroiled in a tussle for the fifth spot with George Russell. Norris briefly managed to surge ahead out of Turn 3, but was promptly forced to fall back into his former position, and a subsequent attempt to bypass the Mercedes at Turn 6 ended disastrously.
This mishap cleared the path for Russell to set his sights on Leclerc, whom he managed to overtake for the fourth spot at the end of the long back straight. The early positioning proved crucial due to the overnight changes to the minimum tire pressures by Pirelli, designed to handle the grip of the newly surfaced track, heated to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the sprint. This forced the drivers into a phase of careful management to ensure their medium tires could survive till the checkered flag.
As the race progressed, the distances between the leaders fluctuated as they struggled with the required management. By the 10th lap, Piastri emerged as the driver with the most finesse. He began pressuring Verstappen, compelling the Dutchman to focus on his rearview mirrors more than the leading Ferrari.
Verstappen’s countermove came at the start of lap 14, forcing Piastri into an unachievable attempt to overtake him at the first turn. This maneuver, however, took a toll on Verstappen’s front tires. “Both of my front tires are dead,” he bemoaned as Piastri readied for a second attempt. The Australian was successful on his second try, on the 15th of the 19 laps, using DRS to get alongside Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing car and relegating him to third place.
Hamilton capitalized on this battle for second place to increase his lead. By the time Piastri moved into the second position, Hamilton was already 2.7 seconds ahead, a margin he extended by another second in the next lap. The Briton coasted to victory with a comfortable lead of 6.8 seconds, marking his first triumph with Ferrari and their inaugural sprint victory.
“I woke up feeling great today,” Hamilton shared. “From lap 1 here this weekend I was really feeling on it. We’ve done a great job. The engineers have done a great job. The mechanics have done a great job to really fine-tune the car. It felt great today.”
Piastri, content with his second-place finish, praised his car’s strong tire management, hinting at a promising performance in the longer grand prix on Sunday. Verstappen, meanwhile, classified his race as a struggle for survival, admitting he was fortunate to secure the third position as his tires began to deteriorate.
Other notable performances included Yuki Tsunoda gaining two places on the first lap, and Lando Norris managing to score the final point of the race despite tire issues. In a less successful run, Carlos Sainz ended up being the only driver to make a pit stop. The race ultimately ended with Jack Doohan facing the wrong way at the hairpin following a clumsy overtaking attempt.