Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - 16th April - 18th April 2010 |
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Chinese GP: Lap by Lap Report
Welcome to the Chinese GP. 56 laps to be covered on this circuit.
Looks like it's going to be an exciting race! The race hasn't even begun and it's already drizzling. Let's wait and watch whether the teams will be changing to the wets. For now all cars are on dry tires. The wets are on standby. The grandstands are packed, cars are in position with 23 cars on the grid.
The grid: Both Red Bulls are on the front row of the grid. Then its Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg right behind them. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are on P5 and P6. Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica are on the fourth row, Michael Schumacher and Adrian Sutil are on the fifth row of the grid, Rubens Barrichello and Jaime Alguersuari are on the sixth, Sebastien Buemi and Vitaly Petrov on the seventh, Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Hulkenberg on the eighth, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi on the ninth, Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli on the tenth row, Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas di Grassi on the eleventh and Bruno Senna is the last on the grid.
Karun will start from the pit lane.
Start
Whoa.. looks like there's a problem with one of the Virgin cars. There is news that the rain is going to get heavy and they need to keep the tires warm.
The 5 lights illuminate and the Chinese GP gets off to a roaring start.
What a start from fernando in turn 1 over taking both the Red Bulls. Massa is on P7. Oh there is bad news for Tonio. Timo and Lucas di grasssi are in the pit lane. Safety car is on track. Cars diving into the pits for a change of tires to intermediates.
LAP1
Its Fernando who leads the race followed by Mark and its Vettel in P3. Did Alonso do a jump start?
Lap 2
Alonso in the pits along with Mark Webber for a change of tires. So does Vettel and Massa.
Lap 3
Turn 1 mayhem continues to keep Safety car in this lap. Nico in P1, Jenson in P2 Kubica in P3. And the race is on.
Lap 5
Alonso overtakes Sutil to P4. Oh there is bad news for Alonso. There is a drive through penalty for him for doing a jump start
Lap 6
Hamilton and Vettel in the pits again! Change of tires for both of them. Hamilton tries to nudge Vettel in the pit lane exit.
Lap 7
Its Nico, Button and Kubica in the lead. Massa in 12th and Alonso doing his drive through penalty in P13.
Lap 9
Schumacher is on 7th and Sutil in 8th. Hamilton does a wonderful job of overtaking Webber's Red Bull. And is now hot on the tracks of Vettel's Red Bull (currently is on 10th) Karun is the last runner in 18th.
Lap 12
Adrian holding his ground not allowing Vettel to overtake him. Hamilton takes advantage of the two and gets past both of them! Vettel still trying to overtake Sutil.
Lap 13
Vettel finally manages to overtake Sutil and so does Mark Webber. There is news that rain is about to start once again. Massa is on 13th and Alonso on 14th.
Lap 15
Schumi on 5th and Lewis in 6th. Petrov is in 4th. Schumi trying to hold Lewis back.
Lap 17
Lewis overtakes Schumi - Advantage Straight line speed. Massa overtakes Barichello to take the 11th position.
Lap 18
Its Vettels turn to overtake Schumi and he does it in style. Mark now behind Schumi. Guess Schumi magic is not working here.
Lap 20
Everyone into the pit lane. Bad pit stop strategy for Massa who is queing up behind Alonso in the pit lane. OUCH!. Incident involving Lewis and Vettel will be investigated after the race. Top 3 after the pit stops so far - Its Button, Nico and Kubica.
Lap 22
Safety car out on track again thanks to Jaimes' Front Wing giving way. Schumi ahead of the two Red Bulls after the pit stops. The debris has been cleared. Webber, Hamilton and Vettel are 5th, 6th & 7th respectively and Schumi is in 4th
Lap 25
Safety car will be coming in after the end of this lap. It's Button who leads the pack ahead of Nico.
Lap 26
Lewis makes a move on Schumi. Sutil trying to do the same. Alonso is behind Sutil, pushing hard to try and get past him. Massa is in 11th. Hamilton all over rookie Petrov who is in 4th.
