How Lewis Hamilton reacted to Sebastian Vettel setting the Chinese Grand Prix lap record for Ferrari, ‘another step…’

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Lewis Hamilton’s debut for Ferrari didn’t go as well as he would have liked, but he doesn’t have to wait long to try and improve on his 10th-place finish.

The Chinese Grand Prix is the second race of the 2025 F1 calendar and comes just seven days after the season opener in Melbourne.

Lewis Hamilton is by far the most successful Formula 1 driver at the Shanghai International Circuit.

He’s won six Grand Prix in China since the first race took place there in 2004, with Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg the only other repeat winners.

Ferrari have tasted victory on four occasions in Shanghai but not since 2013 when Alonso pipped Kimi Raikkonen to victory.

Alonso holds the record for the fastest lap set in a race in China, but the unofficial lap record belongs to Sebastian Vettel.

In 2018, Vettel put his Ferrari on pole position with a 1:31.095, beating Raikkonen by a tenth and a bemused Hamilton by more than half a second.

It’s safe to say the seven-time world champion wasn’t exactly thrilled when he discovered how far off the pace he was that day.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton frustrated after Sebastian Vettel’s 2018 Chinese Grand Prix lap record

Hamilton was interviewed by Formula 1’s official website after the qualifying session and reminded that he ‘paced the field’ in practice. Asked what changed, he said: “Ferrari picked up the pace.

“We definitely struggled in P3 and then we got to qualifying and it definitely wasn’t easy to work these tyres.

“But, I think, at the end, I thought we were kind of working them, but there was just not a lot of grip.

“So, I think it’s partly tyres but also they do have another step on their engine that has really sprung them into serious action which we currently are not matching.

“It’s definitely not great today when you’re also outperformed by your teammate [Valtteri Bottas], so that’s not a great feeling.”

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Sebastian Vettel delighted after ‘ridiculous’ Chinese Grand Prix pole position lap

It was put to Vettel by Will Buxton that his qualifying form was ‘ridiculous’ in China and his final sector was ‘incredible’. Asked where it came from, Vettel said: “I mean the first lap in Q3, I wasn’t happy because I had two moments in the exit of [turn] three and the exit of [turn] six.

“I didn’t lose a lot but I lost enough, then I was a little bit out of the rhythm and the tyres were too hot. I knew if I kept it clean on the second attempt it would also help me towards the end of the lap and that was the case.

“Obviously, we see the lap time delta inside the car and when I was looking, I saw that I’m on target and I had a good feeling.

“I felt that I was quicker, I know that I was quicker…I was surprised by the gap to Mercedes, I don’t think anybody including myself expected that.”

Unfortunately for Vettel, he couldn’t convert his incredible pole position into a victory.

Bottas had taken the lead by the time a safety car came out on lap 30 which allowed Red Bull to bring in their drivers for fresh tyres.

Daniel Ricciardo was the man to take full advantage, overtaking Bottas with 10 laps to go to secure the sixth win of his career.

Can Lewis Hamilton emulate Sebastian Vettel at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix?

Hamilton would love to be in the mix to win his first race for Ferrari in China but at this stage, it doesn’t appear to be realistic.

Ferrari struggled in Australia with their car seemingly losing performance as the race weekend went on.

They were the fourth-fastest team during a wet race and Hamilton had some communication issues with his race engineer as both parties got up to speed on what the other needed.

McLaren have by far the quickest car based on the evidence available so far, but a change to the FIA’s rear wing regulations could shake up the order this weekend.

It’s also the first sprint race of the season, giving every driver even less time to adapt to their cars before the competitive action starts.