The first Sprint race of the 2025 season at the Shanghai International Circuit gave fans a little bit of a flashback, as old rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen lined up side by side on the front row. 

Starting from pole after a record-setting lap in Sprint Qualifying, Hamilton has a clean start and defended well into Turn 1 from Verstappen. Meanwhile, Lando Norris lost three places, dropping from sixth to ninth, after running wide and kicking up dust.

On the other hand, Pierre Gasly gained impressive three places right after the start, while his former AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda jumped from eight to sixth.

George Russell then made a strong move on Leclerc to take fourth, getting "great skill" compliments from his race engineer. Further back, rookie Oliver Bearman was the best of the newcomers in 12th place, while Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson were locked in a tight fight from 15th to 19th.

Lawson, starting from last place, had a lively race, going wheel to wheel with Jack Doohan in a move for 18th, which ultimately resulted in a contant. The stewards looked into it but decided no further action was needed.

At the front, Hamilton pushed hard to open up a gap, briefly moving out of DRS range, but Verstappen quickly closed back in. The pair kept the pace high, running close together and just over a second ahead of Piastri, who was watching closely. As the laps went on, drivers started to struggle with tyre wear. Hamilton’s tyres were clearly showing signs of graining, while Norris told his team his fronts were “finished” as he remained stuck behind Stroll. Verstappen also reported "dead" front tyres.

By halfway through the 19-lap race, Hamilton was still leading, with Verstappen and Piastri close behind. A small mistake by Verstappen at the hairpin gave Hamilton a bit of room and allowed Piastri to get even closer to the Red Bull driver. On lap 15, Piastri made his move, diving down the inside at the hairpin to snatch second place with confidence.

Now in clear air, Hamilton stepped up the pace and began to pull away, with Piastri unable to close the gap and Verstappen starting to drop back. Behind them, Russell had his mirrors full of Leclerc, while Antonelli put pressure on Tsunoda for sixth.

Hamilton crossed the line seven seconds clear to take his first Sprint win with Ferrari, a strong bounce back he really needed after a tough debut in Australia. Piastri secured second with a smart and clean drive, while Verstappen had to settle for third this time around.

Russell held onto fourth ahead of Leclerc, with Tsunoda finishing sixth. Rookie Antonelli continued to impress by taking seventh, while Norris made a late move on Stroll to grab the final point in eighth.

There was late drama too, Doohan and Bortoleto made contact on the final lap as Doohan attempted an aggressive move up the inside of the Sauber. Bortoleto spun, and the incident may be looked at further. Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly could face a penalty after investigation launch for not following the maximum delta time while driving to the grid before the race.

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