Lap 27
Lewis overtakes Petrov. Will it be a McLaren 1,2?
Lap 28
Sutil, Alonso, Vettel all get past Schumi. Not many surprises there. Sutil is in 6th and Alonso in 7th. Lot of spray on the track. Lewis now 1 second behind Kubica, trying to overtake him. Alonso is trying his best to get past Sutil who is holding his ground.
Lap 29
Straight line speed allows Lewis to get past Kubica and Fernando Alonso to overtake Sutil. It's Vettels turn now to get past Sutil - And he does it!.
It's Button, Rosberg, Hamilton, Kubica, Petrov, Alonso, Vettel in the front. Button driving a flawless race so far in P1.
Lap 33
Schumachers' got his eyes on Sutil now. He tries to get his nose ahead, but fails. Great move by Sutil. Petrov just spins and drops down to 7th place. Button has a 3 seconds lead ahead of Nico. Alonso now takes 5th place and Vettel takes 6th. Meanwhile Schumi still trying to get past Sutil. No luck there.
Its Sutil, Schumi, Massa and Mark Webber in 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th respectively. Lewis is all over Nico.
Lap 35
Lewis tries to get past Nico but fails. Massa slowly climbing up to 10th to secure the last championship point. Every point counts!
Lap 38
Hamilton in the pits. So is Barichello. Button now 8 seconds ahead of Nico. And now, it's Button into the pits and followed by Nico & Alonso
Lap 40
Button, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Kubica, Vettel and Webber complete the top 7. Alonso has made 5 pit stops so far, one being the drive through penalty. Its a McLaren 1,2. Oh, its started to rain heavier now. This race is getting more exciting!
Lap 43
Lewis closes the gap to Button to 2 seconds now. Schumacher, meanwhile is in 8th. Alonso is 17 seconds behind the race leader and the other Ferrari of Massa is 44 seconds behind. Battle between Petrov and Massa now brewing for the last championship point. Massa is in 11th and Petrov in 10th. Ahead of them is Jaime Alguersuari in 9th. Sutil closing in 2 seconds a lap behind Massa.
Lap 46
Jaime Alguersuari makes a mistake, letting Petrov and Massa overtake him. It's Adrian Sutils' turn now. And he does it with finesse. Meanwhile Alonso closing the gap between him and Nico, lapping 1.5 seconds faster than him.
Lap 48
Tire concerns for Lewis? Lewis drops his pace and Nico who is about 10 seconds is catching up about 1.5 seconds a lap. Alonso 2 seconds behind Nico now. Meanwhile Vettel is trying to close in on Kubica. Nico going off the racing line to keep his tires cold.
Lap 51
Nico now six seconds behind Lewis. He is trying his best to catch up with the McLaren. Will he be able to overtake Leiws? 5 laps still remain.
Lap 52
Meanwhile rookie Petrov overtakes Schumi to take the 8th spot. Who would have thought that possible? The Renaults straight line speed did it for him. It's still a McLaren 1,2. Jenson making the right tire choice in the entire race is driving superbly. Karun driving a lonely race in 17th.
Lap 54
Massa now trying to overtake Schumi. He is filling up his rear view mirror. Massa runs wide opening up the gap. Petrov now getting closer to Webber who is currently in 7th. Petrov would get his first championship points if he completes the race.
Lap 55
Vitaly Petrove does it! He overtakes Webber. A fantastic manoevere by Petrov.
Final Lap
Button still in the lead. Rain is getting heavier. Massa overtakes Schumi and Schumi slides out and rejoins. Button is now heading for victory and Lewis behind him. Its victory number 9 for Jenson. Lewis takes 2nd, and Nico takes 3rd. A great race by Button.
Phewww. That was one great, wet, exciting race! Am going to catch my breath and a cold beer... do let us know what you thought of the race. See you guys in Spain three weeks from now.
