SHANGHAI, China, CMC – Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was full of praise for his Mercedes team after he navigated rainy conditions yesterday 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 today at the Shanghai International Circuit after he initially claimed pole position before losing out to fellow Brit and McLaren driver Lando Norris.
Drivers were faced with an increasingly slippery surface during the final qualifying segment, and Hamilton was among the drivers that kept his car on the track, but 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 that was over a second quicker than Hamilton’s was reinstated once the checkered flag greeted the drivers.
“It was very tricky, tricky conditions,” Hamilton said after the session. “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 then 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 was a huge opportunity for him to recapture a bit of his reputation if the same weather occurs during the sprint race.
“It really depends on what the conditions will be,” he said. “If it’s like that [wet], then maybe we’ll have a chance of being somewhere up there.
“I think 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 sole free practice session for the feature race on Sunday.
He set the fastest lap of one minute, 36.302 seconds, and he was 0.327 secs quicker than McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia with Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez third and fourth respectively.
Hamilton and British Mercedes teammate George Russell used only hard tyres throughout the session, and they finished 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.
Drivers had to wait out a brief stoppage early on due to a small fire next to the track, which led to a red flag in an eventful session.
With Shanghai hosting the first sprint race of the season, only one hour of free practice was allotted on Friday.