McLaren clinches 1-2 victory in China!

The British duo of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were the first ones to cross the finish line after 56 laps at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. Both World Champions from McLaren secured the team’s first 1-2 victory and Button’s second win of the season after starting the race from fifth and sixth places respectively. Nico Rosberg managed to get onto the podium yet again for Mercedes GP with his third place.

The German was in fact leading the race at the early stages after starting from fourth place. Fourth place went to Fernando Alonso after making up to five pitstops! Kubica was fifth followed by Vettel who started from pole, Renault’s Vitaly Petrov, Webber, Massa and Schumacher. Yet again Schumacher was out-paced by his teammate. Kovalainen came home in 14th place for Lotus, ahead of the new teams. Jarno Trulli retired after suffering from what believed to be a pressure-related problem.

The race was mostly a wet affair although it started with an almost dry track. Alonso made a ‘good’ start and jumped ahead of both the Red Bulls. Unfortunately for him and Ferrari the start was classified as a jump start and the World Champion was ordered to serve a drive through penalty.

Moments later the SLS AMG Safety Car was deployed following a crash that involved Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi on the first lap. He spun after losing the car under braking, collecting both Sebastien Buemi from Toro Rosso and Kamui Kobayashi from Sauber. Rain started to fall and most drivers made their pit stops for intermediate tires. Rosberg wasn’t part of the list hence he went on to lead the race. Conditions got dryer a while later and it was another round through the pits for dry weather tires. Rosberg maintained his lead.

As the positions settled down it was Rosberg leading ahead of Button followed by Kubica and Vitaly Petrov of Renault, Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari and Lotus’ Heikki Kovalainen in sixth. Michael Schumacher, Adrian Sutil, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber made up the rest of the top ten. A couple of laps later Kovalainen dropped to tenth place which did not come as a surprise. Rosberg was the fastest man on track until Hamilton started to clock quicker times.

Rain started to pour again and Rosberg suffered from a spin which allowed Button to take over the lead. All drivers eventually pitted for intermediates and the rain got worse. The Safety Car came out again after Alguersuari left pieces of his front wing on track. As the race restarted it was Button in the lead in front of Rosberg, Kubica, Petrov, Schumacher, Webber, Hamilton, Vettel, Sutil and Alonso. Towards the end of the race most drivers pitted again as their intermediate tires began to give way.

The race was definitely interesting with a couple of incidents apart from the first lap accident and of course the rain. There were quite a few overtaking and nice defensive moves as well and I find that the Chinese GP is the most interesting race thus far in the season. Hamilton also had a go with Schumacher and managed to pass the 7-times World Champion. Other incidents included Hamilton’s and Vettel’s squabble when both entered and exited the pits.

The stewards later revealed that Hamilton’s move will be investigated after the race and he may be slapped with a grid drop penalty at the Spanish GP. Button also made a controversial move when he slowed down the pack tremendously right before the Safety Car came into the pits for the second and last time during the race.

Reigning World Champion Jenson Button now leads the Driver’s Championship with 60 points while Rosberg is second with 50 points. Both Alonso and Hamilton are in third and fourth with 49 points each. Vettel is in fifth with 45 points ahead of Massa with 41 points. McLaren is also ahead in the Constructor’s Championship with 109 points. Ferrari and Red Bull are in second and third with 90 and 73 points respectively. Formula 1 will now a have a 3-week break before the Spanish GP flags off on May 9th.

Please click here to view the results in full.

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Harvinder Sidhu

Harvinder Singh Sidhu thinks there's nothing better than Formula 1, not even sliced bread. Having written about cars since 2006, he plunged head first into the industry out of a passion for all things four-wheeled and everything in between. The F1 enthusiast has been following the sport since 1999 and has been keeping up with it since. In between races he keeps himself busy as the host of the Driven motoring show and as our version of the Joker.

 

Comments

  • kimi_ on Apr 18, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

    useless Lotus….

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  • DaveDiablo on Apr 18, 2010 at 4:56 pm

    that’s fast!!! lol

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  • wow. hi all

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  • nasrule on Apr 18, 2010 at 5:16 pm

    Exciting battle between hamilton n vettel. Vitaly, loose some weight n u can be competetive

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  • l3 l i t z on Apr 18, 2010 at 5:28 pm

    Me want Lotus results!

