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Lewis Hamilton ‘bullied’ Lando Norris in the F1 Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix, says Sam Bird
Sam Bird has praised Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton for his “feisty” start to the F1 Sprint at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, which saw him fight Lando Norris and George Russell.
Hamilton made immediate use of a rapid start from fourth place on the grid at the Shanghai International Circuit this Saturday to do battle with his fellow Britons from the off. Mercedes ace Andrea Kimi Antonelli had qualified P2 for the Sprint but a poor start dropped him to P9.
In the end, Hamilton’s early battles came back to bite him, as the 41-year-old fell behind his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after his medium C3 Pirelli tyres started to fade. Ferrari pit both of their drivers under a late safety car to cement P2 and P3, with Leclerc 1.880s ahead.
Mercedes star Russell converted pole to win the Sprint in China by only 0.674s over Leclerc, thanks to the safety car on Lap 13 of 19 to recover Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi. Russell had built a five-second lead over Leclerc prior to the safety car, after surviving his fight with Hamilton.
Credit: Kyle Archer
