F1 review: Chinese Grand Prix 2010

 It’s race four of the 2010 Formula One season and we find ourselves in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. Can Red Bull match their dominance of the previous race? Can Ferrari hold on to the top positions in the Drivers Championship? Well it’s a good start for Red Bull who are in pole position yet again for the fourth consecutive time.

Twitchy start
In rather changeable conditions, the green light appears, the feet hit the accelerators and the Chinese Grand Prix is off. Alonso storms from a starting point of third to lead the race by the first corner, unfortunately for the Spaniard, he has suffered from a case of twitchy foot and is penalised for a jump start. His punishment is a drive through.

The first lap drama doesn’t end there. Four cars at the rear of the field lead a merry dance and cause the yellow flag to be waved and subsequently the safety car comes out for a few laps. The weather then starts to change, rain is predicted and half the field come in for a change of tyres while the rest gamble on those they began the race with. Panic! Most of the pitting cars are forced to re-pit and change back to the first choice of tyres after completely misjudging the conditions. The winners are the likes of Rosberg and Button who persevered with their wheel wear and now occupy the top positions in the race. In the confusion, Hamilton and Vettel manage to touch wheels in the pit lane, which they are later reprimanded for.

Tyres, tyres, tyres
Once the whole tyre debacle has settled down, it emerges that the Williams of Rosberg leads the McLaren of Button, with Kubica in third leaving the Red Bulls and Ferraris well down the field. In hot pursuit of the Red Bulls is Hamilton who is on a charge and obviously trying to make up for lost time. He takes Webber and then in a supreme overtaking manoeuvre, the British driver takes two places in one go, one of which is the other Red Bull, Vettel.

The race is well and truly on. Now, will the weather hold?

Duels
This is what we’ve been waiting for. Hamilton versus Schumacher. Youth versus experience. England versus Germany. The McLaren twice attempts to pass his senior, but both times Schumacher slams the door shut on him. Third time lucky? Yes, but no. Definitely yes. After switching places a few times in a matter of seconds, Hamilton finally edges it and he’s off to chase down his next victim.

Hamilton is now up to fifth, but still some way off the leader Rosberg, with Button still in second.

Next up for Schumacher, is the “New Schumacher” in the form of Vettel. New Schumacher beats Old Schumacher and now it’s Webber’s turn to chase down the veteran. Back to the front, and under no pressure, Rosberg spins and Button takes full advantage by not only closing on him, but also getting past the Williams driver and now leads the race.

Here comes the rain
It’s raining again and another pit panic ensues. Who will win the strategic battle this time around? Button rejoins the race in the lead, only for the safety car to come out for the second time in the race due to a certain amount of debris strewn across the track courtesy of Alguersuari. All the cars are bunched up now, so it’s anyone’s race yet again.

It is Hamilton who makes the most of the situation and catapults himself into third position with some masterly overtaking, getting past Webber and then the impressive Petrov. The McLaren now sets its sights on Rosberg and second place. Meanwhile, Schumacher appears to be going backwards.

After closing the gap on Rosberg in second and being held off by the German for a couple of intense laps, Hamilton decides to pit again. Button forges ahead. Button pits. I reckon half of the race has been spent in the pits today. McLaren can’t complain though, they are now both leading the race, thanks to some efficient pitting.

As we reach the closing stages, it seems that Hamilton has either been called off the pursuit of his team mate via team orders or he is preserving his tyres. Probably a bit of both.

Button’s brilliance
It’s the final lap and the rain is coming down hard. The front two are starting to take it easy to avoid any unnecessary mistakes. Nothing to worry about though, Jenson Button seals his second victory in four races, with the win in China. Hamilton finishes in an impressive second after showing us some very impressive overtaking, making it a McLaren one-two and a good day for British sport.

It has been an eventful Chinese Grand Prix. In tough conditions, the two McLarens have coped admirably and implemented a superior strategy. Rosberg completes the podium with Alonso, Kubica and Vettel finishing off the top six. Special mention must go to Renault’s Petrov for a well earned seventh place and his first ever points. Again, Schumacher finished a race but way down in an unassuming tenth place.

Button now leads the World Championship by ten points as the drivers head onto the European part of the season. The big question now is, will they manage to get a flight home? Volcanic ash aside, the British boys will be celebrating all the way to the Spanish Grand Prix on the 9th of May.

Watch the race highlights here.

Chinese GP Race Result:
1 Jenson Button – McLaren-Mercedes
2 Lewis Hamilton – McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg – Mercedes GP
4 Fernando Alonso – Ferrari
5 Robert Kubica – Renault
6 Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull-Renault
7 Vitaly Petrov – Renault
8 Mark Webber – Red Bull-Renault
9 Felipe Massa – Ferrari
10 Michael Schumacher – Mercedes GP

Driver Standings:
1 Jenson Button – McLaren-Mercedes = 60 points
2 Nico Rosberg – Mercedes GP = 50
3 Fernando Alonso – Ferrari = 49
4 Lewis Hamilton – McLaren-Mercedes = 49
5 Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull-Renault = 45
6 Felipe Massa – Ferrari = 41

Constructors’ Standings:
1 McLaren-Mercedes = 109 points
2 Ferrari = 90
3 Red Bull-Renault = 73
4 Mercedes GP = 60
5 Renault = 46
6 Force India-Mercedes = 18