Hamilton credits Ferrari support after long-awaited podium at Chinese Grand Prix

The seven-time World Champion made the seismic move from Mercedes to the Scuderia for the 2025 season, but a disastrous debut campaign at the Italian team saw the Brit miss out on a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his illustrious career.

However, the 2026 season has been far more fruitful for the 41-year-old amid a change in regulations, leading to his first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The podium was also shared with former teammate George Russell, his Mercedes replacement, Kimi Antonelli, and his former race engineer, Peter Bonnington, making the moment all the sweeter.

"I have been trying to make it to that podium for so long, I’ve never had to work so hard just to get a podium," Hamilton said while speaking to Formula1.com.

Hamilton couldn't make it back-to-back podiums at the Japanese Grand Prix, but another solid performance saw him record three top-six finishes to open up his campaign.

But after the Grand Prix weekend in Japan, the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix brought a five-week hiatus to Formula 1.

Despite this unexpected break from on-track action, the 41-year-old has expressed joy at Ferrari’s behind-the-scenes work to continue his solid start to the season.

"Everyone is flat out pushing, and honestly, it is really, really inspiring to see," continued Hamilton. "Whenever you work within a great organisation, and you go and see back to the factory, and you see everyone heads down pushing flat out for every millisecond.