Hamilton takes first win for Ferrari in China sprint

Shanghai: Lewis Hamilton celebrated his first Formula One win for Ferrari after leading a Chinese Grand Prix sprint from start to finish in only his second race for the Italian team on Saturday.

The seven-times world champion, on pole position, managed his tyres superbly to take the chequered flag 6.889 seconds clear of McLaren's Oscar Piastri with Red Bull's Max Verstappen finishing third in the 100km race.

It was the first time Hamilton, the record winner of 105 regular grands prix who joined from Mercedes in January, and Ferrari had won a sprint since the shortened format was introduced in 2021.

McLaren's Lando Norris, winner of the season-opener in Australia, stayed top of the standings after struggling to seize a point in eighth. Norris now has 26 to Verstappen's 24.

Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was fifth, behind Mercedes' George Russell.

"I woke up feeling great today," said Hamilton.

"The first race (in Melbourne) was difficult. I really did feel a lot of people underestimated the steep climb it is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised within the team, understanding and communication - all sorts of things.

"The amount of critics and people I've heard yapping along the way, clearly not understanding maybe because they'd never had the experience or just were unaware.

"So it felt great to come here and be more comfortable in the car because in Melbourne I didn't feel comfortable in the car. From lap one here this weekend, (I was) really feeling on it. The engineers and mechanics have done a great job."