Valtteri finished in P2 in his 100th Grand Prix start - claiming his 24th career podium, his 15th with the team and his second of the 2018 season. Lewis came home in P4 at the Shanghai International Circuit - his 28th straight top-ten finish, breaking the record for most consecutive points finishes.
Today's result marks the 20th podium in China for Mercedes-Benz Power.
Toto Wolff: I am sure that was a fantastic grand prix for the fans watching in the grandstands and back at home - but it was a very challenging one from where we were sitting. Ultimately, the reality of today's pace is that we lacked pace in each phase - Sebastian managed the performance in the opening stint, building a good gap to Valtteri, and the Red Bulls were significantly faster on fresher tyres after the Safety Car. The best part of our day was undoubtedly Valtteri's drive: the pit wall called an aggressive undercut, the boys delivered a perfect pit stop and he claimed first the position over Sebastian, then the lead from Kimi with a bold pass round the outside. We saw a real fighter in the car today and, while he was unfortunate with the Safety Car timing opening the door for Red Bull, he protected P2 in a perfect way. For Lewis, it was a tougher afternoon. He could not make progress in the opening stint, pitted early for the medium tyre running a one-stop strategy and then was sitting in P3 after the Safety Car came in. At that stage we believed that gaining track position was key as we did not see any overtaking in the first part of the race. In the end we must admit that the decision from Red Bull to pit for a fresh set of tyres under the safety car was the right call but that was not a given at that stage of the race. P2 and P4 is some good damage limitation from a tricky race but it is little comfort that this puts us in the lead of the constructors' championship as we head home. We have seen the competitive picture change quickly over the past three races and it's clear that we still have much to understand about our car and how to get the best from the tyres. We have been in tough spots before in recent years and shown the right spirit to respond. We will do the same again this time.
Andrew Shovlin: Firstly congratulations to Valtteri finishing his 100th race with another podium. Last week Valtteri was wanting the race to run a few laps longer and this week he'll be glad that it finished when it did. He drove a strong race, managed his tyres well and had the pace to make the undercut work with Vettel. It would have been great to have seen him on the top step but we missed it by quite a margin today as we just weren't fast enough compared to Red Bull. Leading up to the safety car, the race was going reasonably well. Valtteri was running in first place and Lewis was in fourth having benefit from Ferrari going long on the first stint with Kimi. The safety car changed the situation: we had to stay out with Valtteri to retain the lead and decided not to stop Lewis as we might have lost a position to Ricciardo, and risked losing a further place to Kimi. We'd not been able to overtake during the first stint so were conscious that if we'd lost that position, we may have been stuck there. However, we simply didn't have the pace to beat Red Bull on the same strategy today and we need to be very honest with ourselves regarding our performance of our car this weekend. We've had very different conditions over qualifying and race but haven't been fastest in either. We're off to Baku next which is a very different type of circuit and we are fully expecting another close battle. We've got work to do in many areas, both qualifying and race pace need to be improved. This championship is anyone's to win and we will be working flat out over the next few weeks and month to try and solve our weaknesses.
Maurizio Arrivabene: Today's result was definitely not the one we were aiming for, given that we were starting from the front row. Our race pace wasn't bad, but this was a Grand Prix in which the many variables made the difference. Kimi made it to the podium and Sebastian limited the damage in a car which, after the collision, was not in the best of conditions for a fight. Now it's important for us to maintain concentration and determination, already thinking about the next race in Baku.
Christian Horner: "To achieve our first victory of the year here in China was the result of a fantastic team effort. A strong strategy and a great performance by the pit crew, who have done an amazing job all weekend particularly with the engine change on Daniel's car; and Daniel drove an amazing race and fully deserved victory. His passes were exemplary and the strategy really came alive for us under the safety car. We made a late call to get both cars in and again the second double stop was clinically executed and they did an unbelievable job. For Max the first part of the race was going very well for him, unfortunately he lost time on the outside of Lewis, dropped behind Daniel, and then, when attempting a pass on Sebastian, he made contact resulting in a 10 second penalty which he has apologised for. He still managed to bring the car home in fifth; it is a result I am sure he will be frustrated with, but performance today bodes well for the coming season. Speaking of a team effort, any win begins with all of the guys and girls back at the factory and the dedication and hard work there, and that allows us to enjoy moments like this."
