Hamilton Struggles with Ferrari Setup, Qualifies Fifth in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, China — Lewis Hamilton, competing for Ferrari, experienced a dramatic shift in performance during the qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix, ultimately securing fifth place. This follows his outstanding pole position and victory in the Sprint race earlier in the weekend.

Hamilton tore through the Sprint qualifying on Friday, setting a track record of 1:30.849, which eclipsed the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel. Despite this success, Hamilton found himself struggling in the main qualifying round on Saturday, where he stated, “We started really optimistic, naturally, but then we made just a couple of small changes, tweaks to the car, and it really put the car on a knife edge.”

After dominating the Sprint race and finishing 6.889 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Hamilton noted that adjustments made to his SF-25 after the Sprint compromised its performance. He explained, “I think the wind picked up a little bit as well, so the car was trickier to drive, and it was harder to put laps together.”

Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc qualified just behind Hamilton in sixth place. Reflecting on his performance, Leclerc admitted, “It felt like it, at least… Lewis did still a better job than I did, but I felt like I maximised on my side.” He shared concerns of balancing performance during qualifying and acknowledged the inconsistency in the car’s handling.

Looking ahead to the race, Leclerc stated, “The team maximised the potential of the car, but the most important thing is that we understand where the potential of the car has gone.” He stressed the need for better handling on the track, especially with tire management becoming crucial.

Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, expressed disappointment over the qualifying results but remained focused on strategy and tire management for the Grand Prix, highlighting the need to adapt to the new track surface in Shanghai. “Today’s qualifying was really difficult to read,” Vasseur noted. “Even if you have good pace, we saw in the Sprint that running in dirty air, your tires suffer a lot more.”

As the teams prepare for the race, the weather conditions appear favorable, with sunny skies expected during the event. The anticipation continues to build among fans eagerly awaiting the competitive showdown in Shanghai, shaping the early narrative of the 2025 Formula 1 season.