Lewis Hamilton’s incredible record which will strike fear into rivals at Chinese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed his time racing in China and he will hope his form can continue with Ferrari this weekend.
He holds the record for most wins and pole positions around the Shanghai International Circuit and will want to grab another in 2026.
The Brit has won six times, securing the same amount of pole positions and standing on nine podiums.
His first win at the circuit was in the year he achieved his first championship in 2008.
The Ferrari driver’s most recent victory came in 2019 when Formula 1 celebrated their 1000th race.
The track holds significance in Hamilton’s career.
In his inaugural year in the sport, the Chinese Grand Prix was the penultimate race and he only needed to outscore Fernando Alonso to become the first rookie to ever win the title.
However, with degraded tyres, the former McLaren driver slid into the gravel trap at the pit lane entrance which forced his first Formula 1 retirement.
It led to Hamilton losing crucial points in his fight for the championship which he ultimately lost to Kimi Raikkonen in the final race in Brazil.
A year later, he made a comeback, leading from start to finish at the iconic circuit, ki off his first championship winning campaign.
The former Mercedes driver previously spoke about his form at the Chinese Grand Prix, in 2015 he said: “China has been a race that I have very much enjoyed over the years.
“The fanbase they have there seems to be growing every year so it makes it an exceptional weekend for me.
“But the circuit is incredibly tough. It’s a lot of right-handers, very, very tough on the front tyres so front graining is the biggest issue. So it is really, really important to find a good balance.”
He added: “It’s one of the circuits where you have to put the balance to a point where you have lots of front, which suits my driving style because I like a car that is oversteering.
“So it is actually a circuit that suits my attacking style that people talk about.”
The Brit’s most recent success in Shanghai came in 2025 as Hamilton picked up his first-ever victory for the Scuderia by winning the Sprint race after he secured a surprising pole.
However, the story was very different on race day as both Ferrari cars for the Italian team were disqualified, Hamilton’s due to excessive plank wear and Charles Leclerc’s car being underweight.
The 41-year-old will have a battle on his hands to be victorious in 2026.
Mercedes looks to be leading the way once again.
They did so in the season opener in Australia. which split driver opinion on the new regulations.
Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, though, believes the weekend will be a ‘completely different story’.
He said: “In terms of energy [deployment], it’s almost the opposite [to Australia].
“Conditions will probably be much colder in China and we’ll have the Sprint format, it means much less time to adapt the strategy.
“It will be a completely different exercise.”
The team from Maranello looked aggressive in Melbourne as they finished third and fourth, with Leclerc taking the lead from George Russell on the first corner and engaging in a duel for ten laps, with Hamilton running close behind the pair.
Their afternoons may have been very different if they had pitted under the Virtual Safety Car but there are many reasons for the team to be optimistic moving forward into the rest of the season.
Current drivers on the grid who also have a history of winning around the circuit include Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, with Alonso winning there twice.
Additionally, the Scuderia have revealed they will bring the innovative rotating rear wing.
Ferrari are clearly feeling the good vibes, with a sign above their logo featuring the ‘prancing horse’, whilst alluding to the fact it’s the year of the horse in the Chinese zodiac calendar.
Hopefully a lucky sign for the Scuderia in China where lights out for the race will at 7am UK time on Sunday.
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