Alexandre
It's a moment as surprising as it is exhilarating for the Scuderia Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Sprint F1 of the Chinese Grand Prix. A remarkable feat for the seven-time world champion, who found himself on the front row of the Sprint alongside Max Verstappen, in a setting where he was not necessarily expected. But this performance perplexed his Ferrari boss, Frédéric Vasseur, who is still struggling to explain the consistency of Hamilton's performance.
Hamilton's unexpected performance
After a first session dominated by Lando Norris, who was ahead of Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri and Hamilton, we imagined a duel between McLaren and Ferrari for Sprint pole. Favourable weather conditions enabled the teams to maximize their performances, despite a single free session in which the times were not very revealing.
After setting the fastest time of 1:31.212 in SQ1, Hamilton managed to hold on to his position, finishing with the fastest time of 1:30.849 in SQ3. A feat made all the more impressive by the fact that this was only his second weekend at the wheel of the Ferrari SF-25.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, was just behind Hamilton, 0.018 seconds behind him. As for Leclerc, he showed his consistency by placing the Ferrari in fourth place, confirming that Ferrari has what it takes to compete with the best this season.
Vasseur on F1 Sprint pole: a performance hard to explain
Ferrari director Frédéric Vasseur expressed his astonishment at this exceptional performance. "It's better than last week, but difficult to interpret and understand from session to session," he commented. "Sometimes McLaren had a huge gap, sometimes less. Let's analyze it. We have a lot of work to do."
Despite his reservations, Vasseur acknowledged that pole was a positive sign for the team. "For sure, it's a good feeling and gives positive energy to the team and to Lewis. But I always see the negative side!" he added, stressing that, even with this pole, Ferrari had to keep improving its car.
Hamilton "shocked" but optimistic
After his spectacular performance, Hamilton expressed his astonishment. "I didn't expect this result, but I'm so proud and happy," he confessed. The British driver, who has joined Ferrari for this season, stressed the importance of this moment, especially after a disappointing race the previous week.
"We're on this circuit I love, in Shanghai, which is a beautiful city, and with this incredible weather, the car came alive from the first lap," he added. "I'm a bit shocked to get this pole for the Sprint. It's not the main race, but it's a good step towards the race."
He also pointed out that this result showed the consistency of his performance over the laps. "My first sector was very solid, that's where I made the most progress on my lap," he explained. "It's amazing to see number 1 when you stop and be in a red car."
McLaren and Verstappen to watch
Hamilton and Ferrari are not resting on their laurels. The British driver admitted that there was still work to be done before the race. "Tomorrow will be my first long run, while Sunday will be my first dry race. I'm going to learn and I hope we can keep it up," he declared, with the threat of McLaren and Verstappen sure to hang over the rest of the weekend.
Yet Hamilton remains optimistic. "The McLarens are very fast, as is Max. We're going to stay positive, keep our heads up and give it our all."