FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[calvins48]

More early starts for this third of four fly away races for the start of the 2012 season.

Lewis Hamilton won in spectacular fashion here last year.

Can he FINALLY turn a pole into a win? Will he even be able to get three poles in a row?

Red Bull will surely return to form but will Ferrari slip down again?

I'm excited already!!

[McLaren]

Can't see anything other than an all McLaren front row for this one,even without my very biased view
Fingers crossed they will finally be able to turn it into a 1-2 for a change though.

[yamashek]

More early starts for this third of four fly away races for the start of the 2012 season.

Lewis Hamilton won in spectacular fashion here last year.

Can he FINALLY turn a pole into a win? Will he even be able to get three poles in a row?

Red Bull will surely return to form but will Ferrari slip down again?

I'm excited already!!

Logic tells me that Merc's might have advantage with the long straight. But 2 races past by, and their race pace is very disappointing. Mclarens can have all the poles and front lock out they want, the real points come on Sunday.

I am actually looking forward to a Ferrari win, odds are stacked against them though. But who knows what a few weeks in the factory can do.

Red Bulls, though my favourite team, I really think they are done for 2012. SV still my favourite driver though. Alonso and MSC are my heroes, and now Sergio as well.

Anyone know about Sauder C31 speed trap data compared to the Merc's?

[mnmracer]

• Hamilton on pole, Button completing the front row. Renault-Mercedes on p3 and p4, Vettel on p5, Webber on p6. Alonso in Q3, Massa stuck in Q2.
• Hamilton and Button lead the first stint of the race, but Button comes out on top after pit stops.
• Vettel bides his time and overtakes Hamilton during the last pit stops.
• Alonso is hailed as the new champion after taking p6 behind Button, Vettel, Hamilton, Raikkonen and Schumacher.
• HRT's will be closer to Marussia.
• Red Bull will be biting their finger nails all race after their computers tell them that their cars need to be pulled over, are ok, are about to explode, are ok again, will fall apart in the next corner, are ok again before Webber finally takes off with their Red Bull wings and flies to North Korea to promote Red Bull in this soon-to-be democratic country.

[Hammer278]

More early starts for this third of four fly away races for the start of the 2012 season.

Lewis Hamilton won in spectacular fashion here last year.

Can he FINALLY turn a pole into a win? Will he even be able to get three poles in a row?

Red Bull will surely return to form but will Ferrari slip down again?

I'm excited already!!

Can't blame him for not converting his poles so far though, Button was on song in race 1, McLaren f**ked up his pitstops in Malaysia. He's in a good position in the WDC thus far which counts most. It's a different Lewis we see this year I think, his 2 major criteria for race weekends seem to be 1) Beat teammate, 2) Get good points. Clearly realizes the WDC is there for the taking, making race wins less mandatory.

Ferrari got a huge huge break here, I don't think they even dreamed of victory in the 1st half of 2012. They've made a good investment in Alonso for sure.

China is similar to Msia circuit wise, I'd put money on another McLaren front row lockout.

[FerrariFan63]

More mixed and unpredictable weather please.

[oaba09]

If the weather is ok(no rain) and if Mclaren won't experience any bad luck, they'll most likely have their 1st 1-2 for this season. The red bulls will be the closest challengers but mclaren shouldn't forget about alonso(note that I said alonso, not ferrari). I'd love to see another surprise podium(ala perez)....Mercedes need to take care of their race pace. Their qualifying is good but they just can't seem to find the speed during the actual race....I expect another 5-6 finish from kimi....

[FerrariFan63]

I'd like to see Massa win. A big upset and would put the haters in their place.

[Hammer278]

I'd like to see Massa win. A big upset and would put the haters in their place.

Really? Who's hiring a hitman to kill Hamilton, Button, Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Schumacher, Rosberg, Perez, Kobayashi, Kimi, Grosjean, DiResta, Hulkenberg, Grosjean before the Shanghai GP?

[LewEngBridewell]

If the race is dry, I expect that McLaren will race strongly to win, with RBR and Lotus behind them... this seems to be the form when there's no factors such as the weather coming into play. But there's a fair few weeks to play with in the meantime, where valuable seconds can be won and lost. Interesting times lie ahead.

Anyway, here is a look at the current standings heading into this race:

DRIVERS

1. Fernando Alonso = 35 points
2. Lewis Hamilton = 30
3. Jenson Button = 25
4. Mark Webber = 24
5. Sergio Perez = 22
6. Sebastian Vettel = 18
7. Kimi Raikkonen = 16
8. Bruno Senna = 8
9. Kamui Kobayashi = 8
10. Paul di Resta = 7

TEAMS

1. McLaren = 55 points
2. Red Bull = 42
3. Ferrari = 35
4. Sauber = 30
5. Lotus = 16
6. Force India = 9
7. Williams = 8
8. Toro Rosso = 6
9. Mercedes = 1

And here's a list of the previous winners of the Chinese Grand Prix

2011 = Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2010 = Jenson Button, McLaren
2009 = Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2008 = Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2007 = Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2006 = Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2005 = Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004 = Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari

Looking at these past results, the spread of victors has been quite diverse, with only Lewis Hamilton winning more than once. Who will make it this time round???

[Denthúl]

^ Just looking at the standings there, in two races Pérez has already scored 8 points more than he did over the course of last season. Looking good.

I'm looking forward to this race, hoping that we'll get a chance to see Raikkonen start from a position that reflects his pace and then watch what happens from there. Mercedes also need to do something, because a single point from two races after all the pace they showed in the winter is rather sad.

[LewEngBridewell]

^ Just looking at the standings there, in two races Pérez has already scored 8 points more than he did over the course of last season. Looking good.

I'm looking forward to this race, hoping that we'll get a chance to see Raikkonen start from a position that reflects his pace and then watch what happens from there. Mercedes also need to do something, because a single point from two races after all the pace they showed in the winter is rather sad.

I cannot believe how the season has turned out for Merc so far! 1 point after two events is a shocker.

The thing we have to take into account here, is that we've had the season opener, which leaves only a vague idea of specific form, and then a downpour in Sepang. So there's still lots to learn.

I hope for a dry race in China (it can downpour like crazy there too!) If this is the case, I expect McLaren to win, RBR and Lotus to be fighting behind them while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso may scrape some points. As for Merc, I have no idea...

I'm loving how Williams are faring though, and was overjoyed to see them pick up good points today

[hamilton08]

Hamilton on pole with Button 2nd..... then Hamilton to fall away and finish 3rd

[McLaren]

I'd like to see Massa win. A big upset and would put the haters in their place.

I'd like some of what you've had please

[calvins48]

Hamilton on pole with Button 2nd..... then Hamilton to fall away and finish 3rd

We want predictions for China not summaries of the season!

I kid, mate. Should be a goodun!