Lewis Hamilton took his first win for Ferrari on only his
second outing for the team with a dominant victory in the sprint race at the
Chinese Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion fended off a challenge from Red
Bull's Max Verstappen on the run to the first corner and controlled the race
from there.
Verstappen fell back from the Ferrari after a few laps into
the clutches of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who passed the world champion with
five laps to go.
McLaren's Lando Norris managed to salvage a point after a
difficult race by passing Lance Stroll's Aston Martin with two laps to go.
Hamilton's victory was a resounding recovery after a
disappointing Ferrari debut at the opening race of the season in Australia last
weekend, in which he qualified eighth and finished 10th.
He was praised on the slowing-down lap after his victory by
his engineer Riccardo Adami for a "masterclass in tyre management" on
a day when every other driver struggled to make their rubber last.
Hamilton savoured the cheers from the packed grandstands
after climbing out of his car on the pit straight at the end.
"I woke up feeling great today," he said.
"The first race was difficult and I really do feel a lot of people
underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team, with communication
and understanding and a whole lot of things.
"The amount of people I heard yapping away maybe
because they haven't done it and don't have the experience.
"I came here and the engineers and mechanics have done
a great job to fine-tune the car and it felt great today. There is so much grip
on this new tarmac but I think everyone struggled."
Verstappen appeared as if he could challenge Hamilton in the
early stages but the 40-year-old began to edge away after about eight laps as
the Dutchman slipped back into the clutches of Piastri.
The Australian bided his time for a few laps, inching closer
to the back of the Red Bull, before pulling off a clinical pass into Turn 14 on
lap 14.
Piastri said: "It was a really productive sprint.
Finishing second is always a great result and I learnt a lot. As much as the
result, the way I got the result was the encouraging thing.
"We didn't quite have the pace for Lewis out front but
we have some ideas and see if we can go better."
Verstappen said: "I tried to give it a go but
unfortunately, the last eight laps we just didn't have the pace of the others,
so I was just truing to survive out there, so I definitely take the P3. It was
tough to manage the tyres.
"In general we just lack a bit of overall pace so you
have to push a bit harder and that kills you tyres more."
Norris, winner in Melbourne, dropped back from sixth on the
grid to ninth on the first lap with an error at Turn Six, running wide after
apparently misjudging his braking behind Russell and losing three places.
Norris spent most of the race complaining he had no grip
from his front tyres and could not go any faster, but pounced as Stroll himself
ran into trouble in the closing stages.
The result means Norris' championship lead has been cut to
two points by Verstappen.
Norris said: "I went in a bit hot (into Turn Six). On
me. I struggled after that. I didn't have any pace. I struggle a lot in these
conditions, with the front graining. It's my worst nightmare."
Behind Verstappen, Mercedes' George Russell passed Ferrari's
Charles Leclerc for fourth place with a dive down the inside of the hairpin at
the end of the long back straight on the first lap.
Leclerc came back at Russell in the closing stages but the
Briton was able to hold him off.
Yuki Tsunoda took an excellent sixth for Racing Bulls,
fending off Andrea Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes for the entire race.
