Formula 1 Chinese GP
Hamilton responds to 'yapping critics' with China F1 sprint win
Lewis Hamilton gave a measured response to his first sprint win for Ferrari in China
Filip Cleeren
Edited: Mar 22, 2025, 4:44 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Lewis Hamilton will 'not get ahead of himself' after a dominant sprint win at Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix, but said the result shut down early critics after a tough Melbourne weekend with Ferrari.
Hamilton recorded his first sprint pole for Ferrari by narrowly edging out world champion Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, and made a strong getaway on Saturday morning to fend off Verstappen into Shanghai's winding Turn 1.
The Ferrari driver appeared to come under early pressure from Verstappen behind, but used the clear air to his advantage as he managed to keep front tyre graining to a minimum while others struggled.
As Red Bull feared, Verstappen started suffering from fading front tyres, and instead of attacking Hamilton the Dutchman came under pressure from Piastri himself, being passed for second with four laps to go.
That fight allowed Hamilton to go over six seconds clear for a dominant first sprint win with Ferrari on his second weekend driving for the Scuderia, which unleashed a strong response from the seven-time world champion.
"In Melbourne, I really didn't feel comfortable in the car. From lap one here this weekend, I was really feeling on it," Hamilton said, as numerous fans unfurled banners carrying his logo in the grandstands.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
"We've done great job with the engineers and the mechanics to really fine tune the car, and it felt great. Today I got a good start, and then there was so much grip on this new tarmac that it's really hard to look after these tyres, but I think everyone was struggling the same."
Hamilton's Shanghai weekend has been a night and day difference compared to a difficult debut in Australia, but the 40-year-old felt people were too quick to criticise him as he came up to speed with the Scuderia.
"I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised within a team, understanding and communication, all sorts of things," he added.
Read Also:
"The amount of critics and people I've heard yapping along the way just clearly not understanding, maybe because they never had the experience or they're just unaware. And so it felt great to come here and feel more comfortable in the car."
But the seven-time world champion was much more measured in his response than after grabbing an emotional sprint pole yesterday, in the knowledge that qualifying for the main grand prix is mere hours away. "Rome wasn't building one day, one step at a time," he said. "We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We cannot.
"We've got to be diligent and just remain focused and most importantly, stay calm, because these moments get us all excited, but we'll be back at our desks after this and focused on qualifying this afternoon. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so we've just got to take our time."
Photos from Chinese GP - Sprint Race
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Formula 1
70
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Max Verstappen “just trying to survive” with tyre struggles in Chinese GP Sprint
Next article Oscar Piastri: McLaren win still possible with better track position
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Filip Cleeren
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
More from
Lewis Hamilton
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 1 d
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
More from
Ferrari
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 d
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
F1 2026 calendar update: Imola GP off the table, no plan B if war escalates
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 d
F1 2026 calendar update: Imola GP off the table, no plan B if war escalates
Latest news
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
1 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
2027 Formula E drivers and teams: The line-up so far
Formula E
FE Formula E 3 h
2027 Formula E drivers and teams: The line-up so far
Kimi Antonelli meets Italian president Sergio Mattarella
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 3 h
Kimi Antonelli meets Italian president Sergio Mattarella
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe