SHANGHAI, China, CMC – Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was full of praise for his Mercedes team after he navigated rainy conditions on Friday during qualifying for the sprint race of the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 39-year-old British race car driver with Grenadian heritage qualified for Position 2 on the starting grid for the sprint race on Saturday at the Shanghai International Circuit. He initially claimed pole position before losing out to fellow Brit and McLaren driver Lando Norris.
Drivers faced an increasingly slippery surface during the final qualifying segment, and Hamilton was among the drivers who kept his car on the track. Still, he had pole position snatched away from him after everyone had crossed the line, following a decision from the race stewards.
A previously deleted lap for Norris over a second quicker than Hamilton’s was reinstated once the checkered flag greeted the drivers.
“It was very tricky conditions,” Hamilton said after the session. There was not a lot of grip… for everyone. But yeah, I’m so happy.
“As soon as I saw the rain coming, I was getting excited because naturally, in the dry conditions, we’re not quick enough. So when the rain came, I kind of thought that I’d have a bit of a better opportunity, and then that’s when it all kind of came alive.”
Norris will lead three multiple-time world champions off the line, with Hamilton, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain, and Red Bull Racing’s reigning triple champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands making up the rest of the top four.
Hamilton said there would be a huge opportunity for him to recapture some of his reputation if the same weather occurred during the sprint race.
“It depends on the conditions,” he said. If it’s like that [wet], then maybe we’ll have a chance of being somewhere up there.
If it’s dry, then naturally, the Ferraris and the Red Bulls will come by, and maybe we can hold off some of the others.
Earlier, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll of Canada set the pace in Sunday’s sole free practice session for the feature race.
He set the fastest lap of one minute, 36.302 seconds, which was 0.327 seconds quicker than McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia. Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez were third and fourth, respectively.
Hamilton and British Mercedes teammate George Russell used only hard tires throughout the session, finishing 17th and 18th, respectively.
Hamilton, the winner of the last Grand Prix in Shanghai five years ago, was shown a black and white flag after locking up and running off the track and across the pit entry line.
Due to a small fire next to the track, drivers had to wait out a brief stoppage early on, which led to a red flag in an eventful session.
Shanghai hosted the first sprint race of the season, so only one hour of free practice was allotted on Friday.
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