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LEWIS Hamilton said he was “gobsmacked” to take his first pole position for Ferrari for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix yesterday.
Hamilton out-qualified Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth and Lando Norris’ McLaren sixth.
The seven-time champion, who qualified eighth and finished ninth on his Ferrari debut in Australia last weekend, said: “I’m a bit taken aback by it.
“I didn’t know when we would get to this position and, after last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week. I came here with aggression and wanting to go into the weekend and get the car into a great place. I started out straight away with a better feeling in the car and I can’t believe we are at the front. I am just a bit gobsmacked.”
Despite achieving a record 104 race pole positions during his career, to be in first place on the grid for the sprint is an unfamiliar experience for Hamilton.
He has been the sprint pole-sitter just once before, at the 2021 British Grand Prix, when he was passed at the start by Verstappen and had to accept second place in the 17-lap dash.
Hamilton’s last race pole came at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix – 20 months ago. For his feat in Shanghai, Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc by 0.208 seconds and Norris by 0.544secs.
The result gives Hamilton prime starting position for the shorter sprint race today after which the teams can modify their car set-ups before grand prix qualifying at 7am.
Hamilton said: “Even though it’s not the main pole it gives me real inspiration to go into tomorrow and try to find more performance and see if we can compete again. There’s definitely a little more performance to find, for sure.”
Leclerc said: “I struggled on my side of the garage. From the beginning I felt I was a step back from Lewis and he was just faster. – BBC Sport/Sports Reporter.
Online Reporter