Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur has admitted he's stunned after Lewis Hamilton secured pole for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Friday morning.
Hamilton struggled in last weekend's race in Australia, with the Briton only able to finish 10th.
However, the 40-year-old was back to his brilliant best in Sprint Qualifying on Friday - with the former Mercedes and McLaren star finishing ahead of Max Verstappen to secure pole.
Vasseur, speaking to Sky Sports, has admitted he's delighted for the Briton.
Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur has admitted he's stunned after Lewis Hamilton secured pole for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Friday morning
SKY
However, the Ferrari chief also admitted he couldn't understand why the team were so better on Friday compared to just a few days ago.
Vasseur stated: "It's better than last week but difficult to read and understand from one session to the other one.
"Sometimes McLaren had a huge gap, sometimes not so. Let's analyse it. We have a lot of work to do.
"For sure it's a good feeling and gives a positive energy to the team and Lewis, but I always see the negative side!
JUST IN:Lewis Hamilton reveals he's 'in shock' after Ferrari star secures pole for Chinese Grand Prix Sprint
"We can score a lot of points this weekend with the Sprint [format]. The fact Lewis was in front in SQ1 and SQ3, is also a proof of consistency and this is good."
Hamilton has struggled in recent years.
Certainly, he's been unable to showcase the form that made him a seven-time champion of the sport.
And Hamilton admitted he was 'gobsmacked' by securing pole, insisting he had more faith in his car compared to in Australia.
READ MORE: Luke Littler makes feelings clear on darts prize money leak after winning Premier League night seven
LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES #F1SPRINT POLE 🤩
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 21, 2025
Wow! #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/iPRaB1nHqg
"I'm just a bit gobsmacked, taken back by it," he admitted.
"I didn't know when we would get to this position.
"After last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week. We came here with aggression and wanting to go into the weekend and get the car into a great place.
"I started out straight away with a better feeling in the car. I can't believe we are at the front, ahead of a McLaren which has been so fast throughout winter testing, Australia and even today.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
"I'm really grateful to be up there with these great drivers and be so close to all these other teams."
Sky Sports' Karun Chandhok, meanwhile, has lavished praise on Hamilton and believes he's just had a 'fairytale moment'.
He reacted to the action by saying: "What a story! Lewis Hamilton is on pole.
"We didn't get a fairytale moment in Melbourne but we only had to wait six days.
Lewis Hamilton was outstanding in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Friday morning
REUTERS
"He's hugely popular with the fans in China, as he is everywhere else.
"It's justified his move in some ways. He's re-energised, re-invigorated, re-motivated but most importantly he's delivered on the timesheets today."
