12/04/2015
NEWS STORY
On the face of it Lewis Hamilton has today's Chinese Grand Prix pretty much wrapped up. Significantly quickest in every session, though given a late challenge by teammate Nico Rosberg in Q3, the Briton still had something in reserve and has clearly bounced back following the disappointment of Sepang.
At Ferrari, James Allison is keen not to overstate the team's chances here or at any other races, choosing his words with the tact of a politician. However, there was no mistaking Sebastian Vettel's wry smile at the end of yesterday's session. OK, he might think he's only going to realistically walk away from here with 15 points, or maybe beat Rosberg to second, but then again...
On the other hand, teammate Kimi Raikkonen was not smiling, the Finn bemoaning the sudden change in the handling of the SF15-T. On Friday he was challenging Hamilton for the top spot and 24-hours later doing well to hold off Daniel Ricciardo for sixth.
However, let's not forget the performance of the red cars on their long runs on Friday or the drop off in performance from the Mercedes. Indeed, minded that this time around, having learned its lesson on Malaysia, Mercedes saved a set of options in qualifying, Rosberg said "so what, the options are rubbish here".
Williams finally came good and maybe this is where the Grove outfit gets its 2015 season up and running for real. Great performances in qualifying from both Felipe Mass and Valtteri Bottas, though the Finn does at times appear to be too aggressive and overdrive the car.
A great performance also from Ricciardo, though one has to wonder whether he has the equipment to convert it into a decent points haul. Christian Horner claims that "over a single lap 7th is where the team is", but all things considered that very much plays down the Australian driver's determination. What with the ongoing engine issues, not to mention its obvious problems with brakes, perhaps Daniil Kvyat best represents the team's current standing.
If one were to draw up a list of wasted talents on the 2015 grid - drivers who should have achieved more - Romain Grosjean would have to be included. Another bravura performance from the Frenchman in qualifying to get into the Top Ten.
Just a few weeks ago Sauber was embroiled in a nasty l little court case, even if the Swiss outfit bore much of the responsibility. Yet the under-funded Hinwil team has both drivers in the first five rows on the grid and, with the aid of that much improved Ferrari power unit, could add a few more points to its Melbourne tally.
After a strong performance in FP3, Toro Rosso fell apart when it really mattered, a fact not lost on the Faenza outfit. Nonetheless in Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz it has two very solid drivers and we will not be surprised to see both of them in the points when the chequered flag falls.
If Sergio Perez fears a "year of pain", it is to be expected that it will comprise many weekends of misery. The force India looks lost at sea, o=and one can only sympathise with the Mexican and his talented teammate.
Despite it all, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button continue smiling, the Spaniard admitting that merely to finish today's race will be a result. The team, and its engine partner, is making progress, but in the meantime it's painful to watch.
Improvements too at Manor, where both drivers qualified under their own steam, within 107%, and for the first time both look likely to start the race.
In terms of strategy, three stops is on paper the quickest option (by one second) for the 56-lap race, but this carries a risk of feeding back into traffic - although overtaking in China is easier than on many circuits, thanks to a wide track layout and several passing opportunities.
The fastest three-stopper is to start on soft, change to soft on lap 10, soft again on lap 25 and medium on lap 43.
However, in practice, a two-stopper is more likely. The best strategy in this case would be to start on soft, soft again on lap 12 and then medium on lap 27. If degradation can be controlled, an intriguing but unlikely possibility would be a one-stopper: start on soft and then change to medium on lap 19.
There has been no overnight rain, no overnight dramas, other than a new ICE for Ricciardo, so we're good to go... the pitlane opens. One by one the drivers head out, the Mercedes duo among the first.
Hmm... a little bit of gamesmanship as Hamilton, in his enthusiasm to return to the track following an early install run, finds the Ferraris, particularly Vettel, unwilling to move aside for him. Waving his hand in frustration, he complains to his team that the "Ferraris are dangerous", having blocked him and "ruined his practice start". In all honesty, it all appeared to be more about the Briton's need to be out first than anything the red cars were doing.
Air temperature is 21 degrees C, while the track temperature is 46 degrees. It is bright and sunny with no sign of the traditional smog... or Friday's track invader. One wonders what happened to both of them.
