Lewis Hamilton Used DRS Bait to Trap Max Verstappen Ahead of Sprint Race Victory

F1 - CHINESE GRAND PRIX 2025 VERSTAPPEN Max (ned), Red Bull Racing RB21, portrait and HAMILTON Lewis (gbr), Scuderia Ferrari SF-25, portrait during the Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2025

Lewis Hamilton won his first race for Ferrari at the Chinese GP Sprint earlier today, finishing six seconds clear of Oscar Piastri in P2. Starting the 19-lap race from pole, Hamilton drove a flawless race and looked comfortable throughout.

However, in the early stages, it seemed Max Verstappen could use DRS to overtake Hamilton, as he remained within a second of the Briton multiple times. But as the Dutchman’s tires began to wear out, Hamilton extended his lead. With Oscar Piastri pressuring Verstappen from behind, Hamilton could focus solely on managing his tires—something he did brilliantly.

But why couldn’t Verstappen capitalize on being in Hamilton’s DRS range despite multiple opportunities? As it turns out, it was a cunning ploy by Hamilton to drain the Red Bull driver’s tires and gain the upper hand. He simply used his experience to outwit Verstappen behind.

“Lewis managed the race well. He let Verstappen take it back and damage the tires at that stage, while he had a bit of a reserve in his pocket,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said earlier today.

Hamilton’s wily tactics meant Verstappen was stuck in the dirty wake of his SF-25, overheating and overworking his yellow-walled medium tires. By lap 12, he began suffering from graining and soon, things went from bad to worse.

Having exhausted his tires chasing the driver in front, Verstappen lost ground to Piastri, who passed him without breaking too much sweat. It was a masterful drive from the seven-time World Champion—one Verstappen will surely take notes from.

Sadly, a Hamilton masterclass didn’t repeat itself in Grand Prix qualifying. In the second session of the day, he could only manage P5, with teammate Charles Leclerc set to start just behind him. It wasn’t the result Hamilton would have hoped for, especially after the highs he experienced just hours earlier.

“We started really optimistic, but we made a couple of changes, and it really put the car on a knife edge,” he told Sky Sports. “You want a car that’s balanced. At the moment, from one corner to the next, the car has a different balance.”

Regardless, Hamilton will be aiming for victory tomorrow, which would mark his first Grand Prix win with Ferrari. The SF-25 appeared to be kinder to its tires on a circuit where others struggled, something that could work in Ferrari’s favor.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Chinese GP Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen

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Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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