Hamilton nails Ferrari podium

Lewis Hamilton finished third at the Chinese Grand Prix on March 15 for his first Formula 1 podium since joining Ferrari. (formula1.com) The official result from Shanghai showed Andrea Kimi Antonelli winning for Mercedes in 1:33:15.607, George Russell finishing second by 5.515 seconds, and Hamilton taking third, 25.267 seconds back. Charles Leclerc was fourth in the other Ferrari. (formula1.com) Hamilton said after the race that Ferrari’s support through a difficult 2025 season helped him reach the podium at his 2026 return to Shanghai. He told Formula1.com the team in the garage had been “amazing” and kept telling him “Next time, next time” after missed chances last year. (gpblog.com) The result mattered because Hamilton went through the 2025 season without a Grand Prix podium in his first year with Ferrari, then opened 2026 with finishes of fourth in Australia, third in China and sixth in Japan. Ferrari has still put a car on the podium in each of the first three races, with Leclerc third in Australia and Japan. (gpblog.com) (planetf1.com) China also landed in the middle of Formula 1’s first season under its 2026 rules, which increased the role of battery energy and prompted complaints about cars braking early to recharge. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile said before the Shanghai race weekend that teams wanted to keep the rules in place for the opening races and review the data after China instead of making immediate changes. (gpfans.com) The race itself gave Hamilton a real fight rather than a quiet third place. ESPN reported that he started third, led briefly at the first corner, then spent the middle of the race battling Leclerc and Russell before holding on for the podium. (espn.co.uk) Not everyone read the podium as proof that Hamilton is fully back at the front. Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine said China is one of Hamilton’s strongest tracks and argued that Leclerc “outclassed” him the following weekend at Suzuka. (planetf1.com) Hamilton’s own account was narrower than that debate. He said the podium felt “like the first” because of how long he had worked for it, and because it came in Ferrari red after a year of near-misses. (gpblog.com)