Lewis Hamilton has turned out on “Yapping” critics for making “uneducated guesses” about his Ferrari debut matches after completing a remarkable turn to win the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint.
After struggling to 10. In the wet in Melbourne on his first Ferrari performance last weekend, Hamilton Sprint Pole took on Friday, before producing an excellent drive to ease the victory in Saturday’s 19-step competition.
The seven-time world champion’s blockbuster switch to Ferrari after 12 seasons with Mercedes made him the center of attention to the season opener in Australia, with a lot of analysis following a display that Hamilton reflected on after sealing China Sprintstang as a “disaster”.
Hamilton spoke in his on-track post-race interview at Shanghai International Circuit after his victory, Hamilton said: “I really feel that many people underestimated the steep climb, it’s to get into a new team, be acclimated in the team, understanding and communication-all kinds of things.
“The amount of critics and people I heard, yapping along the way, obviously not understanding maybe because they never had the experience or were ignorant.
“It felt good to come here and be more comfortable in the car because in Melbourne I didn’t feel big in the car. From lap 1 this weekend we’ve been on it.”
When he spoke at a press conference shortly after, Hamilton was asked if the criticism he had talked about on track made it more satisfactory to have demanded the first sprint victory in his career.
He said, “I’m not really talking back to them or something similar. It’s just we live in such a strange time in the world that people just love to be negative at every occasion, even with the smallest things you love to be negative at it. It’s the difficult time we live in.
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Lewis Hamilton has beaten back to those who criticized his radio exchange with the Ferrari Race Engineer Riccardo Adami and says his communication will be stronger ‘race to race’.
“I see certain individuals, and again I don’t really read the news, but I see bits here and there. I see people that I have admired for years, just talking out of turn. Obviously some of them really just make uneducated guesses about what’s going on.
“There is a real lack of appreciation, it’s not easy to move to a new team that works completely differently, a completely different characteristic of car. You don’t just jump in and that’s good.”
Hamilton had spoken ahead of the season of his admiration for the speed on which former Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel had settled in the Italian team, and once again compared his journey with them from his former world champions.
He added: “It’s true if you look at SEB, you look at Fernando, they did a good job when they joined the team in their early stages.
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Run on board with Lewis Hamilton as he took a sensational pole for the sprint qualification on the Chinese Grand Prix.
“But to build long -term success with the team takes time to build, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I try not to jump with it or get in front of myself. I just take my time to build with this big team. There’s so much potential in this team.
“In order for us to be on the second race and have that experience, this is a trace I have been doing well for many, many years, so you have to take it a little.
“But in general, I’ve felt really good in the car, and when I learn more where the car likes to be set up for a track like this, for example when I get to another track, the site, the last, I think I have a bit of a better understanding of where to put it.”
‘We can’t get in front of ourselves’
Hamilton’s Sprint triumph in Shanghai was surprising not only in light of his debut performance, but also because McLaren had seemed comfortable in front of their rivals.
Lando Norris won in Melbourne and McLaren would probably have had a one-two if it had not been for Oscar Piastri spinning in the rain.
The couple were clear favorites for Sprint Pole, but Piastri was third and Norris sixth. The Australian managed to pass Max Verstappen second in the sprint, but Norris could only save eighth after losing three places on the opening meat.
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Lewis Hamilton led from start to finish as he claimed his first win with Ferrari in the sprint of the Chinese Grand Prix.
When asked after the race on the result, he had confidence that he and Ferrari can compete with McLaren on silverware this season, Hamilton preached caution.
He said, “We just came from a race where we ended 10. So there are so many factors that really take into account.
“We just can’t get ahead of ourselves from the one result that we just had.
“The car felt good today, and yes, managed to finish in front of a McLaren and a Red Bull. But that doesn’t necessarily mean … You know, look at the qualification, it’s very, very close.
“So not to make the mistakes become key. But I think we seem to be there or so this weekend, which is really good.
“I hope it goes on. But again, from track to track, we’ll have to wait and see. We saw last week that we didn’t have it.
“I hope there is a lot of experience from last week that we already used this week and the car has been in a much better place, so I hope we can keep it there. And if we can, then yes, it makes me happy.”
Sky Sports F1’s Live Chinese GP Plan
Saturday, March 22
- 06.35: Chinese GP-qualifying Building*
- 07:00: Chinese GP qualification*
- 9:00 pm: Teds qualifying notebook*
Sunday 23 March
- 2.40: F1 Academy Race 2
- 5.30pm: Chinese GP building: Grand Prix Sunday*
- 07:00: The Chinese Grand Prix*
- 9:00 pm: Chinese GP -Reafter: Ruted Flag*
- 10:00 pm: Teds Notebook*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Shanghai this week for the first sprint weekend of the season of Chinese GP, Live On Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports With Now – No Contract, Cancel anytime