Sahara Force India missed out on points today with Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez finishing the Chinese Grand Prix in eleventh and twelfth places.
Robert Fernley: "A difficult opening lap put us on the back foot and saw both cars drop down the order. Despite a pace advantage we were stuck in traffic, which forced us to pit both cars early in an attempt to undercut the cars ahead of us. Both cars were following two-stop strategies and after the Safety Car it was a case of trying to recover to the points, which we very nearly did. It was one of those afternoons where a combination of factors played against us and into the hands of others. The pace of the car was solid and that's definitely a positive to take away we prepare for Baku."
Lance Stroll finished 14th and Sergey Sirotkin 15th in the Chinese Grand Prix. Both cars started on the soft Pirelli tyre, with Lance starting 18th and Sergey 16th. Both cars made good starts, making up multiple positions to end the opening lap with Lance moving up to 12th and Sergey 15th. Lance made his only pitstop of the race on lap 23 for the medium tyre. Sergey pitted for the medium tyre on lap 28, and then changed to a two-stop strategy under the safety car, by pitting for the soft tyre on lap 33.
Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: Although these aren't great results, and certainly not in the points, compared to where we were in Bahrain it's fantastic get two cars to the finish in 14th and 15th. We were certainly in the race today whereas in Bahrain we were not even competing, so a much more positive feeling for everyone and something we can build on in the weeks to come. Both cars had really good starts off the line with Lance taking the most profit out of it, through turns one and two, and getting as high as 12th with Sergey 15th. We always planned the one stop soft-medium and we stuck with that as it was working very well for us. The safety car didn't help us that much but we took the opportunity to put Sergey on the soft tyre, which appeared to be a better tyre for us and for this circuit, as indeed it appeared to be for the front runners. On pace, we were able to beat the Saubers but through strategy, we were able to beat both Toro Rosso cars, as well as the Haas of Grosjean.
Renault Sport Formula One Team's Nico Hulkenberg took a fine sixth position in an exciting and action-packed Heineken Chinese Grand Prix today.
Nico fought through an eventful first lap, managed his tyres well and was able to take advantage of a safety car period for his second stop to be in the fight for the positions ahead come the end of the 56-lap race. Carlos fought a similar race to finish ninth, also challenging for the position ahead on the final lap.
Nico started the race from P7 on his qualifying Ultrasoft (purple) Pirelli tyres, pitting on lap 13 from P7 for a new set of Medium tyres, followed by a stop under the safety car on lap 31 from P7 for a new set of Softs.
Carlos started the race from P9 on his qualifying Ultrasoft tyres, stopping on lap 12 from P9 for a new set of Medium tyres, followed by a stop under the safety car from P9 on lap 31 for a new set of Softs.
Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal: "Today was obviously a good day for the team which shows we are gaining in maturity. We had decent starting positions with both cars in the top ten, but that actually put us in a difficult position with our race strategy as we knew we would have to do two stops when the competitors around us were in a position to complete the race with one. But thanks to a strong first lap and many very clean overtaking moves from our drivers we made that work. The safety car helped slightly but I don't think it would have changed much. The team is building and getting stronger across the board. Our pace was encouraging, as was the win of Daniel Ricciardo, showing the Renault power unit is getting there and is a race-win capable engine."
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Franz Tost (Team Principal): "First of all, congratulations to Red Bull Racing for this fantastic victory. It was a fantastic decision from the strategy side and Daniel Ricciardo took the chance. He had everything under control to win the race. Unfortunately, Toro Rosso didn't perform well. This weekend we struggled from the very beginning onwards - we were near the back on the starting grid, and during the race we couldn't find the pace we needed. In addition to this, we had the collision between the two drivers because of a communication misunderstanding, which is a real shame. At the end of the race, we detected an issue on the gearbox of Brendon's car and therefore we had to retire. Hopefully we can find the reason for this bad performance and be more competitive in Baku."
