F1 Sprint Results: Lewis Hamilton took an incredible pole position in sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, locking the heavily favoured McLarens out of the grid’s front row with long-time rival Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton fights off Max Verstappen for an epic Ferrari victory at the Chinese Grand Prix. A mistake from Lando Norris meant that last weekend’s race winner would start just sixth on Saturday, nowhere near Hamilton’s all-time track record lap time.
George Russell appeared to be in trouble after the officials pointed out that he might have blocked Yuki Tsunoda’s exit from the penultimate corner, but they opted not to pursue the matter further.
Carlos Sainz’s Williams was eliminated in SQ2, which was a setback for the British squad after they had demonstrated strong speed in Bahrain and Australia.
2025 Chinese Grand Prix: F1 Sprint Qualifying Results:
1. Lewis Hamilton [Ferrari] – 1:30.849sec
2. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] – +0.018sec
3. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] – +0.080sec
4. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] – +0.208sec
5. George Russell [Mercedes] – +0.320sec
6. Lando Norris [McLaren] – +0.544sec
7. Kimi Antonelli [Mercedes] – +0.889sec
8. Yuki Tsunoda [Racing Bulls] – +0.924sec
9. Alex Albon [Williams] – +1.003sec
10. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] – +1.133sec.
Eliminated In SQ2
11. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin]
12. Ollie Bearman [Haas]
13. Carlos Sainz [Williams]
14. Gabriel Bortoleto [Sauber]
15. Isack Hadjar [Racing Bulls].
Eliminated In SQ1
16. Jack Doohan [Alpine]
17. Pierre Gasly [Alpine]
18. Esteban Ocon [Haas]
19. Nico Hulkenberg [Sauber]
20. Liam Lawson [Red Bull].
The 2021 title contenders engaged in a back-and-forth game in the DRS range for the opening ten circuits, with Hamilton starting from pole position and Verstappen all over his rear wing.
However, after controlling his tyres, Hamilton was able to end Verstappen’s challenge as the Dutchman’s tyres failed, allowing Piastri to launch an attack.
On lap 15, the McLaren driver passed Verstappen into the hairpin, but at that point, Hamilton was the clear winner as the Ferrari driver drove away to win by nearly seven seconds.
F1 Sprint 2025: Everything You Need to Know
Kimi Antonelli’s second Mercedes was held up by Yuki Tsunoda, while George Russell finished fourth after holding off a late-charging Charles Leclerc.
Lando Norris finished seventh with a solitary point after losing positions due to contact with the dirt on the first lap. As a result, he is still two points clear of Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship.
Three limited windows make up the sprint qualifying session, which serves as a dramatic prelude to the short race on Saturday.
After SQ1, the top five drivers are removed, and five more are removed following SQ2. The final ten drivers then engage in a shootout with SQ3 for positions at the head of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint, defeating Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
Lewis Hamilton, a British driver, won the Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, marking his maiden triumph as a Ferrari driver. Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen were behind Hamilton when he grabbed the chequered flag in the 19-lap race.
