Lewis Hamilton beat Charles Leclerc in a meaningful session for the first time at the Chinese Grand Prix. Hamilton took Sprint pole on Friday, with Leclerc only fourth.
While Leclerc was faster in FP1, Hamilton gained the advantage in Sprint qualifying. He appeared to have the edge on this teammate during the medium-tyre running in SQ1 and SQ2.
There were multiple occasions last year where he fell away at the decisive moment in qualifying, but here Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel’s lap record with a 1:30.849. Max Verstappen got closest to overhauling him, ending up two-hundredths adrift.
Leclerc was just over two-tenths slower, having led Hamilton on an all-Ferrari fourth row in Australia. He also overtook the 40-year-old during the race to finish eighth.
Charles Leclerc put Lewis Hamilton defeat at Chinese Grand Prix down to tyres
Hamilton’s joyous radio exchange with Riccardo Adami made it to the world feed. There were fears of tension on his side of the garage after some angsty exchanges during the Australian GP, but he quietened that narrative here.
Leclerc’s radio wasn’t broadcast, but it was revealing nonetheless. He claimed that tyre issues prevented him from contending for pole.
The start of the lap is particularly punishing at the Chinese Grand Prix, with the front left tyre overworked during a seemingly endless right-hander. It seemed that Leclerc was overheating his Pirelli rubber.
| INSIDE | OUTSIDE |
| Lewis Hamilton | |
| Max Verstappen | |
| Oscar Piastri | |
| Charles Leclerc | |
| George Russell | |
| Lando Norris | |
| Kimi Antonelli | |
| Yuki Tsunoda | |
| Alex Albon | |
| Lance Stroll |
“My tyres are completely destroyed after turn one,” he said.
Leclerc beat Carlos Sainz 14-9 in Ferrari’s qualifying battle last season. He’s expected to have the edge on Hamilton over a single lap based on recent form and his greater comfort at Maranello.
Helmut Marko’s verdict on Lewis Hamilton beating Charles Leclerc
Damon Hill gave Hamilton a new nickname – ‘Ferramilton’ – after his milestone session. He called it an ‘amazing’ front row.
Favourites McLaren fell away in SQ3, with Oscar Piastri third and Lando Norris sixth after a mistake. Neither Hamilton nor Verstappen had been close to Norris in practice.
Helmut Marko congratulated Hamilton on his Sprint pole and also credited Red Bull for their set-up changes after practice. A precious opportunity has emerged to take some points away from McLaren, even if there’s a reduced haul on offer in the sprint.
Marko called it ‘incredible’ that Hamilton beat Leclerc, a notoriously ‘fantastic’ qualifier, in just his second race weekend. Leclerc will try and hit back in the more meaningful session on Saturday.
