Lewis Hamilton briefly led the Shanghai Grand Prix sprint after an intense duel with George Russell. But a tire problem ultimately compromised his chances of victory.
Read more George Russell surprised by Hamilton’s attack at the Shanghai sprint
The sprint held on the Shanghai circuit had nevertheless started perfectly for Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver started from third place on the grid but quickly gained ground from the first corners.
Thanks to an excellent maneuver at the start, he managed to overtake Lando Norris to move into second position even before the end of the first lap. This attack allowed him to place himself immediately in the slipstream of the leader, George Russell.
A few corners later, Hamilton even went on the offensive. In the ninth corner, the Briton attempted an audacious overtake on the inside of the Mercedes, surprising Russell and taking command of the race.
For several laps, the two British drivers engaged in an intense duel, exchanging the lead several times in a particularly lively sprint.
A duel too costly for the tires
This fierce battle, however, came at a price. By fighting wheel-to-wheel with Russell, Hamilton progressively destroyed his tires, particularly the front left.
The seven-time world champion acknowledged after the race that this excessive wear had ended his hopes of victory.
“It was a great job. A big thank you to the team for allowing us to be in this position and to be able to fight with the Mercedes at the front” explained Hamilton.
But he quickly admitted that the fight for the lead had heavily impacted his tires: “The battle was close at the beginning. Their speed on the straights is a bit too high at the moment, but I think I defended well.”
Then he added: “But I destroyed my front left tire, so I couldn’t keep the position.”
A more complicated race afterwards
Once his tires degraded, Hamilton was no longer able to maintain the pace of the leaders. His teammate Charles Leclerc took advantage of this to overtake him and take second place.
Read more McLaren recognizes its limits after the Shanghai sprint
The situation became even more complicated when Lando Norris also managed to overtake the Ferrari, relegating Hamilton to fourth place.
The safety car that came out later in the race nevertheless offered a new strategic opportunity. During this neutralization, Hamilton made a pit stop that allowed him to restart with fresh tires.
In the final laps, he finally managed to regain the advantage over Norris to reclaim third place. On the other hand, the two drivers ahead of him were already too far away to be caught.
Hamilton satisfied with his Ferrari
Despite the victory that escaped him, Hamilton remains overall satisfied with his performances. The Briton believes that his new car better suits his driving style.
“I don’t know exactly why, but it’s simply a much better car that we designed and in the development of which I participated” he explained.
He also emphasized that he felt much more comfortable at the wheel of this Ferrari: “I am clearly much happier in this car.”
Even if finishing third after briefly leading the race remains frustrating, Hamilton prefers to focus on the positive aspects.
“Of course, I was leading at one point, so finishing third is not ideal. But I will try to do even better tomorrow.”
A clear message before the rest of the weekend at the Shanghai circuit, where Hamilton hopes to turn this encouraging performance into an even more solid result.
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