While it may not be a Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton’s first victory as a Ferrari driver in the sprint race is no less impressive. The Brit led the race from start to finish as the pole sitter, beating Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. Here’s a recap of the sprint race!
ROUND 1/19: Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton expertly cuts off Max Verstappen at the start, so there’s no change at the front. In the sub-top, Lando Norris makes a mistake, losing several places and ending the opening round in ninth place.
ROUND 3/19: There are some great duels on the track, including between Kimi Antonelli and Yuki Tsunoda. Ahead of them, the top-5 consists of Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, and Leclerc. But the differences are still small: Verstappen is about a second behind Hamilton.
ROUND 5/19: Oops, youngsters Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan have a hard collision in the rear. Both can continue, but it’s clear they want to make a statement as they are under considerable pressure at Red Bull and Alpine respectively.
ROUND 8/19: Verstappen is rapidly closing in on Hamilton, he’s on the tail of the Ferrari and has DRS. It’s not enough for an overtaking maneuver, the gap then widens again to a second. It’s a cat-and-mouse game for the lead!
ROUND 10/19: Meanwhile, there are also some great battles in the midfield. Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar, and behind them Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto; it’s a nice line-up of fighters together. And that’s for P14.
ROUND 12/19: Instead of attacking Hamilton, Verstappen finds himself on the defensive against Oscar Piastri. Piastri, in third place, smells blood, but the McLaren driver is not yet close enough to the Dutchman. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz Jr (Williams) drops out and Norris is unremarkably driving around in P9.
ROUND 15/19: Piastri tries to outsmart Verstappen, who initially holds his ground but unfortunately reports that his front tires are “dead”. Hamilton benefits, as he further extends his lead at the front of the field. Piastri is clearly faster than Verstappen, but will the Australian manage to overtake him at all? Yes, as it turns out at the end of the round.
ROUND 17/19: Hamilton doesn’t need to worry about Piastri, the gap is several seconds. The Australian can’t make up for that. In fact, Hamilton in the Ferrari is only extending his lead. What a victory march!
ROUND 19/19: A historic moment: Hamilton wins his first race as a Ferrari driver. And what a win! Dominant from start to finish. The Chinese audience, overwhelmingly fans of the Italian racing team, goes wild. Piastri finishes second, ahead of Verstappen. Norris is the loser of the day: eighth.
