Lewis Hamilton found himself in disbelief after clinching his first sprint pole with Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday.
Following a lackluster 10th-place finish in Australia on his debut with the Scuderia – marred by poor pace and strategy – the 40-year-old Briton roared back in Shanghai, setting a new track record to edge out Max Verstappen by a razor-thin 0.018 seconds.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri trailed closely, making it a thrilling session, but the seven-time world champion admitted to feeling “gobsmacked” by his achievement.
“I didn't expect that result, but so, so happy and so proud,” Hamilton shared, reflecting on the turnaround.
“Obviously, the last race was a disaster for us and clearly we knew that there was more performance in the car, but we just weren't able to extract it.”
Ferrari’s Revival and Hamilton’s Shock
Hamilton credited Ferrari’s hard work during the break between Friday’s sessions for the resurgence.
“Coming here, the car really came alive from lap one. We made some great changes - the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready,” he said.
“I'm a bit in shock. I can't believe we actually got a pole in the sprint. It's amazing to see the number one as you stop and be in the red car. It's pretty incredible.
“I'm just a bit gobsmacked - I was a bit taken back by it. I didn't know when we would get to this position and, after last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week.”
Aggression Pays Off
Determined to rebound, Hamilton and Ferrari approached Shanghai with renewed vigor. But Friday’s result has exceeded expectations.
“We came here with just aggression and wanting to go into the weekend and really get the car into a great place,” he explained.
“I started out straight away with a better feeling in the car and I just can't believe that we're at the front and ahead of McLaren, which has been so fast throughout winter testing and obviously in the last race and even today.
“I'm really grateful just to be up there fighting with these great drivers and to be so close to these other teams.”
Facing the Unknown in the Sprint
Despite the triumph, Hamilton remains cautious about Saturday’s Sprint event.
“I didn't get to do a race run in Bahrain,” he noted. “Obviously, we did the race last weekend in the wet, but tomorrow will be kind of my first real race run, and Sunday will be my first proper race run in the dry with this car.”
He anticipates a challenge, saying, “I'm hoping that we can hold on to it. But I think the McLarens are very, very, very fast, as is Max, but we're in a good position.”
As Hamilton prepares for the unknown, his pole has set the stage for an electrifying weekend.
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