Lewis Hamilton’s first race weekend as a Ferrari driver ended on a down note, as he finished tenth in the Australian Grand Prix.
His second is off to a much better start, as he starts in pole position at the F1 Sprint Race at the Shanghai Grand Prix.
Hamilton admitted to being “gobsmacked” at securing P1 on Friday, as he nipped Max Verstappen to pole position along with his teammate Charles Leclerc, and a pair of very “fast” McLarens. But now Hamilton has picked up his first trophy as a Ferrari driver — a special Pirelli sprint trophy that will mark the tire supplier’s 500th Grand Prix which comes later in the season — and is in line for his second.
However, he’ll need to hold off not just Verstappen, but a host of drivers over a 19-lap dash to the checkered flag to do so.
Here is how the grid will line up for the F1 Sprint race:
Chinese Grand Prix F1 Sprint Provisional Grid
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row | Position | Driver | Team | Position | Driver | Team |
| Row 1 | 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| Row 2 | 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| Row 3 | 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| Row 4 | 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | VCARB |
| Row 5 | 9 | Alex Albon | Williams | 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| Row 6 | 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| Row 7 | 13 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber |
| Row 8 | 15 | Isack Hadjar | VCARB | 16 | Jack Doohan | Alpine |
| Row 9 | 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| Row 10 | 19 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 20 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull |
We’ll be covering the first F1 Sprint race of the 2025 Formula 1 season for you live here at SB Nation, so check back when lights go out at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday night for full coverage.
All updates are in Eastern time or by lap number.
