Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his disappointing debut for Ferrari last weekend by taking a brilliant pole for Saturday’s sprint race in China.
A “gobsmacked” Hamilton edged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.018sec, as McLaren, the early season favourites, faltered at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Oscar Piastri qualified third quickest, still within a tenth of Hamilton. But Lando Norris, the bookies’ favourite for this year’s drivers’ championship, and the winner of last weekend’s season opener in Australia, could only take sixth on the grid after a messy session.
Hamilton will be hoping to get his Ferrari career up and running in Saturday’s sprint race, which lasts 19 laps and awards eight points for the winner down to one point for eighth place.