First podium with Ferrari for Hamilton
One year ago Lewis Hamilton in China he had a weekend of ups and downs with the sprint pole and the victory in the Sprint overshadowed by the disqualification at the end of the GP for excessive wear of the flat surface.
This weekend in Shanghai it wasn’t a victory for Hamilton, but the first podium as a Ferrari driver however, it is remarkable for the seven-time world champion who has definitively found his smile again after starting 2026 in Australia with a different attitude.
Hamilton prevailed at the end of a truly exciting battle with his teammate Charles Leclerc and at the beginning of the GP he also led the group following the now consolidated excellent start of the SF-26s.
“It was a great battle with Leclerc – Hamilton said to the microphones of Sky – but I want to congratulate Kimi Antonelli who did an exceptional job. For me it is a veteran’s privilege to be on the podium with him. He’s in a fantastic team and it’s great to see his first victory up close and personal. We battled it out on the track, but that’s the nature of racing. I thank everyone at Ferrari very much for the work done in the factory which allowed us to fight for these positions.”
