Chinese GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

Welcome to the Re-Cap of the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix.

While the weather was unpredictable all weekend, it was a dry race, after a very rainy Qualifying had taken place the day before. Teams had to change plans and strategies because of this.

Although there were no major accidents during this race, the first lap had some major wheel-bumping going on between multiple cars, including: Massa, Ricciardo, Rosberg and Alonso.

Sutil retired within the first few laps due to engine problems, which is unfortunate as Sauber is 1 of many team this year that are yet to score a point.

Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole, led the race pretty much the whole time and went on to win his 3rd Grand Prix in a row, which is absolutely incredible. Rosberg finished second. The year is definitely showing Mercedes dominance. It's nice to see the team doing so well and we're only 4 races in.

Felipe Massa had bad luck, when during a pit stop, the pit crew messed up when putting on the rear tyres. They had accidently switched the left and the right and had to re-do them. By the time he left the pit lane, he was all the way back in 20th position. Meanwhile, his former team-mate, Fernando Alonso finished on the podium, in Third for Ferrari.

The Force India boys didn't have any problems and both finished again, in the points. Great driving from both Perez and Hulkenberg. Force India is one of the strongest teams this year and it's great to see them up at the top.

Another disappointing race for Romain Grosjean who was unable to finish the race with a gearbox problem, but shockingly, his team-mate Pastor Maldonado did finish the race after having multiple incidents over the weekend in practice and not being able to even qualify.

At the end, the chequered flag was waved nearly 2 laps early, but Mercedes told Hamilton to keep driving, as the race was not over. However, the standings were recorded when the flag was waved and they count. Kobayashi made a pass on Jules Bianchi after which does not count due to the rules stating when the flag is waved early, the standings will not count any pass after the waving of the chequered flag.

Overall, it was a good, solid race. Here are the results

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes / Germany
3. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari / Spain
4. Daniel Ricciardo / Redbull / Australia
5. Sebastian Vettel / Redbull / Germany
6. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India / Germany
7. Valtteri Bottas / Williams / Finland
8. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari / Finland
9. Sergio Perez / Force India / Mexico
10. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso / Russia
11. Jenson Button / McLaren / Great Britain
12. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso / France
13. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren / Denmark
14. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus / Venezuela
15. Felipe Massa / Williams / Brazil
16. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber / Mexico
17. Jules Bianchi / Marussia / France
18. Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham / Japan
19. Max Chilton / Marussia / Great Britain
20. Marcus Ericsson / Caterham / Sweden
21. Romain Grosjean / Lotus / France / Retired - Gearbox
22. Adrian Sutil / Sauber / Germany / Retired - Engine

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Chinese GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

Welcome to the Re-Cap of 2014 Qualifying of the Chinese GP Weekend! It was rainy and cloudy, but action-packed and amazing as always!

For those of you who are new to Qualifying or F1 in general, I will go over the rules and how it works. Qualifying is divided into three different sessions that all take place over the span of about an hour or so. Session 1 (Or Q1 as we call it!) all 22 drivers go out (Unless they have car issues, of course.) and try to set the fastest times that they can and have 18 minutes to do it. The 6 slowest cars get knocked out and start on grid where their times place them. The fastest 16 move on to Q2.

Same rules in Q2 except that there is 15 minutes. 6 slowest knocked out and start where their times place them. Last 10 cars move on to Q3 and have 12 minutes to see who can go quick enough to get pole. Their final times line them up and make the complete Grid.

So, this time around, in Q1, not fast enough and knocked out were: Max Chilton & Jules Bianchi (Marussia), Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson (Caterham) and Esteban Gutierres (Sauber) - Pastor Maldonado did not even start the session, so he also did not move on to Q2 and will have to get permission from the Stewards to even start the race.

Knocked out in Q2 was: Sergio Perez (Force India), Kevin Magnussen & Jenson Button (McLaren), Adrian Sutil (Sauber), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) and Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

After Q3 took place and the grid was complete, here's how it looks for tomorrow, although I might come back and have to edit this if there's any grid penalties. Maldonado does hoever have a 5-Place-Grid-Penalty, but since he didn't Qualify at all, that puts him at the back anyways.. I'm hoping his Penalty carries over to the next GP Weekend. 

