Lewis Hamilton clinched victory in the first sprint race of the 2025 Formula One World Championship at the Chinese Grand Prix. This triumph also marked his first win with his new team, Ferrari. While it doesn’t count as an official race win, it signals a promising start to his journey with the iconic Scuderia.

“The Sprint was difficult, I think people underestimate the steep climb it is to get into a new team, understand a new team, so it is great to come here and feel more comfortable in the car as in Melbourne”, Lewis Hamilton commented on the post-race interview.

How the Sprint Race went

At lights out, the order remained unchanged, but a few corners later, Lando locked up, costing him three positions and dropping him to P9. Meanwhile, Hamilton had to keep an eye on Verstappen and Piastri, who were closing in behind.

Mid-race, graining began to surface, mainly on the front left tire. Hamilton was initially concerned but managed to maintain a steady pace to protect his tires. Verstappen wasn’t as fortunate, eventually losing second place to Piastri as the issue took its toll.

Norris clearly struggled this weekend, finishing in P8. At one point, he reported pushing flat out, but the pace simply wasn’t there. Meanwhile, by the end of the race, the Ferraris were the only ones running at 1:37, joined by former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who had pitted for fresh tires.

In the final lap, there was an incident in the midfield when Doohan tipped Bortoleto into a spin, causing the Alpine driver to limp home with some damage. It was an unfortunate way to finish, with the clash bringing a chaotic end to their battle.

Liam Lawson made an impressive comeback in the sprint, climbing from last on the grid to P14 after a string of daring overtakes. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli delivered another strong performance, finishing solidly in the points with P7.

The Sprint Race underscored the importance of qualifying. While overtaking is possible at the Chinese circuit, tyre degradation and high track temperatures make it tough to stay close without running into trouble. We’ll see how qualifying goes for these drivers.