WATCH: Unseen footage of Lewis Hamilton embracing his father, Anthony, after winning the pole position in China 

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton went to hug his dad, Anthony Hamilton, after clinching pole in the sprint shootout of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. As soon as the Ferrari driver got out of his car, he went straight to his father to celebrate the big moment.

Hamilton had a disappointing start to his Ferrari career, finishing P10 in the 2025 Australian Grand Prix held on March 16. However, in Shanghai, Ferrari's SF-25 had better performance and pace to match strong rivals such as McLaren and Red Bull. Hamilton capitalized on the opportunity to nail his strongest lap of the season during the sprint qualifying session held on Friday, March 21. He sailed through the Q3 session and broke the record for the fastest lap set (1:30.849) on the Shanghai circuit to clinch pole position.

As he got out of the car, he waved at the crowd and went straight to his dad, Anthony Hamilton, to share a warm hug. Anthony was excited and had a wide smile on his face as he congratulated his son for getting his first pole with Ferrari.

Watch this clip shared by @simsgazette on X (formerly Twitter):

In the post-qualifying interview, Hamilton revealed that he didn't expect to bounce back from a disappointing outing in Australia this quickly. However, he always had faith in SF-25's potential. While they weren't able to push the limit in Melbourne, the Shanghai track has suited Ferrari much better compared to the Albert Park Circuit of Melbourne.

While Hamilton got pole, his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc finished P4, behind Max Verstappen (P2) and Oscar Piastri (P3). Although the McLarens were quicker, their drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri made mistakes and finished P6 and P3, respectively.

The sprint race will take place on Saturday, March 22, followed by a qualifying session for the main race.

---

Lewis Hamilton looking forward to race on a dry track with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton at F1 Grand Prix Of China - Sprint Qualifying - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton's debut race with Ferrari in Australia was deeply hampered by wet conditions. He was racing SF-25 for the first time on wet tires and struggled to gain traction, finishing P10.

However, the weather for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix is sunny, and Hamilton is excited to run a real race in Shanghai. After clinching pole in the sprint shootout, Hamilton spoke to the media and said (via Motorsportweek):

“I didn’t get to do a race run in Bahrain. We did the race last weekend in the wet. But tomorrow will be my first real race run and Sunday will be my first proper race run in the dry with this car. I’m hoping that we can hold onto it, but I think the McLaren is very, very fast, as is Max. We’re in a good position, we’ll stay positive and we’ll keep our heads high and keep pushing forward."

For the main race on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton will have to perform well in another qualifying session scheduled for March 22 to get a front-row start.