RESULTS:

1. (Pole Position) - Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes / Great Britain - 1:53.860
2. Daniel Ricciardo / Redbull / Australia - 1:54.455
3. Sebastian Vettel / Redbull / Germany - 1:54.960 
4. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes / Germany - 1:55.143
5. Fernando Alonso / Ferrari / Spain - 1:55.637
6. Felipe Massa / Williams / Brazil - 1:56.147
7. Valtteri Bottas / Williams / Finland - 1:56.282
8. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India / Germany - 1:56.366
9. Jean-Eric Vergne / Toro Rosso / France - 1:56.773
10. Romain Grosjean / Lotus / France - 1:57.079
11. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari / Finland - 1:56.860
12. Jenson Button / McLaren / Great Britain - 1:56.963
13. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso / Russia - 1:57.289
14. Adrian Sutil / Sauber / Germany - 1:57.393
15. Kevin Magnussen / McLaren / Denmark - 1:57.675
16. Sergio Perez / Force India / Mexico - 1:58.264
17. Esteban Gutierrez / Sauber / Mexico - 1:58.988
18. Kamui Kobayashi / Caterham / Japan - 1:59.260
19. Jules Bianchi / Marussia / France - 1:59.326
20. Marcus Ericsson / Caterham / Sweden - 2:00.646
21. Max Chilton / Marussia / Great Britain - 2:00.865
DID NOT QUALIFY - Pastor Maldonado / Lotus / Venezuela - NO TIME SET

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Chinese GP: Free Practice 3 - Re-Cap & Results

Time for a Re-Cap of Free Practice #3 - It was wet and rainy during the session and there were some problems for the drivers. 

Lots of people still struggling with locking up and running off the track at certain turns. Some drivers even opted not to set a time, including: Rosberg, Hamilton, Alonso and Magnussen. Pastor Maldonado was told to stop his car during the session. When he asked what had happened, he got no quick response. 

Daniel Ricciardo climbed to take the top time of the session, with Massa and Grosjean also showing pace and shining during the hour. Force India also looked good and staed within the top 10 as did the Williams drivers. And with that said, here's the times!

TIMES:

1. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:53.958 / Redbull
2. Felipe Massa - 1:54.492 / Williams
3. Romain Grosjean - 1:54.514 / Lotus
4. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:55.032 / Force India
5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:55.062 / Ferrari
6. Pastor Maldonado - 1:55.228 / Lotus
7. Daniil Kvyat - 1:55.235 / Toro Rosso
8. Valtteri Bottas - 1:55.381 / Williams
9. Jenson Button - 1:55.673 / McLaren
10. Sergio Perez - 1:56.019 / Force India
11. Sebastian Vettel - 1:56.233 / Redbull
12. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1:56.380 / Toro Rosso
13. Adrian Sutil - 1:56.760 / Sauber
14. Max Chilton - 1:56.841 / Marussia
15. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:57.468 / Sauber
16. Kamui Kobayashi - 1:57.812 / Caterham
17. Jules Bianchi - 1:57.976 / Marussia
18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:59.507 / Caterham
19. Nico Rosberg - NO TIME SET / Mercedes
20. Kevin Magnussen - NO TIME SET / McLaren
21. Fernando Alonso - NO TIME SET / Ferrari
22. Lewis Hamilton - NO TIME SET / Mercedes

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Chinese GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Results

Alright, time for a quick Re-Cap of Free Practice #2! First of all, thanks to all who joined me on Twitter tonight for my commentary coverage & Thanks for your questions. I'll be back again tomorrow for coverage of Free Practice 3!

Also wanted to note that Bottas and Sutil were in this session after Nasr and Van Der Garde did Free Practice #1!

So, let's start with Maldonado, who crashed the Lotus into the wall as he was heading for the pits. He radioed in, saying, "I crashed - Sorry" - Everyone knows the first step is admitting you did something wrong. (Bad joke!)

