Hamilton tops Leclerc for first Ferrari podium in China
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- Lewis Hamilton called the Chinese Grand Prix the "best racing I've ever experienced in Formula 1" after trading positions with Leclerc multiple times, comparing it to "go-karting" with "a thin piece of paper between us sometimes" — with only minor contact once, a "kiss" per Hamilton.
- Charles Leclerc failed to play the "team game," according to Sky Sports F1's Jacques Villeneuve, who said the intra-Ferrari duel "destroyed Ferrari's race" by wearing out tyres and letting George Russell's Mercedes capitalize.
- George Russell passed both Ferraris while they were scrapping, telling media: "I was just waiting for the two of them to collide and somehow they didn't. It was some of the most aggressive racing I've seen for a while."
- Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said he "trusts" his drivers and it would have been "unfair" to freeze their positions, insisting the rivalry is "the best way to build up a team" through internal emulation.
- Unlike 2025, when Leclerc was "clearly quicker than Hamilton for much of the season," the opening two races of 2026 show the pair are "much more evenly matched," per Sky Sports, raising the prospect of repeated clashes and potential team-order headaches.
- Hamilton appeared more settled with new interim race engineer Carlo Santi after last year's heated Miami GP exchanges with Riccardo Adami, when Hamilton told his team to "have a tea break while you're at it."
Why it matters: Two evenly-matched Ferrari drivers could cost the team points to Mercedes if their wheel-to-wheel battles keep wearing out tyres and surrendering track position. Vasseur has chosen to let them race rather than impose team orders, gambling that internal competition will lift both drivers — but the Chinese GP showed the downside when Russell slipped past both Ferraris.
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