After winning the sprint race in his second start with Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton hopes this success will lead to more.
Having easily won the sprint race on Saturday in Shanghai, Lewis Hamilton discussed in a press conference the reasons for his return to the forefront after a challenging start last Sunday in Melbourne. Delighted to have managed to adjust his Ferrari to his liking, the Briton hopes to continue this momentum in the qualifying round later today, in the Grand Prix on Sunday, and on other circuits.
“What a start to the weekend for you, with the pole and your first victory in red at the end of this sprint race. How special is this moment for you?” So far, it’s a very, very special weekend. As you know, China, Shanghai has always been very good to me since my first race here in 2007. It’s a circuit I really enjoy driving on. There are so many challenges to overcome. It’s one of the best new tracks built in recent decades. I rediscovered it today starting from the pole, and it’s been a long time since I had this view! (His last pole position was at the Hungarian GP in 2023)
Hamilton sets the lap record in Shanghai
I got into the car very early on the grid because I wanted to enjoy it. I got off to a good start, the race was tough. It’s very tight between everyone but the tyre degradation today was huge on all cars. So it was about trying to manage that and in the last five laps, I found myself in a comfortable position, with a nice lead. I’m struggling to put into words what I’m feeling. Sure, it’s just a Sprint race and not a Grand Prix, but just getting this result is a good springboard for what’s to come.
Does this give you confidence for the rest of the weekend? Yes. The car was really good this morning. I hope we will make a few more changes to improve it for this afternoon’s qualifying (8 hours in France). We won’t change much, the base is pretty good, I feel good. But as you saw yesterday, the qualifications were incredibly tight between the top three and I think Lando Norris (sixth on the grid) missed his fast lap so it will be very difficult again this afternoon. But we will give it our all.
Explaining Progress Since Last Week in Melbourne
I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like every time I get in the car, I learn more. I would say that last week, for one reason or another, I didn’t feel very comfortable in the car. Friday… Saturday, it was a bit better. But I think the settings weren’t where I wanted them to be. And I think last weekend, I held back and let the guys do what they were doing. I need to observe how they like to work, rather than imposing – because maybe what I was doing in the past wouldn’t work. So I essentially worked in this area.
Striking Parallels Between Schumacher and Hamilton
From Monday, I contacted Daniel Ricciardo (Adami, his track engineer) and told him: “Here are the things I want to start the weekend with. This is the way forward”. And I’m much happier with it. It’s something I had tested in Bahrain and we had moved away from a bit. So there were some changes. And as soon as I hit the track here, I felt more in sync with the car. And even during this race, I continued to learn because I hadn’t had the opportunity to do race simulation in Bahrain. Last week’s Grand Prix, in the wet, was my first long run in the car. So I’m still learning about this car, about how to use the tools at my disposal to make it more to my liking. And I succeeded, so I’m very happy. I now have a good perception of what the car likes and what I need to do to make it faster.
Addressing Critics After the Race
We live in a strange time. People love to be negative at the first opportunity, even for the smallest things. I see people I’ve admired for years talking nonsense. It’s clear that some of them are just guessing what’s going on and there’s a real lack of appreciation. It’s not easy to acclimate to a new team, which works in a completely different way, with completely different car characteristics. You can’t just jump on the bandwagon and think everything is fine. Look at Seb (Vettel), look at Fernando Alonso, they did a good job right away when they joined the team, but to build long-term success, it takes time. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m not trying to rush things, to shake everything up. I’m taking my time to build with this great team.
Crushing the Competition and Title Prospects
We’re coming out of a race that I finished in tenth place! There are so many factors to consider. I think we shouldn’t get carried away with the result we just got and think that’s it, we’re there… The car performed well today and we beat McLaren and Red Bull. But we shouldn’t draw definitive conclusions. Look at the qualifying results: it’s very, very tight. The key will be not to make mistakes. But we’re in the game this weekend apparently and I hope it will last. But we’ll have to see how it turns from one circuit to another. Last week, it didn’t work out but we learned lessons to make the car better. So I hope we can continue in this direction. And if we do, then yes, I will be happy.