Mercedes were keeping good pace with Lewis Hamilton setting the fastest time of the session, although Alonso was close in Second, after he'd put in fastest time for Session #1. Redbull is also improving with both cars in the top 5 times. Force India was doing some long-runs, so no need to read too much into their times as they were focusing on balance and performance. We know they're fast!

An issue that's being noticed is that with the colder weather, the drivers are having an issue getting (and keeping) the tyres warm. Makes you wonder what'll happen next year when the Tyre Warmer ban is put in place. Yikes. So, with that said, we're seeing a lot of spinning and running off of the track, due to lack of grip. Another issue this weekend seems to be the brakes locking up. Not sure if this is weather related or not, but looking into it!

Now, on to the times!

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:38.315 / Mercedes
2. Fernando Alonso - 1:38.456 / Ferrari
3. Nico Rosberg - 1:38.726 / Mercedes
4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:38.811 / Redbull
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:39.015 / Redbull
6. Felipe Massa - 1:39.118 / Williams
7. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:39.283 / Ferrari
8. Jenson Button - 1:39.491 / McLaren
9. Romain Grosjean - 1:39.537 / Lotus
10. Daniil Kvyat - 1:39.648 / Toro Ross
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:39.736 / Force India
12: Kevin Magnussen - 1:39.744 / McLaren
13. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1:39.759 / Toro Rosso
14. Valtteri Bottas - 1:39.830 / Williams
15. Sergio Perez - 1:40.124 / Force India
16. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:40.359 / Sauber
17. Adrian Sutil - 1:40.395 / Sauber
18. Pastor Maldonado - 1:40.455 / Lotus
19. Jules Bianchi - 1:42.327 / Marussia
20. Max Chilton - 1:43.473 / Marussia
21. Kamui Kobayashi - 1:43.530 / Caterham
22. Marcus Ericsson - 1:43.679 / Caterham

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Chinese GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Results

We're about an hour away from Free Practice 2 at Shanghai International Circuit, so it's time for a Re-Cap of what happened earlier in Free Practice 1. As always, I'm doing LIVE COMMENTARY COVERAGE on my Twitter @F1Insider78 - So make sure to join in for FP2!

The session started out with a very cloudy and overcast appearance, along with cold temperatures. Cold temperatures make it hard to get heat into the tyres and we saw some drivers struggling with that in the Session. I must note that Giedo Van Der Garde took over for Adrian Sutil for the session while Felipe Nasr took over for Bottas. Although there wasn't any Red Flags, we did see quite a few drivers going off into the gravel and/or spinning the car. It started with Maldonado, who spun out, and while he was emerging back out onto the circuit, he spun again. Kvyat also spun into the gravel, but luckily recovered.

Kimi Raikkonen was one of the few who were unable to get out there during the session, with his Ferrari having more than 1 issue. Another driver who was out of the session for 40 minutes was Esteban Gutierrez, who had his Chassis replaced after Bahrain, but was now facing Clutch issues. He did however get to do a few laps at the end of the session. As for Sergio Perez, he was having problems with the rear brakes locking up, early in the session and by the end of it, he ended up with DRS and Technical issues, which had him heading back into the pits. The car should be ready by Free Practice 2. 

Lewis Hamilton also had an unlucky later half of the session, when he headed back into his garage and they covered it up. Supposedly they had the whole floor of the car off and are still working on it. His team-mate, was having troubles with his brakes locking up as well.

All-In-All, not a very action-packed session, but we'll probably see more laps being completed in FP2. Fastest of the Session was Fernando Alonso, while ironically, his team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen did not even set a time.

