Hamilton beats Leclerc in Shanghai, within one point

Lewis Hamilton framed his Chinese Grand Prix weekend as both a personal rebound and a technical reality check for Ferrari after taking third place in Shanghai and offering guarded assessments on the team’s ability to topple Mercedes. He described the race as “one of the most enjoyable” of his career after briefly leading at the start and ultimately finishing third — his first grand prix podium for Ferrari and the 203rd of his 20-year F1 career — having beaten teammate Charles Leclerc to secure the podium. He praised Ferrari’s progress and credited engineers’ work over the break, while also publicly congratulating Kimi Antonelli on his first win and noting that Mercedes drivers reasserted pace advantage during the race.

Technically and tactically, Hamilton gave a mixed but detailed appraisal of Ferrari’s competitiveness versus Mercedes. In qualifying he declared “Mercedes are beatable” after reducing his deficit to roughly 0.351 seconds on the grid, but he was more cautious about race prospects, calling it “highly unlikely” Ferrari could beat Mercedes to victory given an estimated 0.4–0.6s race-pace advantage that he linked to power‑unit performance and turbo efficiency. He said gusty winds had complicated his qualifying runs, and that tire wear, energy deployment and battery management under the 2026 regulations were decisive factors during on-track battles.

Hamilton vowed to use different tactics on Sunday to better manage energy and tire degradation, asked his team to explore alternative strategy options, and acknowledged Ferrari still needs a “huge upgrade” — roughly four to five tenths in race trim — to close the gap. He also highlighted the personal and technical work behind his form: he said he was “back to my best,” credited an intense winter training regime, a new trainer and a new engineer, and closer collaboration with Ferrari’s factory. On the sporting side, the result moved him to within one point of Leclerc in the drivers’ championship, while the weekend’s sprint and grand prix showed both the progress Ferrari has made and the remaining areas — power unit, energy and tire management — where Mercedes currently hold the edge.