As the national anthem begins, a few drivers appear to be missing... Kvyat is among the late arrivals. That said, we still don't know why the drivers need to be distracted by this at such a late stage. It must completely mess with the mind-set.
They head off on the parade lap, all but Kvyat and Sainz on options.
The grid forms, and at the front Hamilton's car is almost side-on to the start line, pointing towards the line that teammate Rosberg will take. The Briton making no effort to disguise where he believes the main challenge at the start will come from.
They're away, and all get through the first corner cleanly, Hamilton holding off Rosberg and Vettel. Strong starts from the Williams pair and Raikkonen, the Finn however, taking both Williams drivers in the next few corners. Good starts from Grosjean and the Sauber pair also.
Verstappen is harrying Kvyat, the Russian clearly struggling on the primes. Indeed both Red Bull drivers are struggling, as Kvyat loses out to Hulkenberg also, replay shows Ricciardo losing a whole load of positions at the start most likely due to the anti-stall.
At the end of lap 1, it's Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Massa, Bottas, Grosjean, Nasr, Ericsson and Maldonado.
A spin for Sainz in T2 on lap 2, which drops him to 14th, as Kvyat, now down in 13th, tells his team that his car is OK "at the moment". "Don't talk to me in the corner," urges Sainz, appearing to shift the blame for his error.
As Raikkonen passes the Williams duo the cameras pick up on a very happy Maurizio Arrivabene in the Ferrari garage.
A great move by Maldonado sees the Lotus driver pass Ericsson for ninth.
After 3 laps Hamilton leads Rosberg by 1s, with Vettel right on the German's tail. Raikkonen fourth ahead of Massa, Bottas, Grosjean, Nasr, Maldonado and Ericsson.
As Ricciardo and Kvyat battle for 14th, they are hassled all the way by Alonso. At last the Spaniard has a fight on his hands. As Button joins the fray, Kvyat is told not to fight his teammate as they are on different strategies.
Out front, Vettel goes quickest in S1 as he seeks to make up the 2.5s deficit to Rosberg.
Ricciardo finally get by Kvyat but the Russian hasn't made it easy.
On lap 6, Hamilton posts a new fastest lap (44.102) as Rosberg closes to within 1.052s.
Bottas continues to shadow his Williams teammate as Maldonado is all over the back of Nasr who is 2.3s down on Grosjean. A great scrap also shaping up as Verstappen closes on Ericsson.
It remains constant out front, but further down the field Alonso continues to keep Kvyat well and truly in his sights, the Spaniard right on the Russian's tail.
Another great move from Maldonado, this time on Nasr, the Venezuelan moving up to 8th in the process. Similarly, a late, brave move by Verstappen on Ericsson at T14. In the Toro Rosso garage, his dad Jos is clearly delighted.
Hulkenberg has pulled of track. "I've lost the gearbox," he wearily reveals.
At the end of lap 10, Nasr is the first driver to pit. He drops from ninth to seventeenth in the process.
"We need to get off this tyre as soon as we can," warns Ricciardo.
The Ferrari duo continue to keep the Mercedes drivers honest, the top four covered by just 6.9s.
Next time around Maldonado and Perez pit.
Unhappy with his options, Ricciardo is told that the primes also don't look too good.
Another fastest lap form Hamilton, the Briton posting 43.935 as Grosjean and Verstappen pit. As does Alonso.
An early stop for Vettel, Ferrari going for the under-cut. Currently third, 4.6s down on Rosberg, the German rejoins on softs in fifth. Massa also pits, the Williams driver swapping to primes as he drops to eighth.
As Hamilton posts another fastest lap (44.698), Vettel goes quickest in S3.
Hamilton pits at the end of lap 14, as does Bottas, the Briton saying that his first set of tyres were good. He sticks with the softs as he rejoins in third. Ericsson and Button both pit.
Rosberg pits at the end of lap 15, the German told he will stay with the option rubber. Raikkonen follows him into the pitlane.
With Hamilton now back in the lead, Rosberg exits the pitlane just ahead of Vettel who posts a new fastest lap (43.018). Raikkonen remains fourth, ahead of Massa, Bottas, Maldonado, Grosjean,, Nasr and Verstappen.
Game over for Kvyat whose car pulls to the side of the track with white smoke billowing from the car. As Christian Horner shakes his head in disbelief, Kvyat warns: "Car on fire, car on fire".