Here is the full list of times:

TIMES:

1. Fernando Alonso - 1:39.783 / Ferrari
2. Nico Rosberg - 1:40.181 / Mercedes
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:40.772 / Redbull
4. Jenson Button - 1:40.970 / McLaren
5. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:41.175 / Force India
6. Kevin Magnussen - 1:41.366 / McLaren
7. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1:41.505 / Toro Rosso
8. Lewis Hamilton - 1:41.560 / Mercedes
9. Sebastian Vettel - 1:41.629 / Redbull
10. Felipe Massa - 1:41.699 / Williams
11. Daniil Kvyat - 1:41.977 / Toro Rosso
12. Romain Grosjean - 1:42.090 / Lotus
13. Felipe Nasr - 1:42.265 / Williams
14. Giedo Van Der Garde - 1:42.615 / Sauber
15. Sergio Perez - 1:42.733 / Force India 
16. Pastor Maldonado - 1:43.731 / Lotus
17. Kamui Kobayashi - 1:44.038 / Caterham
18. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:44.162 / Sauber
19. Jules Bianchi - 1:44.270 / Marussia
20. Max Chilton - 1:44.782 / Marussia
21. Marcus Ericssson - 1:44.836 / Caterham
22. Kimi Raikkonen - NO TIME SET / Ferrari

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Marussia

Next quotes are from the drivers of the Marussia F1 Team!

Max Chilton - “There has literally been no let-up over the past couple of months and here we are again, heading off to the next race in China, just a few days after returning from Bahrain. I really enjoyed my first taste of the Shanghai International Circuit last year; it’s a nice challenge and the weather often throws up a few opportunities, particularly in the race. I left Bahrain on a real high and I hope we can enjoy a similarly strong race this weekend and maintain what feels like a bit of an advantage over our nearest competitors at the moment.”

Jules Bianchi - “I am hoping all my bad luck is behind me now and that China will mark a turning point for a better rest of the season. If we look at the positives, there have been good signs that we have been able to raise our performance level and have a few interesting battles in the races; I hope we can enjoy a few more in Shanghai this weekend. The test ran smoothly in Bahrain last week and I think this will help us with our preparations this week as we are finding out lots of new things about the package and getting strong all the time. I like the track and I am looking forward to the final long haul race before we get back to Europe.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.  

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Mercedes

Next quotes are from Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team!

Nico Rosberg - “Even though the last race was a bit disappointing from my perspective in terms of the result, it's been great to see all the positive comments that came afterwards. We've demonstrated already that we're pushing harder than ever to stay ahead of the pack. It will only get more difficult as the season goes on but I've got confidence in the team. Every day and in every area you can see that determination to win. This gives you a big boost as a driver: to know the people around you want it just as badly as you do. I've got good memories from China after taking my first pole position and race win in Formula One at this circuit in 2012. The layout seems to suit my driving style, it's a track I enjoy racing at and I want to be back on that top step of the podium this weekend. The Chinese fans are great too: really enthusiastic. It's nice to see how much they like our sport and how they cheer us on during the race weekend. It's a very different culture and getting to know it is always fun, so hopefully we can keep them as entertained on track as they do off it!”

Lewis Hamilton - “It's been good to have a bit of a break after such a long stint away but I'm already looking forward to getting back in the car. The last race in Bahrain was fantastic: not just for us as a team but for the sport and I'm sure it won't be the last time we see a great show this year. I'm in a really good place at the moment and walking around the garage too, you can see the positive energy within the team right now. Everyone is focused on getting the maximum from these early races and continuing to build beyond the strong start we've made to the season. I've had some ups and downs in China. On one side I've only finished outside of the podium places twice at this circuit. On the other, in my first season in Formula One I threw away a championship lead here by going into the gravel coming into the pits. Generally, though, I'm getting stronger every time I come to this track and it suits my driving style quite well. The aim, as always, is to win and if I could make it three in a row this weekend that would be incredible.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.  

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

 Next quotes come from the McLaren-Mercedes F1 Team!

Jenson Button - “After a disappointing race in Bahrain, I think we head to China with a bit of a point to prove - we need to get some points on the board, and get another race under our belts that demonstrates the pace that we feel this year’s car has. That won’t necessarily be straightforward - Bahrain showed that, the top two cars aside, the racing this year is fast, fraught and very evenly matched. The margins are so slim that it’ll require us to get everything right: a focused practice, problem-free qualifying sessions and a clean race to try and establish ourselves at the forefront of that chasing pack. But I’ve always enjoyed racing in China - I won here in 2010, and I’ve always had good results here for McLaren. While it’s not necessarily a track that perfectly suits our package, I think we can pull everything together and have a stronger weekend.”

