Lewis Hamilton has secured pole position for the upcoming sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, marking his first pole since joining Ferrari at the start of the season. In a closely fought final qualifying round, Hamilton outpaced four-time world champion Max Verstappen by a mere 0.018 seconds, while Oscar Piastri finished in third place, just shy of a tenth behind.
Notably, Hamilton will become the oldest driver to start from pole in Formula 1 since Nigel Mansell did so at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. Expressing his disbelief, Hamilton stated, “I’m a bit in shock. I can’t believe it, actually.” He acknowledged the challenges faced in the previous race but felt the car performed outstandingly on the Shanghai track, a venue he admires.
Despite securing pole, Hamilton is aware that this isn’t the main event, admitting, “It’s obviously not the main race, so we’ve got work to do for (grand prix qualifying), but this puts us in good stead for the race.” Lando Norris, who won in Melbourne, was expected to clinch pole after setting the fastest time in the single practice session earlier in the day. However, after a promising start, he fell behind his teammate Piastri and made an error on his final lap.
Hamilton remains cautious, recognising that the McLaren duo may still be the favourites for the main race on Sunday. He expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of enjoying the pole position moment, stating, “It’s just amazing to see the number one as you stop, and to be in the red car, it’s pretty incredible.”
The sprint race, scheduled to start at 2pm AEDT on Saturday, will see Jack Doohan begin from 16th after neither Alpine drivers progressed beyond the initial qualifying round. Hamilton’s pole position sets an exciting tone as he aims to capitalise on this achievement in the upcoming race.