Lewis Hamilton celebrated a podium finish at the 2026 Formula 1 (F1) Chinese GP, claiming third place behind Kimi Antonelli, who scored his maiden Grand Prix victory, and George Russell in P2. The result marked Hamilton’s 203rd career podium and his first with Ferrari since joining the Scuderia.
The seven-time World Champion has had a strong start to his 2026 F1 season. At the F1 Australian GP, the Briton fell just short of a podium position in P4, but a strong showing in Shanghai brought him the result in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Reflecting on Antonelli’s win
Speaking in the FIA F1 Chinese GP post-race press conference, Hamilton began by congratulating Antonelli, reflecting on the significance of witnessing a young driver achieve his first victory.
“I’ve already said it, but a huge congratulations to this one here because it was amazing yesterday to be up here with him whilst he got his first pole, and now to get the first win. It’s truly special getting your first Grand Prix win, I remember getting my first.”
When reminded that Antonelli was born the year Hamilton won his first F1 race, he laughed: “Ha! You were born in 2006, right? That’s ridiculous! So, it’s amazing to see that. After so many years and then seeing him come through and seeing talented young people who truly deserve it get to the top, it’s really awesome. So, congratulations, mate.”
Hamilton’s progress at Ferrari
For the 2025 F1 season, Hamilton made the unexpected move from Mercedes to Ferrari, in hopes of achieving great success with the Maranello-based team. However, the 2025 season did not unfold exactly as he had envisioned, though the Briton said he remains proud of the progress the team has made together.
“And then for me, I started this voyage and this dream of moving to Ferrari and being on the top step with them, and this podium has taken longer than I had hoped.
“After a difficult year last year, to be able to be a part of developing with them, working with them over the past year, gives me huge pride and it’s such a privilege to be a part of this brand. They provided us a really solid car.”
Hamilton believes Ferrari’s 2026 package has strong pace through the corners and the potential to challenge during races, though he acknowledged there are still areas to improve in order to match the straight-line speed of the Mercedes package.
“As George was saying, we’ve got a great package, particularly through corners, just got to step it up to be able to keep up with them on the straights. But yeah, it’s a very special day, and especially as it’s, I guess, Mother’s Day. My mum’s here, and yeah, it’s been an awesome week.”
Hamilton’s F1 Chinese GP
After finishing P3 in Saturday’s Sprint Race, he continued that momentum to the start of Sunday’s Grand Prix, surging to the lead in Lap 1 of the race after driving around the outside of polesitter, Antonelli.
This lead did not last long, as Antonelli proceeded to overtake Hamilton on the next lap. But Hamilton’s main focused then shifted to Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc, where they continued to battle it out throughout the race.
Reflecting on the fight afterwards, Hamilton praised the 2026 cars and regulations, explaining that the close racing he experienced with Leclerc was among the best he has encountered during his time in Formula 1.
“Yeah, the cars are easier to follow, much better than past years. You can get very close. There’s not a bad wake where you’re losing too much downforce. I think it’s the best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1. Of course, these guys are pulling past us at crazy speeds, but to be able to all be so close… It’s great that we have the good start at the moment and hopefully that stays the same through the year.”
Down to great drivers and respect
Hamilton came out on top within the close team battle, rounding out the podium behind Antonelli and Russell. Clearly much happier in the 2026 car, he added that the close racing between the pair wouldn’t have been possible without respect and being great drivers.
“Given that they’ve gone for a different option where they have more power, we’ve got to figure out how we can improve our straight-line speed. But hopefully it was an exciting race to watch for you guys because it was awesome in the car.
“It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth, and you could really position your car in a nice way where there was a thin piece of paper between us sometimes, but we didn’t exchange any paint. I think that’s down to great drivers and respect.”
Looking ahead to his 2026 season
Hamilton also spoke positively about the prospect of securing his first victory with Ferrari, believing that the milestone is now closer than ever before. However, the Brit acknowledged that there are still improvements to be made, particularly in race pace, if the team is to challenge consistently for wins.
“I definitely feel that I could say that it’s more in sight than ever before. Last year it couldn’t have been further from view. But I think as you’ve seen, these guys in qualifying — somehow we were a little bit closer in qualifying yesterday — but in the race trim I think they’ve got four or five tenths on us at the moment.”
He further explained that closing that gap will require significant gains across multiple areas of performance.
“That’s a huge step to pick up, both in downforce and efficiency and also power. That’s a huge upgrade that we need to push for. But I really do believe in everyone back in Maranello and that it’s not an impossible feat to overcome. So yeah, forza Ferrari, we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
