From a Sprint victory to a double disqualification: Ferrari, a two-speed weekend in China

Two months ago, Maranello was buzzing with excitement. The wait was coming to an end for the tifosi: Lewis Hamilton was finally going to settle down in Italy. First for a photo shoot in front of Enzo Ferrari's legendary home, then for his first laps at Fiorano, the Scuderia's private circuit, under the eyes of a curious crowd who had come to witness the appearance of the number 44 in red.

Since then, two months of "marketing," as Frédéric Vasseur calls them, have passed, during which all attention seemed focused on Ferrari and its new star driver. The hope was immense, the wait endless... and the disappointment matched the expectations. The first Grand Prix of the season, held in Australia on March 16, ended with a meager haul of 5 points. In Melbourne, not all the pieces of the puzzle had fit together. Nothing alarming, however, according to the Scuderia boss, still confident in the potential of his single-seaters.

Upon their arrival in Shanghai, the Reds were under scrutiny. Would they manage to right the ship and confirm the promise seen in Bahrain and during free practice in Australia? Or would they get bogged down a little more in difficulty? Ferrari quickly showed a completely different face, led by an impressive Lewis Hamilton on a track he knows inside out. With six pole positions and as many victories on the 5,451 km of the Chinese circuit, the Briton had solid arguments, especially against a Charles Leclerc who has not