Kevin Magnussen - “I came away from the last race feeling like I didn’t get the maximum from either myself or the car, so the couple of days’ testing in Bahrain, and my preparations for this race, will hopefully allow me to rediscover my comfort zone with MP4-29. I’m looking forward to this race - it’s a track I’ve only seen on the TV, but it looks to have a real variety of corners. The first turn looks like a real challenge, but, most interestingly, I think we’ve going to see some spectacular speeds, and a lot of overtaking along the back straight, which is one of the longest in Formula 1. The first three races have seen different cars and drivers emerge as the closest challengers to the Mercedes drivers. I still think it’s a bit early to be able to see a competitive order emerge among all the teams battling for points, but our aim this weekend will be to try and consolidate our position at the forefront of that chasing pack.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

More quotes, and these ones are from the Williams F1 Team!

Felipe Massa - "There is a very long straight in China which will be good for overtaking, especially for our car as we have a good top speed. There are also low speed corners where good downforce is needed, so we hope we can make improvements on these sections. We hope to have a few new parts which should help with grip and other areas that we need to improve. We still need to improve the car in the wet, so we are hoping the weekend will be dry, I also prefer the dry, but there is hard work going on to improve the car."
 
Valtteri Bottas - "So far the season has been positive and we are looking forward to China. We still need to make a step forward in performance, especially as this track is quite different to Bahrain. The long straight will be our strong point as we can overtake, but we need to be good through the corners to be close enough to take advantage. We are hoping to improve our downforce for the slower sections of the track. Once we improve this, it should improve our overall running in all conditions so it is an area we are focusing on. The weather can be variable in China but at this point we are looking for a dry race."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers. 

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

Next quotes come from Toro Rosso.

Jean-Eric Vergne - "A very interesting circuit with a wide variety of corners and a really long straight that provides great opportunities for overtaking. Doing a qualifying lap here is great fun, dealing with challenges like turn 1, which you approach flat, before the corner just goes on and on. It means it is also demanding on tyres and from a driver’s point of view, it is one of the better ones to drive. However, it’s a shame the circuit is so far away from the city, because we never really get any time to visit what is a fascinating place. So it’s a case of just getting to the track, doing the race and going home."

Daniil Kvyat - "I’ve never been to China, so I am interested to discover something about this country and also the circuit. I’ve watched lots of Shanghai Formula One races on TV to get an idea of the track and after Bahrain I was also able to drive it on the simulator. I was disappointed to finish just outside the points at the last race and, after learning a lot about the car at the post-Bahrain test, I hope we can aim for another top ten finish this weekend, on what looks like a really challenging track. Away from the circuit, I’ve heard the Chinese fans are very welcoming. I will be interested to try Chinese food too!"

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers. 

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

Next preview quotes for the Chinese GP are from Sahara Force India!

Nico Hulkenberg - "We’ve shown we have a good package and we have the hunger to keep fighting at the front. We’ve performed well at all the tracks so far and they all had very different characteristics. So we can feel positive that the car will perform quite well in China. We are going there after the test in Bahrain and hopefully we can bring some more performance too. So I think we can aim for another competitive weekend and come away with some more points."

Sergio Perez - "To get the podium in Bahrain was great - it’s a great result for this team and a big boost of confidence for me. The target is to move on, keep improving and target more podiums. Bahrain was the first real opportunity I had to develop the car through the weekend without any issues so it felt like my season really started there. Now we need to think about how we can do better in China. At the same time we must not get carried away because we know how competitive Formula One is and how things can change very quickly."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers. 

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Redbull

Next preview quotes are from Redbull.

Sebastian Vettel -"The Grand Prix in China is still something special for me, because I won my first race there with Red Bull Racing in 2009. Due to its size, the circuit is unique. The wide stretches mean there are many possible places and opportunities to overtake. Also, the large run-off areas ensure the highest standard of safety. Even the usually narrow pit complex offers plenty of space in Shanghai. As far as the city of Shanghai goes, if I have time to go into the city I like to go to the Bund."

