Ferrari rises: Lewis Hamilton on pole beats everyone in the Sprint qualifying of China!. China: how events unfolded for the two Ferrari drivers in the Sprint Qualifying session.

For the first time this season, F1 will experience a weekend with the Sprint format. After this morning’s free practice session, which took place during the night in Europe, the indications are minimal, having compressed the entire program that usually takes place in three sessions into just one hour. Lando Norris seemed to once again be in a league of his own, finishing in 1.31.504, almost half a second ahead of Charles Leclerc. Oscarn Piastri took third, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth. The McLaren driver set this time on his second lap with the soft tires, once again confirming the strength of the McLaren MCL39.

Ferrari started the only free practice session with a cautious approach, mounting the Medium tires and adopting a race mapping. The priority was to optimize the car’s rotation, a key element for tackling the Shanghai circuit. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion stood out for his clean driving style, while his Maranello teammate was more aggressive, with a few too many mistakes. Managing the racing line in turn 1 and rear-end stability remained critical aspects, prompting the team to intervene with minor adjustments.

The suspension settings, designed to reduce ground clearance, brought some progress, but the SF-25 single-seater still suffered from a slightly imprecise balance. Charles Leclerc improved the first sector’s pace with smoother driving, but a mistake in turn 3 sent him into a spin, aided by tires not yet in the ideal temperature window. Traffic on the track and the management of the cool-down lap further slowed the pace.

The Monegasque driver seemed to have more difficulty than Lewis Hamilton, while the Italian side focused on new mappings to boost the Monegasque’s confidence in the car and optimize the differential’s response, while waiting for the first technical updates. The session ended with a fairly decent result. Tire activation improved, and the car’s balance was positive, though not perfect yet.

Ferrari showed progress but still suffered from a slight oversteer and understeer that had not been fully resolved. There is still room for improvement, especially in terms of precision and stability in the more complex corners. The Maranello team then focused on the Sprint qualifying, aware that it would be crucial to confirm these advancements and try to reduce the gap with their main rivals further.

Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the two Ferrari drivers in the Sprint Qualifying session which took place at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit. Everyone is on track for the first Sprint Shootout of the 2025 Formula 1 season: as usual, the first two sessions use medium tires. The Ferrari SF-25 seemed much more competitive than what was seen in Australia, and even in the first run, it was McLaren leading the way with Oscar Piastri, putting half a second on the two reds of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, while Lando Norris was further back due to a couple of errors in his attempt.

Everything, however, seems to be influenced by the continuous improvements of the track: Oscar Piastri returns to the pits and does not attempt a second lap, while the others, after a small refuel, return to the Chinese circuit. Lewis Hamilton set the best time at 1:31.212, ahead of Lando Norris by a tenth, followed by Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and the usual Max Verstappen, always there despite the difficulties of the Red Bull.

The two SF-25 cars with yellow tires are not performing badly at all, especially when compared to a McLaren, which still gives the impression of being the best car by far. The two Ferraris, however, despite some inaccuracies, seem to respond well after the first qualifying session of this Sprint Shootout.

Elimination chapter: some surprises, such as Nico Hulkenberg second to last, while Gabriel Bortoleto qualified comfortably for SQ2. The Alpines did poorly, both out, with Jack Doohan ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly. Esteban Ocon is eighteenth, while Bearman managed to pass the cut. The biggest surprise is Liam Lawson’s last position, who couldn’t make the RB21 work. Sergio Perez’s curse seems to have struck the young New Zealander again.

Track temperatures are dropping for SQ2, after all, in China it’s the peak of sunset time. However, McLaren does not seem to be affected by any environmental conditions, and Lando Norris finished ahead of everyone in 1:31.174, shaving off less than a tenth from the time set by Lewis Hamilton in SQ1. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion confirmed his positive feeling, finishing in fourth place, two tenths behind his fellow countryman.

After a complicated first run from the two Ferrari SF-25 cars, with both being nine-tenths off McLaren’s best time, the most noticeable improvement came from Lewis Hamilton, while Charles Leclerc was only eighth, though three-tenths behind. So, very tight gaps. Notable performance by Alexander Albon, seventh in this SQ2, while the other Williams, perhaps the more highly-rated on paper, Sainz’s, is thirteenth and thus out of the top-ten battle.

Behind Lando Norris, we have a solid George Russell, who also struggled in his first attempt but was then able to position himself behind his fellow countryman. Oscar Piastri took third, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli was excellent in fifth, followed by Verstappen, Albon, Leclerc, and a very good Stroll, making it to SQ3 unlike his teammate Alonso, who was eleventh. The other eliminations: Bearman, Sainz as mentioned, Bortoleto, and Hadjar, who, however, played the team role, offering a tow to Tsunoda, allowing the Japanese driver to make it into SQ3.

SQ3 delivered some surprises, and in eight minutes, everything happened. In the first part, the two McLarens and the two Mercedes car went out: both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had enough fuel for two attempts, but this time, it was the soft tires taking center stage. The papayas seemed unbeatable, especially the Australian, who went under the 1:30 mark, while the British driver made a mistake and placed himself three-tenths behind.

Out came the two Ferrari cars, along with Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton’s lap was superb, with an approach to turn 1 without even a slight mistake. The seven-time world champion placed the SF-25 in front of everyone with a 1:30.849, but Max Verstappen also delivered a masterpiece, second, just 18 thousandths behind his 2021 rival. In the second row, we will have Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, while Lando Norris is only sixth, alongside George Russell.

The two McLaren cars were improving in their second attempt, but evidently, the soft tire couldn’t provide the necessary grip until the end of the lap. It’s only Friday, but Ferrari seems already at a different level compared to what was seen in Melbourne. The truly decisive moments of the weekend still have to come, and tomorrow’s Sprint Race will be crucial to test the race pace, but in the meantime, Lewis Hamilton has already landed a small blow.

— see video above —