After securing his maiden victory with Ferrari in Saturday’s sprint race in Shanghai, Lewis Hamilton criticized “those noisy critics.”

The seven-time world champion, as he himself admitted, had a “catastrophic” performance.
made their debut in red at Melbourne last weekend
However, he has maintained strong performance since the beginning in Shanghai, where he has some of his greatest successes and a track on which he had previously secured six victories before this week.

After taking his
first-ever sprint race pole position on Friday
, leaving him “astonished” considering his difficulties in Australia, the 40-year-old secured his inaugural sprint race win on Saturday without much trouble. This was attributed to what his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, termed a “masterful performance in tire management.”

Hamilton managed to start smoothly from the line, fending off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the sprint towards Turn One at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Subsequently, when Verstappen’s tires deteriorated and he dropped behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with four out of the 19 laps left, Hamilton managed to create a substantial lead over his rival from Australia. In the end, he secured victory by almost seven seconds.

“I started today with an excellent mood,” Hamilton stated as he exited his cockpit amidst thunderous applause from the substantial Ferrari supporters gathered in Shanghai. “In Australia, it was challenging, and clearly many individuals significantly undervalued how tough it is to join a new team, adapt within it—understanding dynamics and improving communication, among other aspects. It’s clear that numerous critics and bystanders simply didn’t grasp this journey. Perhaps due to their lack of personal experience or sheer ignorance.”

And thus it felt wonderful to be here and find greater comfort with the car since in Melbourne I truly lacked that ease. Right from the first lap of this weekend, I was really getting into it.

We’ve accomplished an excellent feat—the engineers have excelled, and the mechanics have outdone themselves—to meticulously refine the vehicle. It felt fantastic. This morning, I had a strong launch off the line, but managing these tires on the newly laid asphalt proved challenging due to the significant traction. However, I believe every driver faced similar difficulties.

When asked to elaborate on silencing his critics, Hamilton responded, “To be honest, I’m not really engaging with them directly. We’re living in quite an unusual period where negativity seems to thrive. Even over minor issues, people often choose to focus on the downside. I believe this reflects how challenging our times currently are.”

I notice certain individuals—and mind you, I don’t follow the news closely, but catch snippets occasionally—seeing people whom I’ve looked up to for years speaking without thinking.

Obviously, many of them are simply speculating without proper knowledge about what’s happening. As I mentioned earlier, there seems to be a genuine lack of understanding. Transitioning to a team that operates entirely different isn’t an easy task. It doesn’t instantly become smooth sailing once you join. Take for instance —it’s factual—when Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso first joined Ferrari, they performed admirably during those initial stages. However, achieving lasting success within the team requires patience. That’s exactly what I’m aiming for; I am not rushing things or getting ahead of myself. Instead, I’m focusing on gradually building something special with this fantastic group.

Hamilton subsequently secured the fifth position on the qualifying list.
For the Chinese Grand Prix this coming Sunday, scheduled to begin at 7 am UK time, he may have wished for better results considering his impressive performance during the sprint qualifying and the subsequent sprint race. Nonetheless, it was yet another session where he demonstrated superior skills compared to his teammate. The seven-time world champion secured the top spot ahead of Charles Leclerc with a margin of 0.094 seconds.

He remarked, “Pressure isn’t something I’m feeling. The Tifosi, the supporters, and the team—they all want victory badly; I understand that completely. Yet as I mentioned earlier, building Rome didn’t happen overnight. It must be tackled gradually—step by step. There’s no rushing things—we simply can’t afford to do so. Our approach should involve persistent effort, meticulous attention to detail, and unwavering focus, most crucially maintaining composure since such occasions tend to excite everyone. Post-event though, we’ll return to our workstations with full concentration aimed towards today’s qualification session. Remember, it remains an extensive journey—a marathon rather than a sprint. Thus, patience is key.”

Hamilton’s victory in the sprint propelled him ahead of Leclerc in the driver rankings by a single point as they head towards Sunday’s event. Leclerc secured fifth place during the sprint, closely following Russell, while Yuki Tsunoda achieved an impressive sixth position for Racing Bulls, successfully keeping Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes at bay throughout the race.

When asked about his confidence in Ferrari’s ability to compete for the championship, Hamilton responded, “Well, let’s consider that we just came from a race in Australia where we ended up finishing 10th. There are numerous variables to factor in here. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions based solely on this recent outcome. The reality is, we’ll have to wait and see how things unfold as we move from circuit to circuit.”

