Lewis Hamilton passes Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad and Esteban Ocon in rapid Sepang charge

Lewis Hamilton climbed from ninth to sixth in the space of just three laps after putting together a rapid sequence of overtakes on Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad and Esteban Ocon. The Ferrari driver’s progress began on lap 19 and quickly turned into one of the most productive phases of his race.

The most significant move came first. Lewis Hamilton attacked Oscar Piastri around the outside on lap 19 to take eighth place, before immediately closing on the two cars ahead. One lap later Arvid Lindblad was cleared, and by lap 21 Esteban Ocon had also been overtaken, leaving Hamilton sixth and less than one second behind Liam Lawson in fifth.

Lewis Hamilton gains three places in three laps

The sequence began with Lewis Hamilton running behind Oscar Piastri. Rather than remaining trapped in the group, the Ferrari driver completed the pass around the outside and moved into eighth position on lap 19.

That overtake proved to be the start of a much faster progression through the order. On lap 20, Lewis Hamilton passed Arvid Lindblad at the opening corner to take seventh, putting Esteban Ocon directly ahead.

There was little delay before the next position changed hands. Lewis Hamilton moved past Esteban Ocon on lap 21 and climbed to sixth, completing three overtakes on consecutive laps.

Liam Lawson becomes Hamilton’s next target

Once Esteban Ocon had been cleared, Lewis Hamilton was no longer simply recovering positions within the same group. The Ferrari driver had moved to within one second of Liam Lawson, who occupied fifth place at that stage of the race.

That gap was important because it showed Hamilton’s charge had not ended with the three overtakes. He had closed sufficiently quickly to bring another position into immediate range, although the available information does not establish whether he was able to complete a fourth pass shortly afterwards.

The progression from ninth to sixth was nevertheless significant on its own. Three different rivals were dispatched over three consecutive laps, with Hamilton requiring no extended period behind either Arvid Lindblad or Esteban Ocon once Oscar Piastri had been overtaken.

Different picture further back for Lando Norris

While Lewis Hamilton was moving through the order, Lando Norris was experiencing a very different phase of the race. The McLaren driver was running 11th and remained behind Nico Hulkenberg as Hamilton completed his sequence of overtakes.

That contrast helped increase the immediate value of Hamilton’s progress. The Ferrari driver had successfully cleared traffic and reached sixth, while another front-running rival remained outside the top ten at the same point of the race.

Hamilton turns a difficult position into a top-six run

The three-lap sequence changed Lewis Hamilton’s race position quickly and decisively. From ninth before the move on Oscar Piastri, the Ferrari driver reached sixth by lap 21 and had Liam Lawson directly ahead.

Without additional information it would be premature to draw conclusions about Ferrari’s underlying pace, tyre condition or strategy from the overtakes alone. What can be established is that Hamilton was able to convert a short window of opportunity into three consecutive position gains and put himself back into the fight further up the order.