Ferrari delivered one of the standout performances of the Chinese Grand Prix, igniting the race from the very first corner as Lewis Hamilton surged into the lead out of Turn 1, with Charles Leclerc briefly following him through.
Although the Monegasque driver soon lost out to Kimi Antonelli a few corners later, he quickly found himself locked in a tense fight with George Russell for third place. Once Hamilton slipped behind the teenage race leader, the two Ferraris became the centrepiece of the afternoon, engaging in multiple wheel‑to‑wheel battles that kept Russell at bay for a significant portion of the race.
Eventually, Russell did manage to break through, leaving the spotlight on the intra‑team duel for the final podium position. In the closing stages, Hamilton ultimately edged out his teammate, securing his maiden podium in Ferrari colours and marking an important milestone in his first season with the Scuderia.
Team Principal Fred Vasseur was quick to praise the effort from both drivers and the team as a whole. “It was a positive weekend overall and I’m happy for Lewis, as this first podium with Ferrari is an important step for him,” he said, emphasising that the team remains focused on closing the gap to their main rivals.
“Of course we are still a long way off Mercedes and we need to work very hard in the coming weeks. We are working on all elements of our package, although it is a bit more difficult on the power unit as it is frozen at the moment, so we need to make progress in different areas.”
Vasseur also highlighted Leclerc’s strong performance and the excitement generated by the intra‑team battle. “Charles also had a positive weekend and the duel between our two drivers was very exciting, to the point that I had to check my heart rate!” he admitted.
Despite the intensity of the fight, he made it clear that team orders were never on the table. “I trust both of them and I didn’t want to ask them to freeze the positions, because that would have been unfair. They are professionals and today’s battle was good for the team and good for the sport.”
The Ferrari boss also took a moment to acknowledge the breakthrough performance of race winner Kimi Antonelli. “I’m also very pleased for Kimi (Antonelli). He had a strong weekend from start to finish. The first win is always very difficult to get, so he did very well.”