The seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton clinched his first-ever sprint pole position at the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix. This exceptional accomplishment is a historic career capstone to his great legacy. Though that change was met with widespread excitement at the Shanghai International Circuit, calm heads prevailed. Hamilton put on a masterclass of his exceptional talent during the opening segment of sprint qualifying. In a nail-biting twist, Lando Norris went to the top of SQ2 on his first run. A massive miscalculation on his last lap gave Hamilton a chance and he made it count.
With under a minute to go in the session, Hamilton went to work. He took full advantage of the opportunity and earned the pole position in impressive fashion! His performance was a spectacular triumph. He ended up only 18 one-thousandths of a second ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. To further spice up the fierce competition on the track, Oscar Piastri of McLaren took home third place.
Hamilton’s empty pole position featured the session’s best time. This last-gasp victory speaks to the talent and tenacity of Philadelphia native, particularly after a fourth-place showing in Friday’s opening practice. Behind the wheel for Ferrari this season, Hamilton has proven his shift away from Mercedes hasn’t blunted his competitive spirit.
His performance at the Chinese Grand Prix is even more impressive in light of his difficult start to the season. He went out with a whimper, finishing a lamentable 10th in the opening round of the season, down under in Australia. Looking back on his triumph in Shanghai, Hamilton admitted he was blown away by the outcome, but he couldn’t be happier with such a finish.
“I didn’t expect that result, but so, so happy and so proud,” said Hamilton.
The journey to get to this pole position was not without its challenges. Reflecting on the 2022 season, Hamilton admitted it has been a challenge for his team.
“I think obviously the last race was a disaster. Clearly we knew that there was more performance in the car but we just weren’t able to extract it,” he noted.
Hamilton’s feat in Shanghai, and indeed even being able to achieve that feat, is a mark of his continuing brilliance and fire. As the season progresses, fans eagerly anticipate how Hamilton will continue to perform in his Ferrari, especially after this impressive display.
