Lewis Hamilton secured a remarkable and long-awaited victory at the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, marking his first win with Ferrari and his first triumph in over two years. The British driver delivered a dominant, error-free performance from pole to finish, despite early pressure from Max Verstappen. Hamilton controlled the race throughout the 19-lap sprint at Shanghai, responding expertly to Verstappen’s pace before gradually pulling away to claim a historic victory.
The Red Bull driver initially kept close to Hamilton but began to suffer from tyre degradation midway through the race. This opened the door for Oscar Piastri, who had been closely tailing the front two. With a bold maneuver in the penultimate corner, Piastri overtook Verstappen to move into second place. Though he tried to catch Hamilton, the gap was too wide, and the McLaren driver had to settle for the runner-up position, finishing nearly seven seconds behind.
Behind them, George Russell took fourth place for Mercedes with a solid drive, followed by Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari. The midfield saw an intense battle, with Yuki Tsunoda delivering one of his best drives to finish sixth. Rookie Kimi Antonelli impressed again, defending seventh position from Lando Norris, who struggled with tyre wear after an early off-track excursion and spent much of the race behind Lance Stroll before grabbing eighth place late in the race.
The rest of the field had mixed results. Aston Martin teammates Stroll and Alonso finished just outside the points in ninth and tenth, respectively, while Alex Albon (11th) and Pierre Gasly (12th) had steady but unspectacular races. Several drivers down the order had a tough outing—rookie Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Haas duo Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon finished well down the field. Carlos Sainz, now racing for Williams, ended a challenging day in 17th place.
Bringing up the rear were Kick Sauber drivers Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, who struggled with pace, and Alpine’s Jack Doohan, who finished last after receiving a time penalty. Hamilton’s win injects new life into Ferrari’s title hopes and signals a potential shift in momentum in the championship fight. Verstappen’s tyre problems raise questions for Red Bull, while McLaren can take encouragement from Piastri’s form despite Norris’ ongoing inconsistency. Hamilton’s performance in Shanghai will go down as a strategic masterclass and may mark the beginning of a successful new era with Ferrari.