'Race pace is similar to Mercedes' – Leclerc and Hamilton assess 'strong' China Sprint for Ferrari

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have reflected on a positive Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix, the pair having claimed a double podium for the Scuderia amid an exciting battle for the win.

Hamilton briefly took the lead on the first lap of the 19-lap Sprint after starting P4 and engaged in a frenetic duel with poleman and eventual race winner George Russell across the opening laps.

The seven-time World Champion then battled team mate Leclerc, the pair going wheel-to-wheel through the opening corners at one stage, with the latter eventually gaining the advantage and finishing within a second of Russell at the chequered flag.

"I’m pretty happy with the race," said Leclerc, the Ferrari driver having started from P6. "I think the pace was quite strong – we had a bit of fighting which made me lose time to George and then it was difficult to catch up.

"But it’s good to see that at least our race pace is similar to Mercedes and our Qualifying pace. Pretty happy with the car today."

A late Safety Car period brought the leading drivers into the pits for new soft Pirelli rubber, but a moment of wheelspin exiting the Turn 14 hairpin at the restart meant Leclerc was unable to challenge Russell over the final three laps.

"Well I think the tyres were a little bit colder than what I expected," said Leclerc.

"I saw George actually having a snap and I was like, ‘Okay, this is probably my opportunity to take the lead’, so I tried to go a bit more aggressive on throttle but I had the same rear grip as George so I nearly lost it, but luckily I didn’t completely lose it."

Hamilton, meanwhile, recovered to third after passing McLaren's Lando Norris in the final laps at Turn 1, the Briton having had to stack behind Leclerc at the pit stop.

With the Shanghai International Circuit the scene of his only victory for Ferrari 12 months ago in the Sprint, Hamilton was encouraged by the result in 2026 and under the new regulations.

"A big thank you to the team for us to be able to be in this position fighting with the Mercedes at the front," he said.

"It was a close battle at the beginning – their speed on the straights is a little bit too much at the moment, but I put up a good fight. I killed my left tyre so I wasn’t able to hold onto position.

"It’s just a much better car [than last year] that we’ve designed and I’ve been a part of developing it, so definitely a lot happier in it and of course I was in the lead at one point so third is not the greatest, but I will try harder again tomorrow."