Lewis Hamilton ‘gobsmacked’ to land sprint pole after Ferrari debut disaster

A “gobsmacked” Lewis Hamilton said he was in shock after he landed his first pole position in Ferrari colours for Saturday’s sprint race in China.

Hamilton, 40, rolled back the years to kickstart his Ferrari career with top spot on the grid for the 19-lap dash to the chequered flag.

Hamilton’s six wins in China is more than any driver in history and his pole lap – the fastest ever seen in Shanghai – was greeted with huge roars by the crowd.

A first P1 in red ❤️#F1Sprint #ChineseGP @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/g3kYfhymwY

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 21, 2025

For the seven-time world champion, it came just five days after he finished only 10th on his full debut for Ferrari following a performance he described as a disaster.

“I am just a bit gobsmacked and taken back by it,” said Hamilton, who edged out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.018 seconds.

“I didn’t know when we would get to this position. The last race was a disaster for us.

“But I came here with aggression and wanting to put car into a great place and I have started with a much better feeling in the car.

“I cannot believe we are at the front ahead of a McLaren which has been so fast through testing, the last race, and even today.

“I’m a bit in shock. And wow, holy crap, my first. Even though it is not the main pole it gives me real inspiration tomorrow to see if we can find more performance and compete again.”

Ferrari were expected to be McLaren’s closest challengers this year, but they suffered a miserable start in Melbourne with Charles Leclerc only two places better off than Hamilton.

Leclerc will start from fourth place in China after it was the turn for McLaren to flatter to deceive. Oscar Piastri could manage only third, less than a tenth back from