Lewis Hamilton untouchable in Shanghai: "I was in the game from the first lap"

This is already the first victory of Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari : The Briton won the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix by leading from start to finish after taking pole position on Friday afternoon. Hamilton made a good start which allowed him to contain the runaway Max VerstappenAt the end of the first lap, the four-time world champion was already more than a second behind and found himself deprived of DRS.

It is finally Oscar piastri who finished second, more than six seconds behind an untouchable Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton made his debut with Ferrari in a much better way than in Australia, where he had to settle for the meager point of 10th place. “I felt really good when I woke up this morning. The weather is amazing here in Shanghai, and so are the crowds.” smiled the seven-time world champion after his first success in red.

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“The first race in Melbourne was difficult and I really felt like a lot of people underestimated joining a new team. It’s not easy and there’s a lot to understand in terms of communication. From the first lap here, I felt on the ball. The team did a really good job. We managed to fine-tune the car’s setup and today was great. I had a good start. There’s so much grip on this new tarmac that you really have to be careful with the tires, but everyone is probably in a similar situation.”

"I don't feel the pressure, I know the tifosi, I know they want us to win. But Rome wasn't built in a day, you have to build things day by day, one step at a time. tempers Lewis Hamilton. We have to keep attacking, be smart, stay focused, but above all stay calm because everyone gets really excited very quickly. But now, we'll be going back to the office in a few moments to focus on qualifying. There's still a long way to go. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

The biggest challenge of the day for Ferrari will be qualifying, scheduled for 8 a.m. French time, in which Lewis Hamilton will try to take his first real pole with the Scuderia, even if the McLaren are favorites.