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.
Celebrating the first victory as a team pic.twitter.com/ROMTe7nUfO
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 22, 2025
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.
Respect between champions
Max Verstappen congratulations Lewis Hamilton on his first Ferrari win!#Chinesegp pic.twitter.com/e3ZRyehVvO
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) March 22, 2025
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.