04:11 AM GMT

Sure, qualifications are happening later today.

It’s not far off; it starts at 7am GMT, and we’ll join just before 6am to prepare for that. Considering the tire wear problems during the race, qualifying will play a key role.

04:03 AM GMT

Lando Norris about His ‘Terrible’ Race

I had a tough start with my first lap. Had to navigate through some grass which cost me several spots, making things rather challenging afterward. Qualifying didn’t go well, plus I struggled throughout the day. During the race, I felt really off.

04:02 AM GMT

Ferrari’s Vasseur talks to Sky Sports regarding their victory

Clearly delighted, he nonetheless issued a word of warning, just as he usually does.

I prefer not to sound pessimistic, but it’s considerably simpler to handle the tires effectively when you’re leading the race, and I believe he performed admirably.

03:56 AM GMT

Hamilton celebrates

03:54 AM GMT

Updated driver standings

03:45 AM GMT

Hamilton on his win

Today, I started off the day feeling fantastic. The initial race turned out to be quite challenging. I believe many folks undervalued how tough it can be to join a different team. Hearing all the criticism and comments from various individuals along the way, perhaps due to their lack of personal experience or understanding. It feels wonderful coming here and getting settled with the car right away. Since lap one this weekend, things have been going smoothly for me. This newly laid track offers incredible traction; however, managing these tires turns out to be incredibly demanding.

03:44 AM GMT

Piastri responds to a powerful second.

It was indeed a highly fruitful sprint session. I gained considerable knowledge during that period. Even though the outcome is pleasing, the process leading to it is equally motivating. Our speed wasn’t sufficient for Lewis at the forefront. However, we’ve developed some promising strategies for later today and tomorrow. While our vehicle demonstrates strong performance, we face tough opposition over the weekend. The Ferraris seem particularly quick, hence we must ensure peak performance from everyone.

03:42 AM GMT

Verstappen secured the third spot.

I gave it a shot mainly due to Oscar motivating me from behind. Sadly, over the final eight laps, our speed wasn’t up to par with the rest. My main focus was simply staying in the race. Securing third place is certainly something I’ll embrace. Moving forward, we aim for improvement. Overall, we seem to be lacking some overall velocity.

03:39 AM GMT

Doohan skids at the hairpin

He collides with one and almost runs into another of the Sauber cars there. Quite clumsy. Lawson manages an impressive 14th place. This is his finest performance so far this season with the Red Bull team. However, he needs to improve his speed during qualification rounds. Here’s hoping that motivates him as we move into this afternoon’s sessions.

03:37 AM GMT

Hamilton on the radio

“Well done everyone. Great job, mate. Well done, mate,” he comments.

“A masterpiece of tire management,” is the reply.

03:37 AM GMT

Singapore Grand Prix Sprint – Results

1. HAM 8pts
2. PIA 7pts
3. VER 6pts
4. RUS 5pts
5. LEC 4pts
6. TSU 3pts
7. ANT 2pts
8. NOR 1pt

03:36 AM GMT

LEWIS HAMILTON CLAIMS VICTORY IN THE CHINESE GP SPRINT!

Wow, what a thrilling moment! Even though it’s just a short sprint, it’s still a race. Piastri comes in second place, Verstappen takes third, and Russell finishes fourth. Leclerc, driving for the other Ferrari team, secures the fifth position.

03:35 AM GMT

FINAL LAP

Hamilton is ahead by 6.4 seconds right now. Leclerc reports that his car is unmanageable through turn 13; however, he remains extremely close to Russell at the beginning of this lap. This skirmish has provided Verstappen some space, allowing him to likely secure third position. Meanwhile, Norris is tightly following Antonelli heading into the last section vying for seventh spot.

Hamilton navigates the hairpin and the last bend…

03:33 AM GMT

Lap 18 out of 19 – Hamilton is coasting towards victory.

The replays depict Norris closing in significantly to overtake Stroll at the hairpin and possibly secure a point. Meanwhile, Russell is just 1.3 seconds off Verstappen’s pace for the third position. However, he could face an opportunity but with Leclerc following closely behind him as well.

03:31 AM GMT

On lap 17 out of 19, Hamilton is ahead of Piastri by 4.2 seconds.

This looks promising for tomorrow’s race regarding tyre wear. I doubt anyone will be particularly keen on using the soft tyres.

