Hamilton in shock over sprint pole

A “GOBSMACKED” Lewis Hamilton said he was in shock after he landed his first pole position in Ferrari colours for Saturday’s sprint race in China.

- BY PHILIP DUNCAN

Hamilton, 40, rolled back the years to kickstart his Ferrari career with top spot on the grid for the 19-lap dash to the chequered flag.

Hamilton's six wins in China is more than any driver in history and his pole lap - the fastest ever in Shanghai - was greeted with huge roars by the crowd.

For the seven-time world champion, it came just five days after he finished only 10th on his full debut for Ferrari following a performance he described as a disaster.

"I am a bit gobsmacked and taken back," said Hamilton, who edged out Red Bull's Max Verstappen by just 0.018 seconds.

"I didn’t know when we would get to this position. The last race was a disaster for us.