Race Classification after 56 laps
Welcome to the Chinese GP. 56 laps to be covered on this circuit.
Looks like it's going to be an exciting race! The race hasn't even begun and it's already drizzling. Let's wait and watch whether the teams will be changing to the wets. For now all cars are on dry tires. The wets are on standby. The grandstands are packed, cars are in position with 23 cars on the grid.
The grid: Both Red Bulls are on the front row of the grid. Then its Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg right behind them. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are on P5 and P6. Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica are on the fourth row, Michael Schumacher and Adrian Sutil are on the fifth row of the grid, Rubens Barrichello and Jaime Alguersuari are on the sixth, Sebastien Buemi and Vitaly Petrov on the seventh, Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Hulkenberg on the eighth, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi on the ninth, Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli on the tenth row, Heikki Kovalainen and Lucas di Grassi on the eleventh and Bruno Senna is the last on the grid.
Karun will start from the pit lane.
Start
Whoa.. looks like there's a problem with one of the Virgin cars. There is news that the rain is going to get heavy and they need to keep the tires warm.
The 5 lights illuminate and the Chinese GP gets off to a roaring start.
What a start from fernando in turn 1 over taking both the Red Bulls. Massa is on P7. Oh there is bad news for Tonio. Timo and Lucas di grasssi are in the pit lane. Safety car is on track. Cars diving into the pits for a change of tires to intermediates.
LAP1
Its Fernando who leads the race followed by Mark and its Vettel in P3. Did Alonso do a jump start?
Lap 2
Alonso in the pits along with Mark Webber for a change of tires. So does Vettel and Massa.
Lap 3
Turn 1 mayhem continues to keep Safety car in this lap. Nico in P1, Jenson in P2 Kubica in P3. And the race is on.
Lap 5
Alonso overtakes Sutil to P4. Oh there is bad news for Alonso. There is a drive through penalty for him for doing a jump start
Lap 6
Hamilton and Vettel in the pits again! Change of tires for both of them. Hamilton tries to nudge Vettel in the pit lane exit.
Lap 7
Its Nico, Button and Kubica in the lead. Massa in 12th and Alonso doing his drive through penalty in P13.
Lap 9
Schumacher is on 7th and Sutil in 8th. Hamilton does a wonderful job of overtaking Webber's Red Bull. And is now hot on the tracks of Vettel's Red Bull (currently is on 10th) Karun is the last runner in 18th.
Lap 12
Adrian holding his ground not allowing Vettel to overtake him. Hamilton takes advantage of the two and gets past both of them! Vettel still trying to overtake Sutil.
Lap 13
Vettel finally manages to overtake Sutil and so does Mark Webber. There is news that rain is about to start once again. Massa is on 13th and Alonso on 14th.
Lap 15
Schumi on 5th and Lewis in 6th. Petrov is in 4th. Schumi trying to hold Lewis back.
Lap 17
Lewis overtakes Schumi - Advantage Straight line speed. Massa overtakes Barichello to take the 11th position.
Lap 18
Its Vettels turn to overtake Schumi and he does it in style. Mark now behind Schumi. Guess Schumi magic is not working here.
Lap 20
Everyone into the pit lane. Bad pit stop strategy for Massa who is queing up behind Alonso in the pit lane. OUCH!. Incident involving Lewis and Vettel will be investigated after the race. Top 3 after the pit stops so far - Its Button, Nico and Kubica.
Lap 22
Safety car out on track again thanks to Jaimes' Front Wing giving way. Schumi ahead of the two Red Bulls after the pit stops. The debris has been cleared. Webber, Hamilton and Vettel are 5th, 6th & 7th respectively and Schumi is in 4th
Lap 25
Safety car will be coming in after the end of this lap. It's Button who leads the pack ahead of Nico.
Lap 26
Lewis makes a move on Schumi. Sutil trying to do the same. Alonso is behind Sutil, pushing hard to try and get past him. Massa is in 11th. Hamilton all over rookie Petrov who is in 4th.
