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Hamilton responds to 'yapping critics' with China F1 sprint win

Lewis Hamilton will 'not get ahead of himself' after a dominant sprint win at Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix, but said the result shut down early critics after a tough Melbourne weekend with Ferrari.

Hamilton recorded his first sprint pole for Ferrari by narrowly edging out world champion Max Verstappen and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, and made a strong getaway on Saturday morning to fend off Verstappen into Shanghai's winding Turn 1.

The Ferrari driver appeared to come under early pressure from Verstappen behind, but used the clear air to his advantage as he managed to keep front tyre graining to a minimum while others struggled.

As Red Bull feared, Verstappen started suffering from fading front tyres, and instead of attacking Hamilton the Dutchman came under pressure from Piastri himself, being passed for second with four laps to go.

That fight allowed Hamilton to go over six seconds clear for a dominant first sprint win with Ferrari on his second weekend driving for the Scuderia, which unleashed a strong response from the seven-time world champion.

"In Melbourne, I really didn't feel comfortable in the car. From lap one here this weekend, I was really feeling on it," Hamilton said, as numerous fans unfurled banners carrying his logo in the grandstands.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

"We've done great job with the engineers and the mechanics to really fine tune the car, and it felt great. Today I got a good start, and then there was so much grip on this new tarmac that it's really hard to look after these tyres, but I think everyone was struggling the same."

Hamilton's Shanghai weekend has been a night and day difference compared to a difficult debut in Australia, but the 40-year-old felt people were too quick to criticise him as he came up to speed with the Scuderia.

"I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised within a team, understanding and communication, all sorts of things," he added.

"The amount of critics and people I've heard yapping along the way just clearly not understanding, maybe because they never had the experience or they're just unaware. And so it felt great to come here and feel more comfortable in the car."

But the seven-time world champion was much more measured in his response than after grabbing an emotional sprint pole yesterday, in the knowledge that qualifying for the main grand prix is mere hours away. "Rome wasn't building one day, one step at a time," he said. "We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We cannot.

"We've got to be diligent and just remain focused and most importantly, stay calm, because these moments get us all excited, but we'll be back at our desks after this and focused on qualifying this afternoon. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so we've just got to take our time."

Photos from Chinese GP - Sprint Race

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Jack Doohan, Alpine

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine Fans

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Jack Doohan, Alpine

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Fans of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 22: Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1 on the grid with Haas F1 team members prior to the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on March 22, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Simon Gallo

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Zhou Guanyu , Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Yao Ming on the grid with Red Bull Racing team members

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Fans of Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Jack Doohan, Alpine

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Racing Bulls team cheer in the garage

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Fans of Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Alex Albon, Williams

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday

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In this article
Filip Cleeren
Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
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