Hamilton earns 1st victory with Ferrari in Chinese sprint race

Lewis Hamilton's first win with Ferrari is in the books.

The seven-time champion won Saturday's sprint race in China, converting on his pole position at Shanghai International Circuit.

"It's hard to put into words what it feels like," Hamilton said after the victory, according to The Athletic's Luke Smith. "Obviously it's a sprint race, not the main race, but it's a good stepping stone to what I've been working towards."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri passed four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen late to end the race in second place, nearly seven seconds behind the leader. Verstappen rounded out the podium, finishing in third.

Full points for the abbreviated 19-lap event:

Qualifying for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix is slated for 3 a.m. ET Saturday.

It was the first sprint race of the young F1 season after the campaign opened last weekend with the Australian Grand Prix. Lando Norris won the opener while Hamilton disappointingly debuted in 10th.