Lap 27
Lewis overtakes Petrov. Will it be a McLaren 1,2?
Lap 28
Sutil, Alonso, Vettel all get past Schumi. Not many surprises there. Sutil is in 6th and Alonso in 7th. Lot of spray on the track. Lewis now 1 second behind Kubica, trying to overtake him. Alonso is trying his best to get past Sutil who is holding his ground.
Lap 29
Straight line speed allows Lewis to get past Kubica and Fernando Alonso to overtake Sutil. It's Vettels turn now to get past Sutil - And he does it!.
It's Button, Rosberg, Hamilton, Kubica, Petrov, Alonso, Vettel in the front. Button driving a flawless race so far in P1.
Lap 33
Schumachers' got his eyes on Sutil now. He tries to get his nose ahead, but fails. Great move by Sutil. Petrov just spins and drops down to 7th place. Button has a 3 seconds lead ahead of Nico. Alonso now takes 5th place and Vettel takes 6th. Meanwhile Schumi still trying to get past Sutil. No luck there.
Its Sutil, Schumi, Massa and Mark Webber in 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th respectively. Lewis is all over Nico.
Lap 35
Lewis tries to get past Nico but fails. Massa slowly climbing up to 10th to secure the last championship point. Every point counts!
Lap 38
Hamilton in the pits. So is Barichello. Button now 8 seconds ahead of Nico. And now, it's Button into the pits and followed by Nico & Alonso
Lap 40
Button, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Kubica, Vettel and Webber complete the top 7. Alonso has made 5 pit stops so far, one being the drive through penalty. Its a McLaren 1,2. Oh, its started to rain heavier now. This race is getting more exciting!
Lap 43
Lewis closes the gap to Button to 2 seconds now. Schumacher, meanwhile is in 8th. Alonso is 17 seconds behind the race leader and the other Ferrari of Massa is 44 seconds behind. Battle between Petrov and Massa now brewing for the last championship point. Massa is in 11th and Petrov in 10th. Ahead of them is Jaime Alguersuari in 9th. Sutil closing in 2 seconds a lap behind Massa.
Lap 46
Jaime Alguersuari makes a mistake, letting Petrov and Massa overtake him. It's Adrian Sutils' turn now. And he does it with finesse. Meanwhile Alonso closing the gap between him and Nico, lapping 1.5 seconds faster than him.
Lap 48
Tire concerns for Lewis? Lewis drops his pace and Nico who is about 10 seconds is catching up about 1.5 seconds a lap. Alonso 2 seconds behind Nico now. Meanwhile Vettel is trying to close in on Kubica. Nico going off the racing line to keep his tires cold.
Lap 51
Nico now six seconds behind Lewis. He is trying his best to catch up with the McLaren. Will he be able to overtake Leiws? 5 laps still remain.
Lap 52
Meanwhile rookie Petrov overtakes Schumi to take the 8th spot. Who would have thought that possible? The Renaults straight line speed did it for him. It's still a McLaren 1,2. Jenson making the right tire choice in the entire race is driving superbly. Karun driving a lonely race in 17th.
Lap 54
Massa now trying to overtake Schumi. He is filling up his rear view mirror. Massa runs wide opening up the gap. Petrov now getting closer to Webber who is currently in 7th. Petrov would get his first championship points if he completes the race.
Lap 55
Vitaly Petrove does it! He overtakes Webber. A fantastic manoevere by Petrov.
Final Lap
Button still in the lead. Rain is getting heavier. Massa overtakes Schumi and Schumi slides out and rejoins. Button is now heading for victory and Lewis behind him. Its victory number 9 for Jenson. Lewis takes 2nd, and Nico takes 3rd. A great race by Button.
Phewww. That was one great, wet, exciting race! Am going to catch my breath and a cold beer... do let us know what you thought of the race. See you guys in Spain three weeks from now.
Race Classification after 56 laps