Verstappen closes on Nasr as Hamilton loses a whole heap of time in S2, though it's not clear why. The gap to Rosberg is now down to 2.4s with Vettel a further 2.3s behind.
At the back of the field, both Manors have pitted, whilst Alonso offers no resistance as Button passes in T14.
Sainz, currently 14th, is the only driver yet to stop, the Spaniard having completed 18 laps on his primes.
Another great move by Verstappen, this time on Nasr.
After 19 laps its: Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen all on softs and Massa, Bottas, Maldonado, Grosjean, Verstappen and Nasr on primes.
"Lewis is driving very slowly," complains Rosberg, "get him to speed up". The German fears that he is being pushed back into the clutches of the Ferraris.
Rosberg is clearly unhappy; "if I get closer (to Lewis), I'll ruin my tyres". Consequently, Hamilton is given a gee-up.
Currently 2.1s down on his Mercedes teammate, Rosberg has Vettel 1.7s behind and Raikkonen a further 4s down the road.
Ricciardo makes a good move on Ericsson at T14 but overcooks it, runs wide and loses the position.
Rosberg is told that having checked his first set of tyres, the left-front is the most worn - as expected - whilst the rears were in line with expectations.
As Sainz slows to a crawl on the back straight, complaining that he has "no gearbox", fifth placed Massa is 24s behind Raikkonen, the Mercedes and Ferraris in a league of their own.
Somehow, Sainz' gearbox issue has been resolved as he picks up speed again. Nonetheless, he is now under attack from Stevens.
As Ricciardo (13th) closes in on a group that includes Verstappen, Nasr, Perez and Ericsson, he told that it's going to get a little bit busy.
Hamilton is told that his minimum target time is 43.3 or the team will have to pit Rosberg first. The ultimate gee-up for the Briton.
Ricciardo and Ericsson battle, the Australian makes his move at T1 but once again he overdoes it and loses the position he had just taken.
At half-time, it's: Hamilton, Rosberg (2.4s), Vettel (1.6), Raikkonen (42), Massa (21.5) and Bottas (6.6).
As Ricciardo finally make a move on Ericsson that sticks, Vettel is asked if he can go faster. "Not much," he replies, "I'm at the limit".
"My front-left is becoming a problem," warns Rosberg as Vettel is told to pit. Hamilton responds with a new fastest lap (43.008).
Vettel duly pits and 22.444s later he rejoins in fourth, 18.1s down on his teammate. Meanwhile, Rosberg is told to "box now!"
Another fastest lap for Hamilton (42.208) as Rosberg gets out of shape as he enters the pitlane. 22.8s he rejoins in third, like Vettel, on primes, 14.7s down on Raikkonen and just (1.9s) ahead of Vettel.
Raikkonen is told that his stint will be longer than first anticipated, meaning a shorter stint on the primes at the end. Grosjean and Verstappen pit.
At the end of lap 33 Hamilton pits, as does Button. 22.2s later the world champion rejoins the race in second,
A mistake by Maldonado sees the Lotus driver resort to using the escape road after getting it all wrong as he entered the pitlane. He has to be pushed by the marshals in order to get back to the pitlane.
Raikkonen pits at the end of lap 34, rejoining the race 22.4s later in fourth on the primes.
"My seat is getting hot again," complains Hamilton.
Bottas pits at the end of lap 35, the Finn sticking with the prime rubber. Elsewhere, Maldonado passes Button to take 13th.
Alonso pits at the end of lap 36. A lap later Ricciardo follow suit.
Currently, all but Perez, Alonso and Sainz are on the prime rubber.
Now 10.8s down on race leader Hamilton, and 5.3s down on Rosberg, it appears that Vettel's challenge is over. The Ferraris are strong, best of the rest, but Mercedes reign continues.
Oh the indignity, on successive laps Button and Alonso are blue-flagged as they are lapped.
Verstappen closes in on Perez, the Mexican clearly struggling on his option rubber. Elsewhere, a big spin for Maldonado. "Any damage?" he is asked. "No," comes the reply.
Another typically bold move from Verstappen who nails Perez in T5, his skill belying his years. Perez is subsequently passed by Ericsson also, but in a less spectacular move.
