2011 Race Summary
Lewis Hamilton faced a stressful situation just minutes before the start of the race; a fuel problem with his car meant that if he had started his journey to the grid just 35 seconds later, he would have had to start from the pit-lane. Hamilton however, went on to a thrilling three stop race, overtaking his two-stopping rival and World Drivers' Championship leader Sebastian Vettel on lap 52 of the 56 lap race. Vettel had had a poor start to his race, being beaten on the first lap by both McLarens, with Jenson Button initially holding the upper hand, but his team-mate Hamilton putting in a series of fastest laps that would ultimately give him victory to Button's fourth place finish. Also Hamilton performed an overtake on his teammate in Turn 1, about the mid-point of the race to take second place.
Mark Webber drove a spectacular race from 18th on the starting grid to bring his Red Bull to the chequered flag in 3rd position, beating Jenson Button for the final podium place on only the last lap. Button had made a terrible mistake on the 15th lap when bringing his car into the pits, stopping in the Red Bull pit before being waved off by the Red Bull mechanics into his own McLaren pit one place ahead. The mistake cost Button time, as it did for Sebastian Vettel who was also coming into the pits and had to wait behind Button for him to realise his error; although Button entered the pits in the lead, but exited behind Vettel. Jaime Alguersari lost a wheel on his exit from the pits on lap 10, forcing his retirement from the race. He was the race's only retirement, meaning that this race set the record for the most finishers (23). The record was beaten later in the season, in Valencia, where all 24 starters finished the race.
The race cut Sebastian Vettel's championship lead to 21 points from second placed Lewis Hamilton, with Red Bull constructors lead to McLaren falling to 20 points. Hamilton was ecstatic after his victory, saying "It was one of the best races I've experienced. It feels amazing to be able to bring home a victory for the guys in the factory."
Circuit Info
[Click map for onboard lap]
Laps
56
Circuit length5.541 km (3.387 mi)
Race length305.066 km (189.559 mi)
Lap RecordMichael Schumacher - Ferrari - 2004 - 1:32.238
Most Wins (Drivers)Lewis Hamilton (2)
Most Wins (Constructors)McLaren & Ferrari (3)
Previous Winners
2011 - Lewis Hamilton for McLaren
2010 - Jenson Button for McLaren
2009 - Sebastian Vettel for Red-Bull Renault
2008 - Lewis Hamilton for McLaren
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen for Ferrari
2006 - Michael Schumacher for Ferrari
2005 - Fernando Alonso for Renault
Videos highlighting the Chinese Grand Prix
Highlights from the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix
Highlights from the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix
Changes from 2011
-The grass bordering the track around turns 1, 2 and 6 has been replaced with asphalt which has been painted green using an approved non-slip paint.
-The tyre barrier to the drivers' right in the pit entry has been fitted with a conveyor belt retaining system.
GP Facts
-Only Jenson Button has won the Chinese Grand Prix with the no.1 of a reigning World Champion on his car. And only three times in eight runnings has the winner in China gone on to lift the World Championship that season.
-Michael Schumacher's lap record stil stands from the original 2004 Chinese Grand Prix. Three of the first four races of 2012 take place at tracks with a lap record set by Schumacher in 2004.
-The Hermann Tilke-designed circuit was laid out to resemble the Chinese character 'Shang', meaning 'upward' or 'to ascend'.
-Four of the eight grands prix held at the Shanghai International Circuit have required intermediate or full wet tyres and rain has threatened on several other occasions. Changing race dates from September/October to April has not proved to make rain during the grand prix more or less likely.
-The circuit is built on reclaimed marshland. It is supported by a buoyant polystyrene sandwich sitting on top of 40,000+ concrete piles, some of which go 80m deep into the soft earth. Built at a fast pace the circuit has been vulnerable to subsidence, requiring extensive resurfacing work over the year to even out bumps in the track.
-The 'snail' at the end of the start/finish straight and the hairpin turn 14 are good overtaking points, though the winner of the Chinese Grand Prix has never come from beyond the front three rows of the grid. Mark Webber's charge last season from 18th to 3rd was the only time anyone starting outside the top ten has appeared on the podium.
-The only driver to win the Chinese Grand Prix twice is McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, victorious last year and in 2008 however Hamilton is perhaps better remembered in connection with this venue for sliding out of the 2007 race while attempting to enter the pitlane on very worn tyres. His failure to score in what was the penultimate event handed Kimi Räikkönen a lifeline in the World Championship which Räikkönen grasped by winning in China and again two weeks later in Brazil to take the title by a solitary point.
Drivers Championship
Constructors Championship
Fantasy League Championship
