Lewis Hamilton said his battle for a podium at the Chinese Grand Prix was among the most enjoyable races of his career after coming out on top in a tense fight for third place with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
The result marked Hamilton’s first grand prix podium for Ferrari and means he is just one point behind Leclerc for third place in the drivers’ championship.
The seven-time world champion took the lead of the race at the start, but was unable to keep the two Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, behind over the race distance.
Hamilton engaged in a multi-lap battle with Leclerc for second place from laps 24 to 27 before they were both passed by Russell, but regained third place when Leclerc locked up on lap 36.
Another tussle between the Ferrari teammates took place on lap 39 and lap 40, in which the pair appeared to make contact, but Hamilton ultimately came out on top.
“I had so much fun,” Hamilton said. “We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys [Mercedes] behind.
“But to stay in the fight is one of the most enjoyable races that I’ve had in a long, long time, if ever.”
The battle was largely dependent on how the two drivers managed their battery power around the lap, meaning it was even more difficult for either driver to break away from the other.
The added emphasis on managing electrical energy is at the core of F1’s new regulations for 2026, and Hamilton said it was crucial to providing good racing.
“The fact that the cars are the way they are this year meant that battle with Charles at the end was awesome. Great wheel-to-wheel battle.
“Very fair and just what we want. We’ve got to keep pushing.”
Hamilton confirmed there was contact with Leclerc, but said the racing was fair.
“I think there was one moment we did touch, but it was subtle,” he added. “Just a kiss, so it’s okay. But, you know, this is what it’s about.
“It’s about tough racing. And I’ve got to say a huge thank you to everyone at Ferrari, everyone back at Maranello for getting us into this position. I know it’s not exactly where we want to be.
“We want to be up front but we’ve got a great platform to work off. And we’ve just got to literally full gas.”
Hamilton also congratulated Antonelli, who replaced the seven-time champion at Mercedes last year, after the Italian took the first victory of his career on Sunday.
“I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi — I’m so, so happy for you, buddy,” he said while stood next to the Mercedes driver.
“And I’m so honoured to be able to share this moment with him. You know, he took my seat, obviously, at this great team. So, big congratulations to Mercedes.
“They’re really pulling ahead at the moment. We’ve got a lot of work to do to try and keep up.”