Daniel Ricciardo - "Shanghai is a very open, very wide circuit but it does flow nicely and the middle sector is a lot of fun. The back straight provides a good overtaking opportunity into the hairpin but it is quite long; I always think back to when I came here as a kid in Formula BMW – massive hair and lots of enthusiasm – and trust me, then, it was the sort of straight where I’d have definitely been reaching for a book if I’d had one! It’s a bit different driving it in an F1 car. The circuit has a decent mix of low- and high-speed corners and one of the key things is to have a set-up that gives you good traction out of the two tight ‘snail’ corners."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Sauber

These quotes come from the drivers of the Sauber F1 Team! Good to hear Esteban is recovered and will be racing in China!

Adrian Sutil - "I am positive about the next race in China. The Shanghai International Circuit is interesting. It is not my favourite track, but I still like driving there. The layout is special in comparison to the other ones. It consists of some fast corners, which get tighter towards the end of the corner. Besides that, the track has a long straight which is the longest on the race calendar. On this track a good balance for the car and a lot of grip on the front axle is needed. I believe the layout should be a good fit for the C33. I am positive about the weekend. We have to look forward, and every future race will move us furthermore up to the front. Shanghai is an interesting city, which is very modern and growing all the time. The city has a lot to offer, such as restaurants and also some spectacular buildings. I would like to visit the Great Wall of China, but so far I have not had the time.

Esteban Gutierrez -"I have nice memories of Shanghai from last year. It was probably one of the best race starts in my Formula 1 career. I had a tough qualifying, but after the start and during the opening laps, I was able to overtake a lot of cars. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish the race. Regarding the track, I really like it, especially the entry into Turn 1. Looking back to the last three races, my performance will help me to get the maximum out of the car, in both, qualifying and the race. With the updates on the car, I hope we can increase our level of competition so we can achieve better results. Talking about China, it is an interesting place to visit. I will travel to Shanghai early to adapt to the time difference and climate, and I will use this time to learn about the Chinese culture."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Lotus

Next quotes come from Lotus.

Romain Grosjean - “Shanghai is not my favourite race of the year, but I will be spending my 28th birthday there so let’s make it good! It’s quite a particular circuit where it is not always easy to find the right setup and the temperature can also be cold. You never know what to expect, except that there will be a monster traffic jam to get to the circuit! I scored my first Formula One points at Shanghai in 2012 and scored points again last year when Kimi finished second for the team. So let’s hope that’s a good omen and we can add to the good memories next weekend. How will it suit the E22? I don’t know to be honest. It’ll be interesting and challenging for us but still the emphasis is on getting good track time so we can be as prepared as we can be for when our season really starts at Barcelona next month. There’s a very long back straight and some high-speed corners. There is a lot we need to do with the E22 and we certainly need some better power unit performance. Of course we’ll do our best to score our first points of the year. That is our goal, our target.”

Pastor Maldonado - “Shanghai is a very technical circuit with one of the longest straights of the season. It could be a bit tricky for us as we aren’t the quickest on long straights at the moment, so we will have to see how we can work on making gains in the corners. This will be the challenge for us. There is a mix of fast and medium speed corners where we need good downforce. It is a challenging track which I like so I’m looking forward to racing there. What will it be like to drive the latest generation F1 car at Shanghai? It will be like all the circuits we visit this year, it will be a new experience and we will learn and make improvements as the weekend progresses. Having finished the race in Bahrain, we have more experience and data to work with so we are better placed for a more progressive approach to the race weekend.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

First preview quotes for the Chinese GP come from the Caterham drivers!