03:30 AM GMT

Lap 16 out of 19 – The lead cars’ front tires appear worn down.

Norris is now close enough to use DRS against Stroll for 8th place. Hamilton continues to extend his lead over Piastri, who might end up settling for second. Two drivers with disappointing results from the previous Sunday will secure several points here.

03:29 AM GMT

Lap 15 of 19 – Piastri moves up to second place!

Piastri takes the inside line into Turn One once more but opts not to make a move this time around. This might allow him to secure a better placement for the remainder of the lap and attempt an overtake using DRS towards the end of the main straight. However, he experiences a slight wobble at Turn Ten, causing him to fall behind again. Hamilton now holds a lead of almost 2.5 seconds and appears destined for victory here…

Piastri activates DRS on the back straight. He slides up the inside and seizes the opportunity against the struggling Red Bull!

Could Piastri catch up with Hamilton? With just three laps left and needing to close a gap of 2.7 seconds, it seems improbable…

03:27 AM GMT

Lap 14 out of 19 – Hamilton is leading Verstappen and Piastri

Piastri takes a glance into Turn One against Verstappen, but the Dutch driver puts up strong and legitimate resistance down the center of the circuit. This allows Hamilton to move forward. He currently leads by 1.8 seconds.

“Both of my front tires have gone flat,” Verstappen states. Piastri tends to fall behind during the initial phase of the lap. Sainz hasn’t withdrawn from the race yet but moved onto a fresh set of soft tires and is currently at the rear end. Norris has closed the gap with Stroll but they’re only 1.4 seconds apart now.

Top eight:

1. HAM
2. VER
3. PIA
4. RUS
5. LEC
6. TSU
7. ANT
8. STR

03:27 AM GMT

Lap 14 out of 19 – Hamilton is ahead of Verstappen and Piastri

Piastri takes a glance at Turn One past Verstappen, but the Dutch driver puts up tough and clean resistance through the center of the circuit. This allows Hamilton to move into the lead with an advantage of 1.8 seconds.

“Both of my front tires have failed,” Verstappen states. Piastri tends to fall behind during the initial phase of the lap. Sainz hasn’t withdrawn from the race yet but has changed to a fresh set of soft tires and is currently at the rear. Norris has closed the gap with Stroll but is just 1.4 seconds ahead now.

Top eight:

1. HAM
2. VER
3. PIA
4. RUS
5. LEC
6. TSU
7. ANT
8. STR

03:25 AM GMT

Lap 13 out of 19 – Piastri is getting nearer now.

Leading lap times, as well as those throughout the field, have fallen into the 1:37 range now. Piastri is nearer than before and might attempt an overtake on Verstappen along the pit straight, where he usually achieves a superior exit.

Hamilton leads.

03:23 AM GMT

Lap 12 out of 19 – Sainz isn’t having a great race.

He drops two positions at the hairpin turn and is subsequently instructed to head into the pits, potentially leading to his retirement from the sprint race. Is this due to an issue?

Hamilton is ahead of Verstappen by 1.6 seconds, however, Piastri has dropped back.
little
Further behind Verstappen. About 0.8 seconds back. Seems unable to close in sufficiently to make a move on the Dutch driver anywhere.

03:22 AM GMT

Lap 11 out of 19 – Hamilton moves ahead marginally.

Verstappen is dropping back relative to others. Piastri has closed in to be just half a second behind. Norris remains stuck in ninth with no improvement; he’s now three seconds slower than Stroll. Indeed, it’s a 3.5-second gap.

Piastri could potentially spot an opportunity to overtake Verstappen using DRS into the hairpin. It’s uncertain though, perhaps not right now.

03:20 AM GMT

Lap 10 out of 19 – Leading eight with some separation

1. HAM
2. VER +1.5
3. PIA +0.8
4. RUS +5.0
5. LEC +7.1
6. TSU +9.2
7. ANT +9.9
8. STR +11.2

Norris remains in ninth place. Lawson is moving forward gradually. He sustains some damage to his front wing endplate after brushing against Bortoleto at the hairpin again.

03:19 AM GMT

Lap 9 out of 19 – Verstappen’s team principal communicating via the radio

“You can experiment with your lines, but make sure it doesn’t result in more mistakes,” advises the radio transmission. This lap, Hamilton cautiously moves further ahead, providing some respite. By the conclusion of the lap, Piastri has positioned himself nearer to Verstappen compared to where he was relative to Hamilton.

