Lewis Hamilton takes decisive sprint pole for Chinese Grand Prix

SHANGHAI–Lewis Hamilton set a masterful lap to take pole position for the sprint race at the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion set a fastest lap of 1:30.849 to take his first pole for Ferrari and best Red Bull's Max Verstappen by just 18 thousandths of a second.

Third was Australian Oscar Piastri, who had been fastest on the first run of laps in SQ3, the final session of sprint qualifying, as seven teams made their way into the top ten to start Saturday's sprint.

"It was mega!" said an ecstatic Hamilton after the session.

"Really happy with the result. We knew there was more in the car after Australia, and here, it just came alive from lap one."

"The team’s done a great job since Melbourne. Pole for the Sprint Race is a great place to be, but there’s still work to do.

After a mechanical issue halted his only race simulation attempt in pre-season testing, Hamilton said he was going into the sprint race with an open mind.

"I’ve not done a proper race run in the dry yet, so tomorrow will be a real test."

"The other teams will be quick, but we’re in the fight and will keep pushing."

Despite some drivers struggling with grip and teams racing to drop tyre pressures, tyre manufacturer Pirelli said they were surprised with the level of grip on the resurfaced track, with Hamilton setting a track record around the circuit.

"From the measurements we carried out here in recent days, we had noticed that the abrasion level of the track was significantly lower than last year, with a much smoother surface and fewer of the bumps that had been a feature of this track in the past," said Simone Berra, chief engineer at Pirelli.

"From what we saw today, we can say that the level of grip generated on this surface is really surprising: rarely have we witnessed such a significant improvement in times – with the same car technical regulations – as we did today."

"Hamilton’s time is over five seconds quicker than the best time from last year’s sprint qualifying."

Aussie Jack Doohan was the last to be knocked out in SQ1, qualifying ahead of Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, and Liam Lawson.

Fernando Alonso, Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Isack Hadjar were out in SQ2, as all indications pointed towards McLaren as carrying over their significant pace advantage from Australia.

It looked as though that form would continue in China as Piastri went fastest in the opening laps of SQ3, but it was Hamilton and Verstappen who pulled out all the stops on their final attempts before the Brit went fastest with a hint of more to give.

Piastri will start third with Leclerc in fourth to complete the second row of the grid, with George Russell and race-winner Lando Norris on the third row.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, and Lance Stroll completed the order at the end of the top ten shootout.

Hamilton will line up on pole for the 19-lap sprint race at 2.00pm AEDT on Saturday.

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