Hamilton takes sprint pole in Shanghai

Hamilton on his way to pole - Ferrari S.p.A

Lewis Hamilton delivered a stunning performance to claim pole position for the first Sprint of the 2025 season at the Chinese Grand Prix — an emphatic response to a challenging outing in Australia (March 16).

With just one practice session earlier in the day, Sprint Qualifying brought the intensity as teams battled over three short but crucial sessions.

SQ1 saw Hamilton set the early benchmark, topping the session as drivers pushed hard to adapt to evolving track conditions. Five drivers failed to make the cut — Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly were both knocked out for Alpine, while Esteban Ocon (Haas), Nico Hülkenberg (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber), and Liam Lawson (Red Bull) also saw their Sprint ambitions end early.

SQ2 delivered a shift in momentum as Lando Norris went quickest, followed by George Russell and Oscar Piastri. Hamilton ended the session in fourth, while Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed once again in fifth. The drivers eliminated at this stage were Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Carlos Sainz (Williams), Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber), and Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls).

But it was in SQ3 that Hamilton truly lit up the session — stringing together a clean and committed lap to edge out Max Verstappen by just 0.018s with a time of 1:30.849, securing pole for Saturday’s Sprint.

A delighted Hamilton was full of praise over the radio: “Mega job,” he said to his team. Later, speaking after the session, he admitted:

"I didn't expect that result but so, so happy and so proud. Obviously the last race was a disaster and clearly we knew there was more performance in the car, we just weren't able to extract it. So to come here to a track that I love — Shanghai, beautiful place — and the weather has been amazing, the car really came alive from lap 1. We made some great changes and the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready. I'm a bit shocked, can't believe we got a pole in a Sprint. Obviously it's not the main race so we’ve got work to do for tomorrow, but it puts us in good stead."

Verstappen will line up alongside Hamilton on the front row, while Oscar Piastri will start just behind in third, continuing McLaren’s strong form. Charles Leclerc made it two Ferraris in the top four, followed by George Russell in fifth for Mercedes. Lando Norris took sixth for McLaren ahead of Antonelli, who starts seventh in only his second appearance for Mercedes. Yuki Tsunoda starts eighth for Racing Bulls, with Alexander Albon in ninth for Williams and Lance Stroll rounding out the top ten in the Aston Martin.

Hamilton’s pole sets the stage for an electrifying Sprint battle ahead — with Verstappen and the McLarens looming large just behind.

Starting Grid

1.  Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari  

2.  Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT  

3.  Oscar Piastri – McLaren Mercedes  

4.  Charles Leclerc – Ferrari  

5.  George Russell – Mercedes  

6.  Lando Norris – McLaren Mercedes  

7.  Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes  

8.  Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls Honda RBPT  

9.  Alexander Albon – Williams Mercedes  

10. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes  

11. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes  

12. Oliver Bearman – Haas Ferrari  

13. Carlos Sainz – Williams Mercedes  

14. Gabriel Bortoleto – Kick Sauber Ferrari  

15. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls Honda RBPT  

16. Jack Doohan – Alpine Renault  

17. Pierre Gasly – Alpine Renault  

18. Esteban Ocon – Haas Ferrari  

19. Nico Hülkenberg – Kick Sauber Ferrari  

20. Liam Lawson – Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

Hamilton takes sprint pole in Shanghai by Damian Hall