Key Highlights:

• Lewis Hamilton secured his first sprint race victory for Ferrari, led from start to finish in Shanghai.
• Oscar Piastri claimed his first-ever Formula One pole position with a quickest lap at the Chinese Grand Prix.
• Hamilton will start from fifth position in the main race; Charles Leclerc qualified sixth.
• In the sprint race, Hamilton finished ahead of Piastri and Max Verstappen.

In a remarkable display at the Shanghai International Circuit, Lewis Hamilton celebrated his first Formula One sprint race win for Ferrari, finishing ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Hamilton's performance came as a delightful response to critics after a challenging debut in Melbourne, where he finished tenth.

Hamilton, now in his second race with Ferrari, managed his tyres flawlessly during the 100km sprint race. “Starting from pole and winning in a Ferrari is next level, man. It’s mega,” he said, reflecting on his unexpected success so early in the season. He emphasized the importance of not getting ahead of themselves, stating, “I know the tifosi want to win and it means everything, but Rome wasn’t built in a day,” as he looked ahead to the main race.

Piastri, who had finished second in the sprint race, took pole position for the main event with a time of 1:30.641 seconds, edging out George Russell of Mercedes, who qualified second at 0.082 seconds adrift. “The laps were a little bit scruffy, but I’m just pumped to be on pole,” Piastri expressed, acknowledging the significance of his achievement as the first Australian to take pole since Daniel Ricciardo in 2018.

Competing alongside them, Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc finished the qualifying in sixth, noting that he struggled historically at the Shanghai circuit, which affected his pace. Meanwhile, Lando Norris of McLaren will start third, having made a poor decision to abort his final lap.

The excitement continues as Hamilton aims for further success after his “mega” win, while Piastri looks to capitalize on his unprecedented pole position during the main race on Sunday. Both drivers symbolize a promising season ahead for their teams in the competitive landscape of Formula One.

For further details, refer to the full story on Channel News Asia and Al Jazeera.