Shanghai, March 22
Lewis Hamilton delivered a statement win in the Sprint Race at the Chinese Grand Prix, securing his first victory for Ferrari and silencing the doubts surrounding his switch to the Italian team.
The seven-time World Champion, who has dominated at the Shanghai International Circuit in the past with six Grand Prix wins, put in a commanding performance to finish 6.889 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
The victory comes as a huge boost for Hamilton, who endured a difficult outing in Australia, where he struggled to get comfortable in the SF-25. After his disappointing performance in Melbourne, critics were quick to question whether he could adapt to his new surroundings at Ferrari. However, Hamilton hit back at those doubts, highlighting the challenges of transitioning to a new team.
“The first race was difficult, and I really do feel a lot of people underestimated how steep the climb is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised, to understand communication, and all sorts of things,” Hamilton said after his win.
He also addressed the negativity surrounding his early struggles with Ferrari, suggesting that those who doubted him lacked the understanding of what it takes to adapt to a new car and environment.
“The amount of critics and people I’ve heard yapping along the way, just clearly not understanding… maybe because they’ve not had the experience or are just unaware,” he added.