Kamui Kobayashi - "The last of the four early season flyaway races is Shanghai, a track I’ve always had good support on and one that’s a really good challenge technically. The last time I raced there in 2012 I qualified fourth, the highest qualifying position of my career and my team at that point. I actually started third after Lewis had an issue but then the car had a problem with the launch and I lost a lot of places off the line. While I know we won’t be starting that high this year, it would still be good to have a better race in 2014, and the whole team is working as hard as possible to help us do that. The main set up focus is how you balance the need for downforce in the high speed turns against the low drag you want for one of the longest straights of the year. We saw in Malaysia that we have good straight line speed so we’ll have to make sure that works in our favour, and with Renault we’ll be working on energy management so we can maximise the advantage we have in those parts of the track. It’s also a circuit where windspeed and direction can have a big influence on how the car handles, so that’ll be another area for us to focus on in the three practice sessions. We obviously want to head back to Europe in a good position so everyone’s working flat out to help us do that. I We have a couple of new parts coming in China before the bigger package everyone brings to Spain, but we also have to make sure we play to our strengths - we have a small advantage in pure pace over our direct rivals which put us in a strong position for most of the Bahrain race, right up until the final stint which ended with a disappointing result. We have to use that performance on Sunday to help us get back to where we want to be, and to build on that at every race."

Marcus Ericsson - "China’s another new track for me, so obviously what will really help is having another good Friday and Saturday, like we had in Bahrain. Step by step, with each race I’m learning more about how to manage a full race weekend and, apart from Canada, China’s the last track before we get to Europe that I haven’t raced on so it’s even more important to have maximum mileage in FP1 and FP2 so we can really work on optimising the settings. Something I will be working on is tyre management, especially over the long runs - for rookies in F1 tyre management is one of the key areas you have to work on and improving that area of performance will definitely help make me stronger over the full race distance. It might be my first visit to Shanghai but I raced in Macau in 2008 and 2009 so I have raced in China before. I was on pole there in 2009 and finished fourth, so I have good memories of racing in China, and I also spent the week between Australia and Malaysia this year in Macau because my trainer Alex was living there and working as an FMX rider in Macau before he joined me in F1. It’s an amazing country and it’ll be a privilege to race there as an F1 driver - hopefully we can repeat the sort of performance we had in Malaysia and finish these flyaways positively." 

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement.
Quotes made by Drivers.

Chinese GP: Circuit Preview

Welcome to my Circuit Preview for Round #4 of the 2014 F1 Season!
Today we look at China's circuit. The Shanghai International Circuit, located in Jiading, Shanghai, China. The Circuit opened in 2004 and runs Clockwise. It has a total of 16 laps and is 3.387 Miles in length. It has a capacity of 200,000 and the crowd will watch the drivers complete a total of 56 eyebrow-raising laps.

Let's take a bit of a look-back at the 2013 Chinese GP.
Pole-Sitter for the start of the race was Lewis Hamilton, who did not actually end up winning the race. Fastest lap belonged to Sebastian Vettel, but he not win the race either. The winner was Fernando Alonso and second place went to the Fin, Kimi Raikkonen, while third was secured by Lewis Hamilton

Retirements of the race included: Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, Mark Webber and Esteban Gutierrez.

Force India has proved itself last week in Bahrain and I believe they will do another fantastic job in China. Mercedes will also do well and probably Williams. It'll definitely be a stunning race and I can't wait!

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.  No Copyright Infringement Intended.
(Photo Credit belongs to: oknation.net
I do not own the photo.)

Chinese GP: Schedule

We're only about a week away from the first Practice Session at Shanghai International Circuit in China! I have the full weekend schedule for you all. Please do comment below and tell me if you're attending the GP! It usually does draw in a very large crowd and it's very energetic and exciting.

Please Note: The times on the Schedule are for Standard Time in China. If you would like the times converted to your nearest/local city, please leave a comment!

SCHEDULE:

April 17th - Thursday

15:00 - Press Conference (Location unconfirmed at this time)
16:00 - 17:15 - Autograph Session. (Drivers)

April 18th - Friday

10:00 -11:30 - Free Practice #1
12:35 - 13:30 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
14:00 - 15:30 - Free Practice #2
16:00 - 17:00 - Press Conference (Located In The Press Room)

April 19th - Saturday

09:30 - 10:30 - Team Pit Stop Practice
09:30 - 10:45 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
11:00 - 12:00 - Free Practice #3
13:00 - 13:45 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
14:00 - Qualifying

April 20th - Sunday

11:00 - 12:15 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
13:15 - 14:00 - Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk
13:30 - Drivers Track Parade
13:45 - 14:15 - Starting Grid Presentation
14:46 - National Anthem
15:00 - Race

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.