Lewis Hamilton said it was “a special day” to finally get his first Ferrari podium on Mother’s Day – with his mum watching on from the team garage. His mother Carmen Larbalestier was in Shanghai to witness her son stand on the podium for the 10th time at a circuit he loves, but for the first time ever in Formula 1 as a Ferrari driver at the 26th attempt.

And Hamilton dedicated that long-awaited success to his mother, who the 41-year-old had embraced in parc ferme after a milestone moment in his Ferrari career. “It’s such a special day, one of the most amazing weeks I’ve had,” the delighted seven-time world champion beamed.

“I’ve travelled out here with my mum, travelled around and had some really special moments together. And for her to see the support that I get here in Shanghai, it’s phenomenal. I’m just so grateful for how they show up for me here. Happy Mother’s Day to my mum, and to my stepmum Linda who has been here with me many times and been a huge part of my life. And also to all the mums around the world.”

Hamilton said: “A huge congratulations to Kimi, it’s a great privilege to see him take my place and get to work with an amazing team. Congratulations to everyone at Mercedes who have done a phenomenal job. To be up there with Kimi, with Bono, it was really sweet.”

Ferrari have started the new season well, though the fact remains that they are currently unable to compete with Mercedes over a race distance at the moment. Hamilton referred to that fact as he reflected on the situation that he and his team find themselves in after a positive start to the new F1 season.

The Brit said: “Last night was the first time in the 20 years or more years that I’ve been racing that I sat down and took my mum through everything that I go through, and she was gobsmacked. I wish that the world could see what goes on in the background, the amount of studying. It’s like studying for a test every day. I’ve never really been good at tests but, fortunately, I’m good at driving!

“I learned a lot. There are still some improvements to be made, but my race pace has been really good, particularly on the hard tyres in these first two races. The medium, I’ve got to see where I can have more potential. And also in that mid-stint there was something not quite right, when I was second and then lost ground and fell to fourth. To fight back and get to third was a hell of a push. A massive thank you to Ferrari – it’s my first podium with them which is a huge moment for me.”