Formula One this year is the Hamilton versus Rosberg show, and whilst the Mercedes domination is a concern, we've got a heck of a battle between these two stars. Their teammate track fight in Bahrain captivated F1 fans across the globe and was the icing on what was already a brilliant race cake. Now it's up to China to continue that trend and deliver something even better. No pressure!

Event schedule

Mercedes lead both the driver and constructor championships, but it's brilliant to see a shake-up in the order behind them. We've got Force India in second place in the standings, after an impressive third place podium finish for Sergio Pérez in the desert.

Red Bull lost out their fuel flow appeal, meaning Daniel Ricciardo's podium finish is still struck from the record books, and he's got a lot of work to do to recover those 18 points from Australia. However, he says it's motivating him to work harder, and this weekend he doesn't have a grid penalty hanging over his head.

Pastor Maldonado cannot say the same, as the Lotus driver will take a five place grid penalty from his qualifying position after causing Esteban Gutiérrez to flip over during the last race. The Mexican is thankfully unharmed and fit to race this weekend.

Support racing for this event includes Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.

Expected conditions

Williams, in particular, were keen for a dry qualifying last weekend, and they got it - securing the second row on the grid. They may not be in for a repeat in China, as the weather forecasts suggest rain on all three days. Saturday also looks set to be the worst of the weekend, with showers and storms, whilst Friday and Sunday may at least have a chance of sunshine in amongst the precipitation.

Track information

When the Shanghai International Circuit arrived on the calendar, it was a breath of fresh air with impressive facilities and a shiny new surface. Since then, the track has taken on an unloved look, and a covering of smog puts a bit of a dampener on things. However, there are a handful of overtaking opportunities around the track and the first corner provides a pretty impressive start to the lap.

Designed by Hermann Tilke, there are long straights with hairpins at the end, the extra-long back straight is a key passing point. The high speed sections and tight corners mean that the lap is heavy on braking, and the G forces are something that will challenge the drivers.

There's a 34% chance of the safety car coming out (according to Williams), whilst full throttle is expected to be 56% of a lap, with the lap time penalty for each 10kg of fuel should be about three tenths of a second. High downforce and good setup are key around this track.

Circuit history

The track is built on reclaimed marshland, making the circuit vulnerable to subsidence and meaning work has to be undergone constantly to shore up the track and resurface the tarmac. There haven't been any significant track changes, other than routine maintenance, since the race last year.

The race has been held ten times since its introduction in 2004, and there have been eight different winners. Only Fernando Alonso and Lewis Haimlton have been repeat victors, with Alonso taking the win in two different teams (Renault in 2005 and Ferrari in 2013). Ferrari have won four of the races, with McLaren taking victory at three.

Three of the ten victories have been secured by the driver that went on to win the championship, again it was Alonso in 2005, Hamilton in 2008, and the year before, Kimi Räikkönen in the Ferrari.

Tyre compounds

The tyres continue to play less of a role in the action so far this season, although in Bahrain we saw a great fight for the lead on drivers with different compounds bolted to their cars. This weekend, it's the medium and soft tyres on offer to the teams, with Pirelli hoping their selection will deal with the various demands of the Shanghai track effectively.

China is a circuit that has showcased the effectiveness of a good tyre strategy in the past, so the teams will be hoping to put their data from the first part of the season to good use and explore some of the strategy options available with our latest-generation P Zero tyres.

- Paul Hembery

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.