Alba Larsen struggles & Hamilton breaks curse | F1 China Ferrari Fan Report
Alba Hurup Larsen failed to get a podium in both her F1 Academy races, while Lewis Hamilton broke Ferrari’s Shanghai podium curse! Get the full report here at Tifosi7.
Well, if you’re a Ferrari fan, the 2026 China Grand Prix was a mixed bag of results. In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton finally got a podium for Ferrari in Shanghai, something the Scuderia haven’t done since 2019. However, in F1 Academy, Alba Hurup Larsen’s weekend didn’t go as planned, with the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy prospect failing to get on the podium in Race 1 or Race 2, despite qualifying in 2nd-place for the feature race.
F1 Academy: Alba Hurup Larsen struggles in China
At the start of the race weekend, I tipped Alba Hurup Larsen to get on the podium in China. After qualifying, I was looking like a genius, with the Danish driver putting her car on the front-row, showing she clearly has the pace to compete at F1 Academy level. However, after a race-ruining mistake in Race 1, Larsen’s weekend never got back on track. Larsen collided with Audi driver Emma Felbermayr after misjudging the size of a gap and damaging the front end of her Ferrari. But, it wasn't a big deal after the first race since in F1 Academy, Race 1 uses a reverse grid for the top 8, so Larsen started 7th even though she qualified 2nd. Meaning I was expecting a little bit of trouble in the opening race, and set my sights on Race 2 instead.
However, Race 2 didn’t live up to expectations either. While Alba Hurup Larsen didn’t finish a million miles away from the leaders, with a gap of 5.8 seconds between Larsen and the race winner Emma Felbermayr, this put the Danish driver down in 8th, well off the pace we saw from Larsen in qualifying. In even worse news for Alba Larsen, she will have to wait until 22nd of May to put this poor result right in F1 Academy, with the F1 Academy Jeddah Grand Prix being canceled. The Saudi Arabian race was scheduled to start on 17th April, but now the Canadian Grand Prix in May is her next chance to secure her maiden podium in F1 Academy.
F1: Lewis Hamilton bests Charles Leclerc to claim historic podium
Despite Alba Larsen missing out on a podium finish in China, Lewis Hamilton didn’t share her bad luck. In fact, Hamilton became the first driver since Sebastian Vettel to get on the podium in Shanghai, with the circuit being somewhat of a curse for the Scuderia F1 team. The British driver won the sprint race in 2025, but this doesn’t count as a “feature race” podium. Charles Leclerc settled for 4th-place after a brilliant teammate battle with Hamilton, which seems like the only battle we’ll be having this season.
In terms of pace, the Mercedes are certainly the team to beat, which is exactly what I predicted after Bahrain testing. The races in 2026 are highly predictable, with Ferrari leading early, then the Silver Arrows chasing them down, eventually passing the Scuderia and running off into the distance. It’s not the most entertaining style of racing to watch, but at least we get to see some teammate battles…
Want a trip down memory lane? Check out my Top 10 Ferrari F1 Drivers of All Time here.
