F1 Today | Hamilton impresses in the Sprint, Lawson misses out again
F1 News
It was a busy day in the world of Formula 1. As it is a Sprint weekend in China, fans could see two sessions where raw numbers matter and the positions matter, the Sprint and Qualifying. GPblog brings you the best news of the day from the world of F1.
Hamilton claims Sprint victory, Piastri takes pole position
After claiming pole for the Sprint on Friday, Lewis Hamilton managed to take care of business in Saturday's first session, leading from start to finish. The podium was completed by Piastri and Max Verstappen. This was Ferrari's first ever Sprint victory as well, since it was introduced back in the 2021 season. Read the report of the session here!
Afterwards, the seven-time world champion also mentioned the criticism that appeared after he only finished in P10 in Australia. "The amount of critics and people I heard, yapping along the way, clearly not understanding maybe because they never had the experience or were unaware," he said. After finishing fifth in qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix, the Briton remained optimistic and believes Ferrari can do well if they perfect a key element.
On the other hand, Piastri managed to improve a single position from the Sprint to Qualifying, and achieved his first-ever pole position in Formula 1. The Australian also completed his best ever hairpin, he shared over the team radio. Afterwards, he explained what went well in Turn 14 today. His teammate, Lando Norris could not improve on his second run in qualifying, and was overtaken by George Russell in the final moment. Here is how the Briton reacted to his result.
Talking to Sky Sports after the session, Max Verstappen was not too optimistic either. The Dutchman said, the only way he could win is if his rivals 'all retire in front of him'. While he feels more comfortable in his car, he also underlined that the RB21 is not yet where the team and himself want it to be.
It was another disappointing day for the defending world champion's teammate in China. Similarly to Sprint Qualifying, Liam Lawson finished in P20 in today's second session. "I think it's just time. Unfortunately I don't really have time, but it's just one of those things that, for me to drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you're doing, and it's not that I don't feel confident, but the window is so small that right now I just seem to miss it," he shared his verdict to Sky Sports.
Top advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner also rated the New Zealander's performance after his third Q1 or SQ1 exit in a row in 2025. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda was asked whether he would be able to replace Lawson at Red Bull. The Japanese driver answered to The Race: "Of course, why not?"
The other Racing Bulls driver, Isack Hadjar also had a positive Qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Frenchman qualifying in P7, also ahead of fellow rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Marko was also very complimentary about the youngster. "That's an unbelievable achievement. So I think from him we can expect in the future big things," he told Viaplay.
Tomorrow, the final event of the weekend, the race will take place. Lights are set to go out at 3pm local time, which is 7am GMT and 8am CET. See the provisional grid here, and follow everything that happens on Sunday with GPblog's live blog!
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