Toyoharu Tanabe (Honda F1 Technical Director): "After a strong showing in Bahrain just a few days ago, we have had a much more difficult weekend in Shanghai and today's poor result reflects that. On the PU front, everything ran smoothly, but our overall pace was not very good and then it was unfortunate that our two cars collided. Now, after three races in just four weeks, we can assess what we have learned in order to improve for the future."
Haas F1 Team earned its second straight point-paying result as Kevin Magnussen drove to a 10th-place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix Sunday at Shanghai International Circuit. Teammate Romain Grosjean finished 17th.
The single point earned by Magnussen strengthened Haas F1 Team's seventh-place standing in the constructors' ranks, as it increased its margin over eighth-place Sauber to nine points while cutting the deficit to sixth-place Toro Rosso to just one point.
Magnussen started 11th in the 56-lap race around the 5.451-kilometer (3.387-mile), 16-turn track. He employed a one-stop strategy, swapping the Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tires he started the race with for the harder, more durable White medium tire on lap 24. The pit stop dropped Magnussen from a high of seventh to 10th, as the pit window opened early on lap 10 when Toro Rosso's Brendon Hartley came in for service, setting off an elongated pit cycle that saw an array of strategies.
A safety car period beginning on lap 32 further complicated matters, as it allowed some drivers to duck into the pits for service and minimize any lost track position. Magnussen and Grosjean stayed out on the track, improving their track position as Magnussen climbed back to seventh and Grosjean broke into the top-10. The downside, however, was the drivers behind the Haas F1 Team duo were on much fresher tires, and when the race returned to green, the discrepancy was apparent.
Nico Hulkenberg wheeled his Renault past Magnussen on lap 35 to take seventh, while Grosjean came under attack from the McLaren of Fernando Alonso and the Renault of Carlos Sainz Jr., to fall out of the top-10.
Grosjean wound up with a two-stop strategy. He pitted on lap 16, jettisoning the Purple ultrasoft tires he used in the final round of qualifying for White mediums. He pitted again on lap 46, having wrought all he could from those mediums, for a slightly used set of ultrasofts that would take him to the finish. Grosjean emerged from the pits in 20th and rallied to finish 17th.
Magnussen held steady in eighth until lap 48 when both Alonso and Sainz got by. Magnussen was able to hold onto 10th and maintain the gap over 11th-place Esteban Ocon, crossing the stripe with a 4.456-second advantage over the Force India driver to finish in the points.
Formula One takes a weekend off before returning to action for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix April 29 at Baku City Circuit where Ricciardo is the defending race winner.
Guenther Steiner: "A tough finish to the day. The safety car destroyed our race, obviously. I think we were on the way to be seventh with Kevin, and eighth or ninth with Romain. The Renaults got a free pit stop and, therefore, we ended up where we were. We couldn't get the tires back up to temperature after the safety car. Kevin fought hard to finish 10th, and Romain just had to change tires again as we couldn't get any temperature into them anymore. It's a tough end to the day but, again, we showed that we can fight in the positions that we fought in from the last two races. I think in some places we can be best of the rest. We go with a positive attitude to Baku and try to do there what we haven't done over the first three races."
The Chinese Grand Prix provided a mixed result for McLaren fans today. Starting in 13th and 14th respectively, Fernando gained two and Stoffel lost two places at start, which set the tone for much of the remainder of the race.
Both drivers managed their tyres well and the team executed a strong one-stop strategy, although the advantage of this was negated somewhat by a Safety Car period in an ideal pit window for the two-stopping cars around them.
Both Fernando and Stoffel put in strong drives and made bold overtaking manoeuvres to make up places ahead of them, and a late final push from Fernando saw him sneak into seventh place on the penultimate lap of the race. Conversely, Stoffel suffered strong vibrations in the car in the closing laps, making handling difficult and hindering any further progress, and he finished 13th.
