Lewis Hamilton landed his first pole position as a Ferrari driver by taking the top spot for Saturday’s sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 40-year-old, in only his second appearance for the Italian team, saw off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.018 seconds in Shanghai to ensure he will start from the front for the 19-lap dash to the chequered flag.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third with Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth, with the Monegasque acknowledging that he was off the pace compared to his British teammate on Friday.
George Russell took fifth for Mercedes, one place ahead of championship leader Lando Norris, who made a mistake on his final lap. The sprint race, the first shortened race of six this year, takes place at 3am (GMT) on Saturday before grand prix qualifying at 7am (GMT).
Follow live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix with The Independent
When is the Chinese Grand Prix?
All times GMT
Saturday 22 March
Sunday 23 March
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Chinese Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom – and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 5:30am (GMT).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Shanghai on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the Chinese Grand Prix then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market.
Driver standings after sprint
1. Lando Norris – 26 points
2. Max Verstappen – 24 points
3. George Russell – 20 points
4. Kimi Antonelli – 14 points
5. Alex Albon – 10 points
6. Lewis Hamilton – 9 points
7. Oscar Piastri – 9 points
8. Charles Leclerc – 8 points
9. Lance Stroll – 8 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda – 3 points
12. Pierre Gasly – 0 points
13. Ollie Bearman – 0 points
Constructor standings before sprint
1. McLaren – 27 points
2. Mercedes – 27 points
3. Red Bull – 18 points
4. Williams – 10 points
5. Aston Martin – 8 points
6. Sauber – 6 points
7. Ferrari – 5 points
8. Alpine – 0 points
9. Racing Bulls – 0 points
10. Haas – 0 points
2025 F1 CALENDAR IN FULL:
ROUND 2 – CHINA (sprint weekend)
Shanghai International Circuit – 21-23 March
ROUND 3 – JAPAN
Suzuka International Racing Course – 4-6 April
ROUND 4 —BAHRAIN
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir – 11-13 April
ROUND 5 – SAUDI ARABIA
Jeddah Corniche Circuit – 18-20 April
ROUND 6 – MIAMI (sprint weekend)
Miami International Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium – 2-4 May
ROUND 7 – EMILIA ROMAGNA
Imola Circuit – 16-18 May
ROUND 8 – MONACO
Circuit de Monaco – 23-25 May
ROUND 9 – SPAIN
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – 30 May-1 June
ROUND 10 – CANADA
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal – 13-15 June
ROUND 11 – AUSTRIA
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg – 27-29 June
ROUND 12 – GREAT BRITAIN
Silverstone Circuit – 4-6 July
ROUND 13 – BELGIUM (sprint weekend)
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – 25-27 July
ROUND 14 – HUNGARY
Hungaroring, Budapest – 1-3 August
ROUND 15 – NETHERLANDS
Circuit Zandvoort – 29-31 August
ROUND 16 – ITALY
Monza Circuit – 5-7 September
ROUND 17 – AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit – 19-21 September
ROUND 18 – SINGAPORE
Marina Bay Street Circuit – 3-5 October
ROUND 19 – UNITED STATES (sprint weekend)
Circuit of the Americas, Austin – 17-19 October
ROUND 20 – MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City – 24-26 October
ROUND 21 – BRAZIL (sprint weekend)
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo – 7-9 November
ROUND 22 – LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit – 20-22 November
ROUND 23 – QATAR (sprint weekend)
Lusail International Circuit, Lusail – 28-30 November
ROUND 24 – ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit – 5-7 December
