Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur points out “negative” after Lewis Hamilton pole position

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has kept his feet on the ground despite Lewis Hamilton’s first pole position for the team.

Hamilton took an unexpected pole in sprint qualifying on Friday for Saturday’s sprint race at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix.

He edged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.018s to register his first thrilling moment as a Ferrari driver in the 2025 F1 season.

Lewis Hamilton pole position for sprint race in China

However, the always-realistic Vasseur is refusing to get too excited.

“It’s better than last week! But it’s still difficult to read and to understand, from one session to the other,” Vasseur told Sky Sports.

“Sometimes McLaren have a huge gap, sometimes it is not so.

“Let’s analyse the data. I think we have a lot of work to do.

“For sure, it’s a good feeling if you compare with last week where we struggled a lot in quali and in the race. For sure, this is much better.

“It gives positive energy to the team, and this is good. But I always see the negative!

“We can score points this weekend in the sprint, and this is positive.

“Lewis [had consistency in qualifying] and this is good.”

Read more: Lewis Hamilton ‘gobsmacked’ after stunning first Ferrari F1 pole

Ferrari endured a sub-par F1 Australian Grand Prix last weekend, beginning the season with a tyre strategy call which backfired and left Hamilton 10th, and Charles Leclerc eighth.

Hamilton was also scrutinised for the tone of his radio messages with engineer Riccardo Adami.

They were expected to remain behind the quick McLarens on Friday in China.

But, at the Shanghai International Circuit where Hamilton has won six races before, he was fourth in opening practice then first in sprint qualifying.

Hamilton has given himself the best possible opportunity to win the sprint race, which is the first session of Saturday’s running.

However, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is third (behind Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen), so will be an obvious threat.

It then remains to be seen whether Hamilton can deliver another impressive lap in qualifying for the grand prix, which takes place after the sprint race on Saturday.