Lewis Hamilton made it three race wins in a row after winning the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit. Nico Rosberg made it the perfect weekend for Mercedes after moving past both of the Red Bulls to finish second whilst Fernando Alonso also passed both Ricciardo and Vettel to claim Ferrari's first podium finish of the season. Despite a strong day of qualifying, Red Bull could not take advantage as both cars failed to make the podium in what was a disappointing race for Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastien Vettel.
My Opinion:
Mercedes - Hamilton (Winner), Rosberg (2nd). Another perfect race for Mercedes as both cars finish in the top two positions. Lewis Hamilton looked composed and at ease to take his third race win of the season whilst Nico Rosberg climbed two places up the grid to finish second. Strong stuff from Mercedes who continue to dominate Formula 1 this year.
Red Bull - Ricciardo (4th), Vettel (5th). Despite a really strong day of qualifying, it was not the race result that Red Bull had in mind. Both Ricciardo and Vettel fell two places each down the grid during the race as they failed to put either of the two cars on the podium. Disappointment for Red Bull but there are signs that they could pose a challenge to Mercedes.
Force India - Hulkenberg (6th), Perez (9th). Great race for Force India as both cars took points home. Hulkenberg, who has been really consistent this season, jumped two places up the grid to finish 6th whilst Perez impressively moved up seven places to finish 9th. Encouraging signs ahead for the team.
Ferrari - Alonso (3rd), Raikkonen (8th). Ferrari will be encouraged after their first podium finish of the season. Alonso was terrific in his Ferrari to get past both of the Red Bulls and take a much deserved third place. Raikkonen is still not quite at his best but at least managed to move up three places and finish 8th. I know Ferrari expect to win races but seeing Alonso on the podium will surely give them some much needed encouragement that they are improving.
McLaren - Button (11th), Magnussen (13th). Terrible result for McLaren. It all seems to have gone wrong again for the team who started the campaign so well. A poor qualifying result didn't help Button or Magnussen but to not take a single point will be a massive dent to everyone at McLaren. Both drivers improved on the qualifying result but it was just a day to forget for the team.
Williams - Bottas (7th), Massa (15th). Mixed result for Williams. Bottas proved once again that he can bring home the points with another consistent drive. However, Massa had plenty of troubles during his race after falling down the order and finishing 15th. There are some good signs at Williams and they have a decent car this year but a podium finish may not happen this season.
Toro Rosso - Kvyat (10th), Vergne (12th). Normal service at Toro Rosso. Kvyat has been in and around 10th all season and it was no surpise to seen him finish 10th. Vergne didn't have such an enjoyable day after losing three places and finishing out of the points in 12th.
Lotus - Maldonado (14th), Grosjean (DNF, 28 laps). Troubles resume at Lotus. Maldonado took his best result of the season so far after making up eight places from the back of the grid to finish 14th but Grosjean failed to finish for the first time this year after only completing 28 laps. Their problem lies in their qualifying pace which is too slow. If they can improve on the Saturday, they should pick up better results on the Sunday.
Sauber - Gutierrez (16th), Sutil (DNF, 5 laps). Disappointing result for Sauber. Gutierrez managed to improve by one place to finish 16th whilst Sutil failed to finish the race for the third time this year. Not their best result by far and improvements need to be made by the team.
Marussia - Bianchi (17th), Chilton (19th). Bianchi equalled the teams best result after finishing 17th whilst Chilton took 19th.
Caterham - Kobayashi (18th), Ericsson (20th). Caterham were the slowest team of the race but Kobayashi managed to split the two Marussia's at least. Ericsson was the last car across the line in 20th.
Key Moments During the Race:
Start: Hamilton, Vettel (up 1), Alonso (up 2), Ricciardo (down 2), Massa (down 1), Hulkenberg (up 1), Rosberg (up 3), Bottas (up 1), Grosjean (up 1), Raikkonen (up 1). Contact between Alonso and Massa and between Rosberg and Bottas.
Lap 1: Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo, Massa, Rosberg moves into 6th after passing Hulkenberg, Grosjean moves into 8th and Raikkonen moves into 9th after both pass Bottas.
Lap 3: Bottas moves into 8th after passing Grosjean. Button moves into 13th after passing Vergne.
Lap 5: Rosberg moves into 5th after passing Massa. Sutil OUT.
Lap 11: Massa suffers from a slow pit stop as the rear left tyre is not fitted speedily.
Lap 14: Raikkonen moves into 10th after passing Grosjean. Bottas moves into 8th after passing Gutierrez. Perez moves into 12th after passing Button.
Lap 16: Raikkonen moves into 8th after passing Magnussen.
Lap 17: Grosjean moves into 9th after passing Magnussen. Hamilton makes a pit stop and regains the lead.
Lap 18: Magnussen moves into 15th after passing Kobayashi. Magnussen moves into 16th after passing Maldonado. Maldonado moves into 16th after passing Kobayashi.
Lap 22: Rosberg moves into 3rd after passing Vettel.
Lap 24: Perez moves into 9th after passing Grosjean.
Lap 26: Ricciardo moves into 4th after passing Vettel.
Lap 27: Magnussen moves into 14th after passing Gutierrez.
Lap 28: Grosjean OUT.
Lap 34: Raikkonen moves into 8th after passing Vergne.
Lap 38: Maldonado moves into 14th after passing Gutierrez. Hamilton makes another pit stop and regains the lead.
Lap 43: Rosberg moves into 2nd after passing Alonso.
Lap 56/Finish: Hamilton wins the Chinese Grand Prix. Rosberg comes second whilst Alonso takes third. Kobayashi moves into 17th after passing Bianchi.
Race Result:
1. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1.33.28.338
2. Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Alonso (Ferrari)
4. Ricciardo (Red Bull)
5. Vettel (Red Bull)
6. Hulkenberg (Force India)
7. Bottas (Williams)
8. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
9. Perez (Force India)
10. Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
11. Button (McLaren)
12. Vergne (Toro Rosso)
13. Magnussen (McLaren)
14. Maldonado (Lotus)
15. Massa (Williams)
16. Gutierrez (Sauber)
17. Bianchi (Marussia)
18. Kobayashi (Caterham)
19. Chilton (Marussia)
20. Ericsson (Caterham)
21. Grosjean (Lotus) Retired after 28 laps
22. Sutil (Sauber) Retired after 5 laps
Fastest Lap: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1.40.402
Driver of the Day: Sergio Perez (Force India)
Team of the Day: Mercedes
Driver Standings:
1. Rosberg (Mercedes) 79pts
2. Hamilton (Mercedes) 75pts
3. Alonso (Ferrari) 41pts
4. Hulkenberg (Force India) 36pts
5. Vettel (Red Bull) 33pts
Constructor Standings:
1. Mercedes 154pts
2. Red Bull 57pts
3. Force India 54pts
4. Ferrari 52pts
5. McLaren 43pts
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