Lewis Hamilton declared he’s back to his peak after securing the first podium of his Ferrari career at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.
While 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli stamped himself as Formula One’s second youngest race winner, Hamilton, the man he succeeded at Mercedes, ended a 477-day wait for a top-three finish with his most commanding performance in red since the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2024.
George Russell finished second, holding a four-point lead over teammate Antonelli in the championship hunt.
Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari was a rough ride. At one point, he called himself “useless” and even suggested the team consider replacing him, making his Chinese GP resurgence all the more striking.
Hamilton has been revitalized by the smaller, lighter, nimbler generation of cars, which resemble a throwback to his glory years in the sport that yielded a record-tying seven championships.
The 41-year-old said: “I definitely feel like I am back, both mentally and physically, to my best. But I still feel there is room to improve.
“I started this voyage, this dream of moving to Ferrari and being on the top step with them.
“This podium has taken longer than I had hoped. But after a difficult year, to be able to develop and work on this season’s car gives me huge pride.
“Training last winter was the most intense I have ever had, and that goes hand in hand with being older, and it takes longer to recover.
“However, I have managed to pull on these new tools. I decided on Christmas Day how I was going to start this season and what I was going to do mentally, and I am going to continue to tweak that. There is more to come.
“A first win is more in sight than ever before, and last year it could not have been further from view. I really do believe in everyone at Maranello and that Mercedes’ advantage is not an impossible feat to overcome.
“I know it is not exactly where we want to be, but we have a great platform to work from and we have to be full gas.”
Starting third on the grid, Hamilton took the lead in his fast-starting Ferrari before Mercedes displayed their superiority.
Hamilton then traded positions with teammate Charles Leclerc six times in a thrilling duel for third.
“It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth,” Hamilton said. “There was one moment that we did touch, but it was subtle, just a kiss. There was a thin piece of paper between us at times, but we did not exchange any paint, and that is down to great drivers and respect.”
