Lewis Hamilton put on a masterclass in tire management today in Shanghai, leading Ferrari to its first ever sprint race victory, winning the round 2 Sprint Race by nearly 7 seconds over McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
Pre-Race Review
After finishing in Melbourne at P-10, Hamilton showed off his skills and determination at the Sprint Qualifying Sessions in Shanghai on Friday – landing him his first pole position with Ferrari.
Max Verstappen was lining up alongside Hamilton in 2nd, parking his car at the line at a slight angle in an attempt to cut the pole-sitter off at Turn 1.
Meanwhile, Nico Hülkenburg was forced to start from the pits after Kick Sauber changed out the suspension in his C45, meaning that Liam Lawson moved up on the starting grid to P-19.
Highlights
As the lights went out, Hamilton was quick on the draw and made a clean getaway, beating Verstappen off the line and getting an early advantage over the ever-hungry reigning champ.
But further back in the pack, the battles were just getting started. Yuki Tsunoda made an early move to take P-7 from Kimi Antonelli, and Lance Stroll grabbed P-9 from Alex Albon coming into Turn 1. Carlos Sainz also snatched P-12 from Oliver Bearman, while Pierre Gasly grabbed P-16 from Jack Doohan during Turn 1, then overtook Isack Hadjar in Turn 2.
Going into the first hairpin at Turn 6, Norris lined himself up wide and dipped his tires in the gravel and dropped 3 positions in the process, being pounced on by Tsunoda, Antonelli, and Stroll.
George Russell moved up to P-4 when he got close enough to attempt an overtake on Charles Leclerc between Turn 14 and 15, which is where he stayed for the remainder of the race. Leclerc did fight back through the rest of the race, but was never able to get past the Russell-driven W16.
Lawson showcased both his talent and his desperation today by sending the RB21 deep into the final hairpin at Turn 14, where he overtook Doohan on Lap 5 for P-18 and made contact with the Alpine rookie in the process. Lawson seemed unphased by the contact and slight lift to his vehicle, as he stayed on the track and kept making up ground. Determined to show his value to the team, Lawson once again lunged deep into the hairpin at Turn 14, this time making a clean overtake on Haas' Esteban Ocon during Lap 7.
Halfway through the race, Norris radios in to ask how everyone else is doing on tire wear, as his front left is pretty far gone. This might be due to the dip in the gravel he made during Lap 1, but either way, he's losing ground to Stroll – who's currently in the points at P-8.
As Hamilton began to pull away in the second half of the 19 Lap sprint race, Piastri started to catch up to Verstappen, who would lead the McLaren on a cat-and-mouse style chase for about 2 laps. Piastri wouldn’t have the opportunity to pass the reigning champ until Lap 15, when he sent the McLaren to the inside coming down the back straight coming into the hairpin at Turn 14.
What I found strange was that Verstappen didn't even attempt to block this move, but this may have been due to the fact that he was already nursing his tires and didn't want to risk losing out on an easy podium finish.
Right around this time, Norris had seemed to find his rhythm again and started gaining on Stroll, making a mad dash to finish the day in the points. Showing his ferocity and determination, Norris caught Stroll on the back straight during Lap 17 and made a move coming into Turn 14. As they came around, Norris edged ahead of Turn 15, and took the last of the points-paying positions from the Aston Martin.
At the end of the race, Hamilton’s engineer came over the radio to tell him of his victory, saying “Congrats, it was a masterclass in tire management.”
Driver Performances
Driver of the day - Lewis Hamilton
Earning his first pole position with the Scuderia, and bringing home their first ever Sprint win, today's Driver of the Day is Lewis Hamilton. Not only did he win the race, but he actually looked like the Lewis Hamilton we expected to see driving a Ferrari. After finishing P-10 last week, he definitely had a lot to prove coming into this race, and he far exceeded expectations.
Honorable Mention - Liam Lawson
After a rough season opener, and starting last for the Sprint Race, Liam Lawson was starting to look like he wouldn't get much more of a chance to prove himself to Red Bull before they might give him the boot, just like they did a few seasons ago. Undoubtedly feeling the pressure looming overhead, Lawson remained calm and composed, and made quite a few moves through the entirety of the race. Besides banging wheels with Doohan during his first deep dive in the hairpin, he showed tremendous race craft and overtaking ability.
Tough Stuff Award - Lando Norris
After dipping into the gravel and losing 3 positions, to being flat out and losing pace to Stroll, Norris had a very rough start to the Sprint weekend to say the least. However, his desire to win saw him come back to taking the last of the points available for the race. This should help to light a fire under Lando and his pit crew, pushing them a little harder to get the setup just right for the GP on Sunday.
Race Results
Coming into the Sprint today, Norris had a 7 point lead over rival Verstappen, which is now down to just 2 points, while Hamilton, Piastri and Russell inch ever closer to the top of the standings.
Lewis Hamilton – +8 pts
Oscar Piastri – +7 pts
Max Verstappen – +6 pts
George Russell – +5 pts
Charles Leclerc – +4 pts
Yuki Tsunoda – +3 pts
Kimi Antonelli – +2 pts
Lando Norris – +1 pt
Conclusion
With the Sprint Race now completed, the drivers have only a few hours to rest and prepare their vehicles for the Grand Prix Qualifying Sessions, and attempt to best Ferrari in a pole that is now theirs for the taking.
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