SHANGHAI, China — Lewis Hamilton don win im first sprint race for 2025 Formula One season for Ferrari, as e clock im 1st victory since e join di team last winter. Dis win come on March 21, 2025, for Shanghai International Circuit, as Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen take second and third respectively.
Hamilton dominate di race finish, as e gap between am and Piastri widen to nearly seven seconds on di last lap. Di Ferrari driver get strong start from pole position, as e take lead from Verstappen and hold am tight through Turn 1.
For di first lap, Hamilton maintain di lead while building gap, as Piastri dey stay behind Verstappen who start P2. Meanwhile, McLaren‘s Lando Norris lose ground after making mistake at Turn 6, finishing di first lap from P6 to P9.
As di race progress to Lap 6, di grid settle down, but a collision between Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson create some tension. Piastri manage to close di gap to Verstappen by pushing into di DRS range. Tire management become crucial as di race continue, and Norris dey complain about im front tires.
By Lap 10, Verstappen don dey struggle as him drop back from Hamilton, reporting tire problems by Lap 14. Piastri finally take second place on Lap 16, but Hamilton dey far ahead with a commanding lead of four seconds on Lap 17.
Hamilton gently cruise to di finish line, showing fine pace after a disappointing debut for Ferrari in Australia where he finished tenth. Dis victory provide new hope for di championship after Ferrari’s struggle early in di season.
Hamilton go on to say: “E no easy to adapt to a new team, and many people no dey understand di steep climb it take. Today, I dey more comfortable with di car, and di team do great job fine-tuning di performance.”
After di race, Hamilton’s engineer Riccardo Adami praise am for a “masterclass in tire management”, owing to di difficult condition all di other drivers face with tire wear.
Piastri reflect on im race, saying: “Finishing second dey always good for my confidence. I learn plenty and we go try different strategies to gain more pace next time.”
Verstappen express disappointment, stating: “Di last few laps, we no get di pace of Hamilton and Piastri. I just dey survive.”
Norris, who manage to recover from down di grid to finish eighth said: “I dey struggle throughout di race, especially with di front grip.”
Di final results of di sprint race show Hamilton taking di win, Piastri second, and Verstappen concluding third. George Russell for Mercedes take fourth place, followed by Charles Leclerc in fifth. Yuki Tsunoda finish in sixth for Racing Bulls, while Kimi Antonelli secure seventh for Mercedes, with Lando Norris notching eighth place.
