Lewis Hamilton admitted it was his “biggest challenge” to reach the podium as a Ferrari driver after finally ending his wait at the Chinese Grand Prix.
In his 26th race since joining F1’s most famous team early last year, Hamilton achieved a career record-extending 203rd podium, his first since the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2024 when he was still a Mercedes driver.
In Sunday’s Shanghai race, Hamilton rose from third on the grid to the top, underscoring Ferrari’s new talent at the start. He was quickly overtaken by Kimi Antonelli, who took the win, and was eventually passed by George Russell as well, but after several close races, he won a convincing battle for third place with teammate Charles Leclerc.
“I’ve been working hard to get on the podium,” Hamilton said. Hamilton equaled Ferrari’s previous best result of fourth place at last week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“It’s the hardest thing to do in my career to get on the podium and the biggest challenge to get it, so I just had to bide my time.
“Coming into the season, I think I really developed a really positive mental attitude and I’m carrying that with me.”
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Highlights of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari combined the most successful driver in the sport with the most successful team, but his debut year saw him struggle in red, with the Italians also underwhelmed by the car’s performance on track, finishing fourth in the standings.
But Ferrari started the new era of F1 rules strongly, proving Mercedes’ closest challenger in the opening two races, and Hamilton, 41, also looked rejuvenated.
“I started this voyage and the dream of moving to Ferrari and being on the top step with them, but it took me longer than I expected to get to this podium,” said the seven-time world champion.
“While the past year has been challenging, I am extremely proud to have been able to work with them over the past year and am honored to be a part of this brand.
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Kimi Antonelli, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton reflect on key moments from the Chinese Grand Prix in the cool-down room.
“They gave us a really solid car. As George[Russell]said, we have a great package, especially going through the corners, but we need to step up to be able to keep up with them on the straights.”
“But yeah, it’s a very special day, especially now that I think it’s Mother’s Day. My mom is here too, and it’s been a great week.”
Hamilton, who has been without a podium for the worst 16 months of his career, was also asked in the post-race press conference whether he felt close to winning his first Grand Prix with Ferrari.
He replied: “I think you could say it’s more in our sights than ever before. We couldn’t have been further out of our sights last year.
“But as you can see, in qualifying, the (Mercedes) guys, somehow in yesterday’s qualifying we were a little bit closer, but in race trim I think they’re four or five tenths ahead of us at the moment.”
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A thrilling start to the Chinese Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton took the lead and Isaac Hajar spun.
“This is a big step to gain, both in downforce, efficiency and power. This is a big upgrade that we need to push for. But I really believe in everyone back at Maranello and I believe that it is not an impossible feat to overcome. So, yes, Forza Ferrari, we need to keep pushing.”
“I touched…just a kiss!” – Hamilton and Leclerc make a fuss over Shanghai duel
For the second week in a row, the Ferrari drivers spent the entire race in close proximity to each other, and again, similar to Saturday’s sprint, they engaged in close wheel-to-wheel racing, exchanging places numerous times.
Hamilton admitted that he “touched” the car at one point, but said both drivers enjoyed a nail-biting battle.
“It was a lot of fun,” Hamilton said.
“We had a great start. We couldn’t put them (Mercedes) away, but we had to keep fighting and it was one of the most enjoyable races in a long long race.”
Lewis Hamilton returns to F1 podium for first time in 16 months
“The fact that the car is in this condition this year… the battle with Charles at the end was great. The wheel-to-wheel battle was great, very fair and exactly what we wanted. We have to keep pushing.”
“I think there was a moment of contact, but it was subtle. It was just a kiss, so it wasn’t a problem. But that’s what’s important. It’s about a tough race.”
Leclerc also said it was “really fun”, especially after it became clear that they were effectively fighting against themselves for the right to the final podium.
“I don’t often smile after finishing fourth,” said Leclerc, who was third in Melbourne last week.
“Of course, there is one big negative after a race like this, and this is the difference to Mercedes. Lewis and I gave our best effort. We obviously lost time, so maybe the difference is a little bigger than we thought.”
“After they were gone, we decided to at least fight for a podium. So the race time was not optimized, but the result remained the same. They are very strong at the moment.”
“In Australia we expected them to be very strong, but in the race they didn’t show that pace. In the China Sprint, we expected them but they never showed it. On Sunday they finally showed it. It’s a big difference. It’s a shame.”
And although the drivers may have been stuck on the pit wall several times over the course of 56 laps, team principal Frédéric Vasseur said he was glad to let them race.
“I trust them,” Vasseur told Sky Sports F1.
“For sure, it’s always difficult because it’s difficult to stop them and I don’t want to ask them to freeze positions because I think that would be unfair.
“They were professional and did a very good job. It’s good for the team and good for F1. I prefer it to stay the way it is.”
F1 will next head to the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix from March 27-29, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