03:17 AM GMT

Lap 8 out of 19 – Norris not satisfied

He mentions that his front-left side is damaged and he can’t seem to make progress. Verstappen is getting closer to the leader, Hamilton. Piastri has fallen slightly behind them but remains within reach at about 1.2 seconds off of Verstappen’s pace. There was also a loss of four-tenths in the middle section.

Verstappen is directly behind Hamilton’s rear wing at the moment…

03:15 AM GMT

Lap 7 out of 19 – Hamilton is ahead of Verstappen by 1.4 seconds.

Piastri trails behind by 0.7 seconds. There will be no further actions taken regarding the incident involving Lawson and Doohan.

03:14 AM GMT

Lap 6 out of 19 – Piastri is almost within DRS reach of Verstappen now.

Verstappen’s speed has decreased somewhat, putting Hamilton ahead of him by approximately 1.4 seconds.

03:13 AM GMT

Lap 5 out of 19 – Leclerc feels the heat from Tsunoda

Antonelli isn’t far off his heels though. Lawon overtakes Doohan at the hairpin, and they make contact as they leave it. That was quite an impressive move coming from so far behind. The stewards are reviewing this incident. Currently, Piastri is setting the quickest time among the leading trio, however, Russell also shows strong speed.

03:11 AM GMT

Lap 4 out of 19 – Verstappen closes gap to within one second of Hamilton

Verstappen was just slightly faster than the others in the top three, but the gap is minimal, only about a tenth of a second. Meanwhile, Norris isn’t gaining much ground on Stroll.

03:10 AM GMT

Lap 3 out of 19 – Piastri has dropped behind slightly

Currently, he is 1.8 seconds behind Verstappen. The replays indicate that Norris’s mistake wasn’t primarily due to a lock-up but rather from veering off course onto the dirt unnecessarily. At the time, he wasn’t engaged in a close battle for positioning and had ample room around him.

Here’s the top 10:

1. HAM
2. VER
3. PIA
4. RUS
5. LEC
6. TSU
7. ANT
8. STR
9. NOR
10. ALO

03:08 AM GMT

Lap 2 out of 19 – Hamilton is ahead of Verstappen by 0.7 seconds.

That initial separation during the first part of the lap exists, at least. He needs to ensure he’s clear of the newly activated DRS zone as quickly as possible. The leading trio maintains a noticeable distance from the pack behind them. Norris is catching up to Stroll but hasn’t managed an overtaking attempt just yet; however, they might get their chance down the main straightaway. The challenge lies in losing some momentum when doing so.

Hamilton now leads Verstappen by 1.118 seconds at the end of the lap.

03:06 AM GMT

THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX SPRINT RACE IS UNDERWAY!

It’s an excellent beginning for Lewis Hamilton, and he doesn’t need to be concerned about Verstappen since he can get ahead of him right before reaching the braking area.

Norris has had a poor beginning as he gets stuck at Turn Two and subsequently goes off course, dropping down to ninth place. This isn’t looking good and brings back memories of his shaky starts from last season.

Hamilton tops Verstappen, Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, and Tsunoda for the lead among the top six.

Tasks assigned to Norris. Russell secures the fourth position before Leclerc.

03:04 AM GMT

Here we go

Verstappen positions himself aggressively toward Hamilton…

03:00 AM GMT

Formation lap is go

Everybody move aside, Hamilton is in the lead. Verstappen starts from the front row next to him. Can’t wait for this race.

03:00 AM GMT

Chinese Grand Prix sprint:Starting Grid

1. HAM 2. VER

3. PIA 4. LEC

5. RUS 6. NOR

7. ANT 8. TSU

9. ALB 10. STR

11. ALO 12. BEA

13. SAI 14. BOR

15. HAD 16. DOO

17. GAS 18. OCO

19. LAW

PIT LANE: HUL

02:55 AM GMT

Hamilton concentrating on the grid

Winning today could make a substantial difference; even just accumulating eight points so early in the season would provide considerable encouragement. However, securing such a win isn’t guaranteed. Completing 19 laps around this circuit won’t be simple, particularly when you consider Verstappen and the trailing McLaren right at your heels—okay, more like one McLaren closely tailing you.

02:50 AM GMT

Christian Horner talks to Sky Sports

It’s somewhat like embarking on a journey of exploration. Pirelli has raised the minimum pressure levels… it’ll be intriguing to see how this impacts the vehicles. I believe there will be considerable tire management involved… much of it hinges on the condition of the front left tire. The coming phase should prove rather fascinating.

