Lewis Hamilton’s body language at the Chinese Grand Prix is strikingly different to one year ago

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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton arrived at the 2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix in a far more optimistic mood than he showed even after winning the Sprint in Shanghai last term.

Hamilton recorded his only podium finish of any kind as a Ferrari driver so far when he won the F1 Sprint in Shanghai in March last year. But the 2025 Chinese GP ultimately served as a wake-up call for Ferrari, as the Scuderia endured a double disqualification in the main race.

Ferrari recorded their first-ever double disqualification in the 2025 Chinese GP, as post-race checks found Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 was underweight, along with excessive wear on one of the skid blocks on Hamilton’s car. The Scuderia duo lost their P5 and P6 results respectively.

The 2025 Chinese GP weekend had started on a far more positive note for Hamilton, in what was his second event as a Ferrari driver. Hamilton won the Sprint in China from pole position in 2025, but the Grand Prix revealed Ferrari’s ride height issues that derailed their campaign.

Lewis Hamilton is decidedly more optimistic at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

Hamilton has now returned to Shanghai for the 2026 Chinese GP this week in a better mood than even after he won the F1 Sprint there last season. That is according to Leo Turrini, who claims the F1 Sprint win a year ago did not convince Hamilton that a title fight would follow.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Chinese GP, with F1 Sprint and Grand Prix start times

The seven-time champion’s body language at the Shanghai International Circuit on Thursday was ‘strikingly different’ compared to one year ago. Hamilton’s improved outlook follows his P4 in the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, just 0.625s off the podium, last week to start the term.

In fact, Hamilton seems decidedly more optimistic for what lies ahead this season. He only qualified P7 at Albert Park last weekend, but the Briton made a rapid start to the race, and then arguably finished the Australian GP with superior pace to his teammate Leclerc in P3.

Lewis Hamilton will hope to score his first Grand Prix podium as a Ferrari driver in China

Hamilton looked the most comfortable he has been as a Ferrari driver from the start of the weekend in Melbourne. And by the end of the weekend, Hamilton believed he could have overtaken Leclerc in the Australian GP with a couple more laps, given he had “great pace”.

The Stevenage-born racer also took “lots and lots of positives” from his P4 in the Australian GP last week. Now, the positives that Hamilton found at Albert Park have seen him arrive in Shanghai in high spirits, which he will no doubt hope leads to his first podium for Ferrari.

Hamilton failed to score a Grand Prix podium in a season for the first time in his F1 career in 2025 after joining Ferrari, with his P4 finishes in Imola, Austria, Britain and the USA the best he managed. Hamilton has already earned one P4 in 2026, and will now want to build on it.