Eric Boullier: "While today was the tough race we expected, we were still able to show our fighting spirit and bring home some more valuable points.
"Fernando made a good start, and was up to P11 by the end of the third lap. He managed to maintain strong pace compared to those around him despite the Safety Car period, executed a good strategy, and made a couple of stunning overtakes in the final stages of the race to cross the line in seventh.
"On the other side of the garage, Stoffel wasn't as lucky today. He had a slow start off the line and found himself with an uphill struggle after losing a couple of places. He responded strongly though, making some solid overtakes and managing his tyres well. In the latter stages, when his competitors were on fresher rubber, he battled hard in the midfield despite suffering from a strong vibration which made the final laps tricky to manage. He gave it everything to finish in 13th but it was a tough day for him, and we hope for better fortunes in Baku.
"We opted to run a one-stop strategy today with both drivers, knowing that our tyre management showed good potential. Unfortunately, we were a little bit unlucky with the Safety Car as many of the cars around us took advantage of the window to pit. Still, we fought hard, proved to be opportunistic and used the strengths of our package to our advantage to come home with six more points. Now, we head back to the factory after a long stint away, to regroup and work on preparing ourselves for the next race in Baku."
In an eventful and hectic 2018 Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix, the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team experienced two different sides to the race. Starting with a one pit stop strategy (from soft to medium tyres), Charles Leclerc showed a good and consistent pace in the first stint on soft tyres, and recovered positions, while Marcus Ericsson showed a strong midfield pace in the second part of the race on medium tyres.
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team leaves Shanghai with Marcus Ericsson having finished in 16th and Charles Leclerc in 19th place. The young Monegasque driver experienced some issues with the balance of his car, after spinning off during his second stint and picking up damage to his floor. The team is analysing the collected data and starting their preparations for the next race which will take place on the Baku City Circuit.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: "The race had two different sides for us. We had both drivers on a one-stop strategy, starting on the soft, and changing to medium tyres. For Charles, the first stint was a very good one. He could match the pace of the midfield, and recover a few positions. After the pit stops, the race started to change. There was a safety car following an incident on track. The timing was not ideal for us, as our competitors took this chance to save time during their pit stops. Shortly after changing to the medium tyre compound, Charles spun into the gravel. He flat-spotted and picked up damage to his floor. Unfortunately, not much was possible for him after that. Marcus, on the other hand, had a good pace in the second stint and felt more comfortable on the medium tyres. He recovered a few positions and delivered a consistent performance. Overall, the race pace is there and we can see that we can get in the fight within the midfield. We still have some improvements to make for qualifying. That is the next step, and we look forward to the next race."
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo won the Chinese Grand Prix from sixth on the grid, having started on the ultrasoft tyre and making two pit stops. His second stop was made under a safety car, enabling him to re-start with new soft tyres and gain an advantage over those one-stopping on a different strategy. His Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen adopted a similar strategy, with both cars double-stacking in the pits.
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas in second adopted a completely different strategy, similar to his team mate Lewis Hamilton and both Ferrari drivers: starting on the soft and making just one stop to medium. Despite this wide range of tactics with many drivers using all three compounds, there was a very tight battle between the frontrunners - where managing the tyres was paramount - all the way to the finish.
Mario Isola: "After Bahrain, we enjoyed another race where some different thinking on tyre strategy among the leading competitors led to a very exciting conclusion, with many different tactics in play. Track temperatures today were around 20 degrees higher than they had been over the previous couple of days, which meant that the teams were facing a few unknown factors heading into the race, not having run in these temperatures here before. Another factor that influenced tyre strategy and ultimately the race victory was a lengthy safety car period, allowing both Red Bulls to change tyres at an advantageous moment, while reducing wear and degradation for everyone else who stayed out. In total, six drivers, including the race winner, used all three compounds."
Truthometer
Daniel Ricciardo won the race using two pit stops, going from ultrasoft to medium at the end of lap 17, and then from medium to soft under the safety car at the end of lap 31. He was one of only seven cars to start the race on the ultrasoft tyre.
