Lewis Hamilton secures first Ferrari podium as Kimi Antonelli wins in China
Lewis Hamilton has secured his first podium finish for Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix, declaring himself rejuvenated after a difficult debut season with the Italian team.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli converted pole position into his maiden Formula 1 victory, leading home team-mate George Russell in a dominant one-two finish.
The starting grid was notably missing the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who both failed to start following critical power unit failures.
Hamilton rediscovers his rhythm
The seven-time world champion looks in significantly better shape after two races this year than he did throughout a challenging 2025 campaign.
The 41-year-old was comprehensively outperformed by team-mate Charles Leclerc last season and openly struggled with his confidence on the track.
“I definitely feel like I’m back to my best, both mentally and physically,” the former Mercedes driver said.
“Training this winter has been the heaviest and the most intense that I’ve ever had, and that probably comes hand in hand with being older.”
Adapting to a new aerodynamic era
The British veteran famously struggled to adapt his driving style to the ground-effect cars introduced during recent Formula 1 seasons.
His natural approach relies heavily on late braking and utilising pitch changes for rotation, a technique poorly suited to the previous aerodynamic philosophy.
However, recent technical regulations have shifted car dynamics back towards a style reminiscent of the pre-2022 era.
Age and technical evolution
This crucial aerodynamic shift has allowed the legendary racer to drive his car in a much more familiar and comfortable manner.
Pundits had previously questioned if age was restricting his ability to form new neural pathways and adapt to unfamiliar grip levels.
“I do think there’s more to come as I can still eke out more performance from this car while I continue learning about it,” Hamilton concluded.