02:48 AM GMT

Norris claims Russell is ‘engaging in psychological warfare’

Lando Norris has charged his fellow Briton, George Russell, with attempting “to play psychological warfare” by constantly praising McLaren’s vehicle. However, he asserts that he won’t be swayed by these tactics, noting instead that this might indicate he has gotten under the skin of the Mercedes racer more so than vice versa.

Norris, aged 25, managed to stay ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to win.
claim victory at the season-starting Australian Grand Prix
the previous weekend, following his and teammate Oscar Piastri’s one-two finish in qualifying, they were over 0.3 seconds ahead of the rest of the pack.

Find more insights from Tom Cary here.

02:37 AM GMT

How the squads measure up in qualification following two rounds of sessions

02:33 AM GMT

A great visualization of just how tight it was yesterday…

02:31 AM GMT

Qualifying head to heads

Now we’ve completed two qualifying sessions, here’s how things stand.

02:06 PM GMT

End times following sprint qualifying

1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Ferrari HP 1 minute 30.849 seconds
2. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull 1:30.867
3. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:30.929
4. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari HP 1:31.057
5. George Russell (GBR) Mercedes GP 1:31.169
6. Lando Norris (UK) McLaren 1:31.393
7. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Ita) Mercedes GP 1:31.738
8. Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull 1:31.773
9. Alexander Albon (Thai) Atlassian Williams 1:31.852
10. Lance Stroll (Canada) Aston Martin 1:31.982
11. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:31.815
12. Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas
    
    F1
    
    1:31.978
13. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Atlassian Williams 1:32.325
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Brazil) Kick Sauber 1:32.564
15. Isack Hadjar (Fra) RB 1:32.171
16. Jack Doohan (Aus) Alpine 1:32.575
17. Pierre Gasly (France) Alpine 1:32.640
18. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Haas
    
    F1
    
    1:32.651
19. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Kick Sauber 1:32.675
20. Liam Lawson (Nzl) Red Bull 1:32.729,

02:02 PM GMT

Good morning

Welcome to our live coverage for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, from the Shanghai International Circuit. I say good morning but from where I am sitting in London it is very much the middle of the night. Still, if you cannot get yourself out of bed for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari being on pole for the sprint race, then what can you get yourself out of bed for?

Following a “disastrous” weekend in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton secured an unexpected pole position for today’s sprint race. Even he seemed taken aback by this turn of events, describing his feelings as one of being both “shocked” and “astonished.” Everyone had anticipated that McLaren would dominate once more; however, those expectations were unfounded. In reality, Max Verstappen emerged as Hamilton’s nearest competitor from the previous day’s sessions, setting up their first front-row start together in some time.

Oscar Piastri’s leading McLaren car finished third, staying under a tenth of a second away from Lewis Hamilton. However, it couldn’t secure the top spot. Piastri speculated that McLaren’s strategy during SQ3—comprising a hotlap followed by a cooldown lap and another hotlap—might have been what set them apart from other teams who opted for only one hotlap.

Last weekend’s polesitter and race victor, Lando Norris, experienced some missteps during both of his SQ3 attempts and ended up half a second behind Lewis Hamilton, securing him a starting position of sixth place. George Russell clocked in at fifth for Mercedes, trailing just 0.32 seconds shy of the top spot, followed closely by teammate Kimi Antonelli in seventh place. Yuki Tsunoda represented Racing Bulls in eighth, while Alexander Albon slotted into ninth for Williams; meanwhile, Lance Stroll took tenth for Aston Martin. Unfortunately, the other driver representing Red Bull, Liam Lawson, faced yet another challenging round and concluded qualifying placed twentieth and last overall.

For Hamilton, regardless of how things go in today’s race, this brings some badly needed positivity. No one anticipated their poor performance from Australia repeating over this weekend; however, the fact that it did happen could be concerning. This doesn’t mean they won’t stand a chance in winning today’s race—McLaren is likely to stage a strong comeback—or secure a good starting position for the upcoming main event. Nonetheless, the potential speed is definitely present.

Points for the championship are distributed among the top eight racers today, offering eight points to the champion and just one point to the eighth-place finisher. The event kicks off at 3 am GMT, and we’ll be present to cover all the excitement and responses.

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