It couldn't be billed as the most exciting race of the season, but it had it's moments, and F1 Digest is here to fill you in on the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Race
Perhaps we built it up to much, but the penultimate round of the 2008 championship really didn't live up to expectations. It wasn't the worst race of the season, but it certainly wasn't thrill-a-minute either. The Ferrari boys struggled, the BMWs tried to make their way through the field, and all the while Hamilton just pulled away at the front.
Conclusions
Trulli and Bourdais start a war with each other, whilst Raikkonen says he knew what to do. The other teams all seemed to struggle with most drivers having tyre issues, trying to fix it with clever strategies, and failing miserably.
In the championship contenders articles I wrote earlier this week, I said it was Hamilton's championship to lose. This race is the same. The man starts from pole with what is clearly the fastest car on the grid. On paper, he should be able to blitz the competition and get the win. Whether that means he successfully closes his championship campaign with one race still to go depends on how the Ferrari duo fare.
Raikkonen is ahead of Massa, but assuming they get off the line and round the first corner cleanly, there are plenty of opportunities for Massa to pass, or be let past. The threat of rain will be worrying the red team, not only for the confusion and chaos it tends to bring but also because of their tyre performance in the cooler climates.
The only other championship contender, in the form of Kubica, starts from 11th, which has ultimately shoved his title bid into the "not this time" box. Kub must be bitterly disappointed, of all the races for the BMW to start having issues, it had to be his sole surviving opportunity to make it to the championship finale. Heidfeld was in a position to help him out a little, starting in 6th, but after messing with DC's head, he faces a three place grid penalty.
Already we've seen two cars narrowly avoid the same fate as Hamilton as last year's gravel trap incident plays on people's minds a lot. It's one of those scenes that will always be remembered whenever F1 descends upon Shanghai, and no doubt it will feature strongly in Hamilton's focus as he makes his pit stops. It's almost reason enough to one-stop, but I'm sure that's not going to happen.
The time is almost upon us, then, so here are a few links that might be useful:
Please let us know where you are, how you're watching, and what your predictions are, and don't forget to make full use of the Live Commenting Live... Thing.
McLaren lead the way once again, with Hamilton on a determined streak to sew up the title at the penultimate race. Tune in to today's F1 Digest for a recap of all Free Practice 3 and Qualifying action.
Free Practice 3
It turned into a nightmare day for Webber, as his engine gave up towards the end of the session. Heidfeld managed to top the timesheets, in an unusual move for BMW, who are more known for sandbagging during practice.
Qualifying
Hamilton had it sorted from the word go, whilst the BMW boys made things much harder for themselves. Ferrari did the best job they could, whilst Kovalainen felt disappointed with his out-of-touch position.
Conclusions
There seems to be a lot of talk about the lack of grip, perhaps the conditions are cooler than expected, or because Bridgestone are using different compounds. Some of the teams that are lower down the grid are hopeful for some rain during the race. I would imagine Hamilton is hoping there is none.
BMW have been known for mediocre Free Practice times that translate into solid performances for the rest of the weekend. Heidfeld is known for being behind Kubica the majority of the time. What does it mean, then, that Heidfeld pulled out all the stops in FP3 to top the timesheets by 0.074 seconds?
Hamilton would have wanted to lead all three sessions, but I'm sure he can console himself with being second in FP3. The McLaren looks superb at the moment, although both drivers did struggle to keep the car on track at various points throughout the sessions. The Ferrari boys don't appear to have any pace, not if you go by their latest times. However, Free Practice is not the be all and end all of everything, and it remains to be seen what will happen in the next hour.
Barrichello popped up into third at one point, and whilst he was pushed down to 11th by the time the session had finished, this is still an impressive showing from the Honda. He was in front of both Ferrari's, and Vettel, while Button held off Alonso for 15th in the timesheets. All very curious.
Webber suffered the indignity of a massive engine failure, the Red Bull pouring thick plumes of smoke from the back. This may be worrying for the other three Renault runners for the upcoming sessions, especially if they recall how dodgy the Renault power plant was earlier in the season.
Keeping everything mind, and of course the fact that there's a championship at stake here, I want your predictions. Who'll be on pole? Will there be any surprise knockouts? Will Massa manage to line up ahead of Hamilton? Share your thoughts in the Live Commenting Live... Thing.
Also, let us know where you are, how you're watching, and whether it's time for breakfast. Thankfully, ITV do know about qualifying so we will be watching that, whilst looking at the live timing, and probably tuning in to 5live as well. Who says we can't multitask? See you in the comments!
With Hamilton leading both sessions already this weekend, it looks as though the McLaren's are on fire for for this final championship push. Ferrari look to be less speedy, although they may be struggling with the cooler temperatures and their tyres. The battle will become clearer today during FP3 and Qualifying, so we'll be keeping a beady eye on all four drivers from the two teams.
Alonso managed to sneak into second at the last minute in FP2, so it shows that he believes it's never too late for a bit of competitive running. Perhaps Fernando is enjoying some better speed, or perhaps he's just trying to mess with the other guys heads, but either way, it is nice to see the man in the thick of it once again. Even Piquet managed to find a bit of pace at the end of Friday, so the Renault boys could do well this weekend.
Bourdais had a bit of an off into the gravel during Free Practice, and whilst it wasn't a damaging incident, it might have knocked his confidence a little. He was running well, close behind Hamilton, but after a few too many trips wide, he found himself beached off track. He even had to help the marshals sort themselves and the crane out to recover his stricken Toro Rosso. With just two more opportunities to prove his worth, perhaps the pressure is getting to the Frenchman.
What the weather holds for the next two days will also make an important difference to proceedings. So far we've seen the sun struggle to break through the clouds, with temperatures pretty cool, and the track struggling to come into its own as the sessions progress. Will we see rain in China?
As ever, ITV aren't aware there is a third session of Free Practice, so we will be searching for video streams on the web. 5live Sports Extra hasn't let us down yet, and it doesn't look like they'll be starting now. We'll have the Live Timing up, and will be posting things to drop.io. I hope you can join us in the Live Commenting Live... Thing. Follow that link or click the triangle in the corner.
Joy of joys, another weekend of mixed up sleep. It doesn't matter, of course, because we're down to the last two races of the season, and the championship is still a fight to the finish.
The schedule for Shanghai, and therefore Live Commenting is as follows (all time in BST):
Day
Session
Thread Opens
Starts
Friday
Free Practice 1
02:30
03:00
Free Practice 2
06:30
07:00
Saturday
Free Practice 3
03:30
04:00
Qualifying
06:30
07:00
Sunday
The Race
07:00
08:00
Live Commenting will be available, and I'm looking forward to seeing you there, assuming I can keep my eyes open for long enough. Don't forget, though, if you're much too sensible to stay up all crazy hours of the night, then F1 Minute will have a quick sum up of the day's events, and F1 Digest will take a closer look.
The penultimate round of the 2008 season turns up in China, where three drivers can still fight for the title, and we need to see who's feeling confident.
Vital Statistics
Date: 19th October
Circuit: Shanghai International
Length: 5.5km
Laps: 56
2007 Winner: Kimi Raikkonen
Preview
Williams think they've found another circuit that doesn't suit their car, and with the long straights and twisty corners, it is an intriguing mix for the engineers to set up. Some are looking forward to the event, as they love the circuit, others are a bit more superstitious and worried about their previous form.
