Lewis Hamilton grabs pole for Chinese Grand Prix sprint race

SHANGHAI (FIELD LEVEL MEDIA): Lewis Hamilton already is making strides in his new role with Ferrari, securing the pole for Saturday’s 19-lap sprint race that is the prelude to the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai.

Hamilton was a mere 0.018 seconds faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc set to start fourth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished third in sprint race qualifying.

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Hamilton moved to Ferrari this season after racing for Mercedes from 2013-2024 when he won six of his seven drivers’ championships.

“We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready,” Hamilton said. “I’m a bit in shock. I can’t believe we got a pole in the sprint.”

In his Ferrari debut this past weekend, Lewis Hamilton finished in 10th place during a rainy Australian Grand Prix.

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China is one of six locations that will have a shorter sprint race attached to the main event. Another round of qualifying will take place Saturday in advance of Sunday’s 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix.