Hamilton Breaks Podium Drought with Ferrari at Chinese Grand Prix

Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium finish with Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix, placing third behind Mercedes drivers. The seven-time world champion says he feels closer than ever to claiming his first victory with the Italian racing team.

Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton believes his first victory with Ferrari is within reach after securing third place at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, marking his initial podium appearance with the Italian racing team.

The 41-year-old racing legend crossed the finish line behind two Mercedes drivers in what he described as potentially his most satisfying race experience. This marked Hamilton’s return to the podium for the first time since his 2024 season with Mercedes.

“I definitely feel like I’m back to my best, both mentally and physically,” Hamilton stated. “I still think there’s room to improve.”

Since switching to Ferrari in January of last year, Hamilton had struggled through an entire season without reaching the podium – a first in his illustrious career. However, Sunday’s performance has renewed his optimism about future victories.

“I definitely feel that I could say that it’s more in sight than ever before,” Hamilton expressed regarding his prospects for a maiden win with Ferrari. “Last year it couldn’t have been further from view.”

“I really do believe in everyone back in Maranello and that it’s not an impossible feat to overcome. So yeah, forza Ferrari, we’ve just got to keep pushing.”

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The race belonged to 19-year-old Italian driver Kimi Antonelli, who captured his first Formula One victory in the seat Hamilton previously occupied at Mercedes. George Russell finished second, creating a podium that represented Mercedes’ past, present, and future generations.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the podium ceremony as among the most emotional moments of his career, with Hamilton’s former race engineer Peter Bonnington joining the celebration as Antonelli’s current engineer to collect the constructors’ trophy.

Hamilton offered congratulations to Antonelli and his former team, with whom he claimed six of his seven championship titles.

“I had so much fun and we had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys behind, but to stay in the fight, it was one of the most enjoyable races I’ve had in a long time, if ever,” the British driver explained, referencing his intense battle with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

This marked Mercedes’ second consecutive one-two finish, with Russell maintaining his championship lead by four points over Antonelli following their victory in Australia the previous weekend.

Hamilton, whose mother attended the race on British Mother’s Day, briefly held the lead at the start and credited lessons learned from his fourth-place finish in Melbourne.

“We learned a lot in the main race (in Melbourne), brought it into this race,” Hamilton told Sky Sports television.

“Still some improvements to be made but my race pace has been really good, particularly on the hard tyres in these first two races.”

“To fight back and get to third was a hell of a push but just a massive big thank you to Ferrari for my first podium for them. It’s a huge moment for me.”

Hamilton praised his wheel-to-wheel combat with Leclerc, during which their cars made brief contact, calling it the essence of motorsport. He expressed enthusiasm for the current generation of Formula One cars.

“The cars are easier to follow, much better than past years. You can get very close. There’s not a bad wake where you’re losing too much downforce. I think it’s the best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula One,” he noted.

“Hopefully it was an exciting race to watch for you guys because it was awesome in the car. It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth, and you could really position your car in a nice way.”