Lewis Hamilton has been given a new nickname by Damon Hill after his outstanding performance in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Friday.
The 40-year-old, who toiled in Australia last weekend, finished ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri earlier today.
It was a terrific performance from Hamilton, who is still adjusting to life with Ferrari following his blockbuster move from Mercedes.
And Hill, writing on X, has given the veteran the new nickname of 'Ferramilton' following his impressive achievement.
Lewis Hamilton has been given a new nickname by Damon Hill after his outstanding performance in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Friday
GETTY
"This is going to be an epic weekend,” wrote the former Formula One star. “Forza Ferramilton! And Max on the front row. B****y hell!! Amazing.”
On his Instagram, the 64-year-old added: “A new chapter has begun. Awesome.”
Hamilton was written off as a faded force after his struggles in Australia on Sunday.
The F1 icon could only finish 10th, two places behind team-mates Charles Leclerc on a day where Lando Norris secured glory.
JUST IN:Lewis Hamilton reveals he's 'in shock' after Ferrari star secures pole for Chinese Grand Prix Sprint
But Hamilton's performance on Friday bodes well as he hunts a record eighth F1 title that would move him ahead of Michael Schumacher in the history books.
Speaking after securing pole, the Stevenage-born racer said: "I'm just a bit gobsmacked, taken back by it. 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.
READ MORE: Luke Littler makes feelings clear on darts prize money leak after winning Premier League night seven
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he's 'in shock' after the Ferrari star secured pole for the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint on Friday morningGETTY"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.
"I'm really grateful to be up there with these great drivers and be so close to all these other teams."
Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur, meanwhile, was also pleased.
However, he admitted he was baffled at how good his team were compared to just a few days ago.,
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
"It's better than last week but difficult to read and understand from one session to the other one," he admitted.
"Sometimes McLaren had a huge gap, sometimes not so. Let's analyse it. We have a lot of work to do.
Lewis Hamilton finished ahead of Max Verstappen in Chinese Grand Prix Sprint qualifying on Friday
GETTY
"For sure it's a good feeling and gives a positive energy to the team and Lewis, but I always see the negative side!
"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."
