Lewis Hamilton had a much more positive second race weekend at Ferrari than his debut in Melbourne.
The Chinese Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton achieve Ferrari’s first-ever Sprint Race victory.
Martin Brundle was thrilled for Hamilton after his win and although it doesn’t count towards his official tally of Grand Prix victories, it gave him and the team a much-needed confidence boost.
Hamilton looked annoyed in the media pen on Saturday and that frustration appeared to continue in the car on Sunday.
He started the race in P5 ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc and overtook Max Verstappen on the first lap.
However, the two Ferraris touched going into the second corner and the Monegasque’s front wing was damaged.
That didn’t slow down Leclerc and he was on Hamilton’s tail after the first round of pit stops.
Eventually, the teammates switched on the track and Brundle noticed something in Hamilton’s radio messages that he found particularly intriguing.
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Martin Brundle impressed with Lewis Hamilton radio message during the Chinese Grand Prix
Brundle was commentating alongside David Croft on Sky Sports F1 (23/3 7:38 am) and noticed the two Ferraris running in tandem on track.
The former F1 driver said: “Lewis Hamilton’s been on the blower saying, I’m holding him up, I’m struggling and they will swap at the hairpin on this lap, down at turn 14.
“That’s good team play and fairness from Lewis Hamilton, assuming that’s what happens.
“But Leclerc, driving like a man possessed.”
Hamilton didn’t give up the place to Leclerc at the hairpin, but he eventually allowed the Monegasque driver to pass a lap later going into the first corner.
However, not before the seven-time world champion asked his teammate to close up to him before letting him pass.
Brundle continued: “I think what Lewis has said there is that he’s catching George Russell, so, I’m doing all right now.”
LAP 21/56
The two Ferraris have switched positions 🔀
Leclerc, who’s still carrying that front wing damage, is let through by Hamilton #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/KggUnJvWNC
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 23, 2025
Hamilton then got on the radio again when he was told to let Leclerc by and demanded: “I’ll tell you when we’re going to swap, I’ll tell you.”
Brundle reacted to his message and said: “That’s Lewis kind of saying as an early statement of like, I’m the judge around here, I’ll make those calls, thank you.
“But I do understand it was Lewis who came on the radio first saying let’s think about something because I’m struggling a little bit.”
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Lewis Hamilton gambled on race strategy after Chinese Grand Prix struggles
Many people expected the Chinese Grand Prix to be a two-stop race with some potentially considering three pit stops.
This was due to the excessive tyre wear almost every driver experienced during the Sprint Race that Hamilton managed to expertly, benefitting from the clean air in front of him.
However, Hamilton was the only driver running in the top six positions to gamble on a second stop, giving up a place to Verstappen in the process.
LAP 38/56
Hamilton has pitted again. It’s another set of hard tyres and he’s back out on track in P6 #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/kIAm8SLLWU
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 23, 2025
Although the seven-time world champion set the fastest lap during his stint and was closing the gap to the Dutchman, it simply didn’t pan out as expected.
It also cost Racing Bulls who had the chance to score points with both drivers but ended up struggling to work their way back through the pack and Yuki Tsunoda picked up some damage on his front wing in the process.
In stark contrast, Lance Stroll spent more than 30 laps on the hard tyres on his opening stint but potentially went too far the other way and couldn’t break into the top 10.
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