"This is good Kimi," the Iceman is told, "Alonso will be blue-flagged so keep it up". Surely the laconic Finn will allow himself a wry smile as he closes on his former teammate.
Perez pits at the end of lap 42 as Ricciardo harries Ericsson for the final championship point.
"Come on, get that McLaren out of the way," shouts Raikkonen. You can imagine the grin inside his helmet.
Great battle between Ricciardo and Ericsson, the Red Bull driver eventually forcing the Swede into a mistake. Good, fair driving by both.
After 44 laps (of 56), it's: Hamilton, Rosberg (4.8s), Vettel (10.1), Raikkonen (2.9), Massa (28.1), Bottas (8.1), Grosjean (18.8), Verstappen (8.1), Nasr (3.5) and Ricciardo (9.1).
Blue flags means that neither Button or Maldonado offer any resistance as Vettel laps them. After he passes, and as Raikkonen closes in, the pair resume the battle for 13th. Had it not been for the pit entry mistake and the subsequent spin, the Lotus driver would have been in the points.
"Come on, get these two cars out of the way," says Raikkonen as he closes in. In fairness he doesn't want to lose any further ground to his teammate.
Once the Finn has passed the pair resume battle. He does his best but the Briton is unable to hold off the Mercedes powered Lotus. Alonso closes in as Button re-takes the position.
Heading into T1 at the start of lap 49, Button makes a move on Maldonado as Alonso pursues the pair. The two touch, Maldonado spins off and Button runs wide. The Spaniard moves up to 13th, doing extremely well to avoid the melee.
Replay shows Button clipping the back of the Lotus, the Briton subsequently revealing that he has incurred some (front) wing damage. Maldonado pits but on leaving the pits he clearly has an issue. "I've a failure of the brakes," he reveals. He returns to the pits to retire.
After 51 laps, Hamilton leads by 6.7s, while, interestingly, Raikkonen closes to within 1.6s of his Ferrari teammate.
The stewards will investigate the Button/Maldonado incident after the race.
With 4 laps remaining, the order seems settled, the only two drivers separated by less than a couple of seconds being the Ferrari pair.
Verstappen has stopped on the pit straight, the youngster having suffered an engine failure. As the Safety Car is deployed it is a sad end to a very convincing performance from the youngster. His march back through the garage, helmet still firmly in place, says it all.
Maybe Renault needs a 'Verstappen slappen' from his Dad.
Of course, the Safety Car's deployment bunches up the field, with just 2 laps remaining. However, as Hamilton asks, will they remove the stricken, smoking Toro Rosso or will the race be allowed to finish behind the Safety Car.
The car is pushed through a gap in the pit-wall, it's front wing getting tagged in the process. As the marshals struggle the crowd (such as it is) cheers loudly.
Sadly, the ineptitude of the marshals robs us of what might have been a grandstand finish.
However, there is plenty of entertainment as the Faenza crew arrive to rescue their car, which has probably incurred more damage than if it had been given over to Pastor Maldonado.
The drivers are warned that there is to be no overtaking as the Safety Car pulls off just ahead of the finish line.
As Hamilton takes the flag, he is told: "Well done, full house, referring to the fact that he led every session, took pole, fastest lap and the win.
Behind the Briton it's Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Massa, Bottas, Grosjean, Nasr, Ricciardo and Ericsson.
Perez is eleventh, ahead of Alonso, Button, Sainz, Stevens and Merhi.
Whilst we might bemoan the fact that the failure to clear Verstappen' car robbed us of a scintillating hot lap, the reality is that the result was already settled and it would have been unfair to see anyone lose out or prosper under such circumstances.
In many ways, today has confirmed much of what we already knew. That Mercedes is the class of the field. Ferrari is second but has much still to do, that Williams - not Red Bull is the third team, and that the midfield is the tightest we can remember.
Also, it demonstrated not only the class of some the new kids on the block, but that they don't all come from the Pastor Maldonado School of Racing.
Last year, Bahrain provided us with a memorable race, let's hope we get a repeat this time around.
If nothing else, whilst the Red Bull war of words with Renault looks set to continue, we appear to have a number of in-team battles shaping up nicely, with the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull duos all getting niggled at some point or another this weekend.
Which can only mean added excitement for us. We hope.
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