Lewis Hamilton Brands Chinese GP His “Most Enjoyable Race In a Longtime”

Lewis Hamilton is overjoyed after finally scoring his maiden podium finish with Ferrari at the Chinese GP.

Lewis Hamilton Brands Chinese GP His “Most Enjoyable Race In a Longtime”

Lewis Hamilton (via F1)

In Short
  • Lewis Hamilton achieved his maiden podium finish with Ferrari, securing P3 at the Chinese GP.
  • He described the race as one of the most enjoyable in a long time, highlighting an intense battle with Charles Leclerc.
  • Hamilton expressed gratitude to Ferrari for their strong performance and confidence in building on this success for the 2026 season.

Lewis Hamilton has finally achieved his maiden podium finish with Ferrari after racing with them for over a year. The Briton suffered from a dismal performance slump in 2025 and couldn’t achieve any notable results. However, after starting the 2026 season on the right note, Hamilton has finally achieved his best finish for the Italian constructor, a P3 finish in China.

The Chinese GP has remained one of the better races for Lewis Hamilton. He picked up his first sprint race victory for Ferrari at this circuit back in 2025. Now, a podium finish in the main race has made the event all the more special. The seven-time champion was understandably overjoyed on achieving this feat and has opened up on his thoughts.

Lewis Hamilton boldly noted that the Chinese GP was one of the most enjoyable races that he had participated in a long time. The Briton recalled the awesome battle with Charles Leclerc for the P3 finish, which was very intense and wheel-to-wheel. Further, Hamilton joked that there was only one instance where they ‘kissed’ with their cars, but it was alright as there was no massive damage.

It was one of the most enjoyable races I have had in a long time, if not ever. The battle with Charles was awesome, wheel to wheel but fair. I think there was one moment we did touch but it was subtle – just a kiss so it was okay.

Lewis Hamilton said in a post-race interview.

Ultimately, Lewis Hamilton thanked Ferrari for their strong showing in China and for starting the 2026 season on the right foot. The 41-year-old is confident that the team has a strong base and will only have to develop from this point forward. Maranello is already looking much stronger in terms of performance as compared to 2025 and hence has much better chances of succeeding this time around.

A huge thank you to everyone at Ferrari for getting us into this position, we have a great platform to work off.

Lewis Hamilton added.

Lewis Hamilton reveals he’s ‘pleased’ to share podium with Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli was the driver to watch closely at the Chinese GP as he made history on Sunday. Firstly, Antonelli became the youngest driver to achieve pole position at just 19 years of age. Now, he has also achieved his maiden victory with Mercedes. As such, Lewis Hamilton was delighted to see his replacement at Mercedes scoring good results with the German carmaker.

Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli (via F1)
Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli (via F1)

Lewis Hamilton congratulated Kimi Antonelli on the race win. Further, he noted that he was pleased to be sharing this lovely moment with the youngster. Hamilton recalled that he had a lot of fun throughout the race. However, it was simply impossible to keep up with Mercedes’ dominant pace at the forefront to battle them for the victory.

Firstly, I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi, I’m so happy for you Kimi and I’m so pleased to be sharing this moment with him. I had so much fun, we had a great start but just couldn’t keep these guys behind.

Lewis Hamilton noted.

The 2026 season has just started, and the races have remained very exciting so far. The entire Chinese GP witnessed multiple overtakings and close moments in all sectors of the grid. As such, the coming races will be even more exciting as the rivals aim to close in on the development gap to Mercedes at the forefront.

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