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  • tokmoh on Apr 18, 2010 at 5:32 pm

    Dammit. McLaren too gay in this race.

    Alonso jumpstart, bloody cheater.

    Next race, Vettel’s gonna win it, YEAAHH!!

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    • pomen_GTR (Member) on Apr 19, 2010 at 9:08 am

      nope….

      alonso didn’t jumpstart…

      i saw the onboard of him on that moment the red lights goes-off…then he accelerated quickly…

      in drag race it was called “reaction time”

      the race official being to harsh from him….

      even i’m not a fan of alonso….i feel pity for him…

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      • mohgui on Apr 19, 2010 at 11:56 am

        yup… i noticed the red lights went out too and Alonso did a great start. he caught the rest of the field napping. but apparently, Charlie Whiting didn’t think so.

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  • scanzew on Apr 18, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    what a beautiful day!!!1-2 mclaren’s finish!!

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  • 2fast on Apr 18, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    Rain made this race interesting – 3 times in a row!

    Lewis Hamilton was spectacular with his racing, overtaking everyone in his path including his idol Schumacher twice. I think he may have overtaken Button too if his tyres held up but overall its a great result to McLaren. Button was cool as always and managed to keep his tyre and racing very steady and take over the first place when Nico made a mistake.

    Hope F1 racing will continue to keep this excitement level going into the European venues. Lets wish for a rain in Spain :)

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    • scanzew on Apr 19, 2010 at 12:08 am

      hamilton’s idol ayrton senna…not schumacher!! i think lewis race with shoemarker behalf of senna since his nephew just in HRT…LOL

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    • Tiadaid on Apr 19, 2010 at 9:02 am

      Tyres will be Hamilton’s downfall. He’s too hard on the tyres, while Button is smooth, which keeps the tyres from going off. And especially now, since cars are racing at full fuel loads. I reckon Button may have the upper hand.

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    • Respect to button….how the heck did he managed to conserve those tires.dat is some skill.

      one thing is for sure…driving an f1 car during the rain is a lot harder!

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  • JULIAN LOO on Apr 18, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    alonso is stupid… bmw is way better than alonso

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  • KUDOS to the winner!

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  • MonfereBlogspot on Apr 18, 2010 at 6:43 pm

    Truli suffered what pressure? Pressure from his teammate?

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  • bmpower on Apr 18, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    a very great race today indeed.
    i wish previous sepang race was rain, but it’s not.

    great race especially by lewis hamilton and alonso.

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  • keypad on Apr 18, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    No penalty for hamilton for that pit lane incident

    good race by heiki kovalianen

    another 3 weeks for the next race in catalunya

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    • RH PumpkinKing on Apr 18, 2010 at 9:41 pm

      Race stewards will review after race, if hamilton found guilty, propably a time penalty will be handed.

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      • keypad on Apr 18, 2010 at 10:20 pm

        the stewards has confirm that no penalty for hamilton

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      • scanzew on Apr 19, 2010 at 12:11 am

        no penalty…instead vettel should be penalized…he’s make the pitlane just for himself instead enough room for two cars!

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        • RH PumpkinKing on Apr 19, 2010 at 10:37 am

          if you look at the video replay, vettel has a nose slightly in front of Hamilton and the redbull has the whole car clear on the pit lane.

          please make the point correct, pit lane is always for 1 car only, no side by side is allowed.

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          • scanzew on Apr 20, 2010 at 12:17 am

            hoho…push hamilton on blue line & merely several meter with william’s pit…lucky he not puncture along the blue line…althought hamilton release vettel and go in front…
            but vettel been double overtakes by Hamilton…
            double shame!!LOL

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          • scanzew on Apr 21, 2010 at 12:36 pm

            Hamilton didn’t have to back off because there was room for 2 cars. It has happened before, there is no rule against it.? See 2004 Montoya vs Raikonnen, or 2008 German GP Vettel with Alonso. Everyone gives room. Only Vettel pushes other car into pits to crash. Vettel is a hypocrite and a coward (for saying what he did later) and a dangerous driver that should have been fined heavily.

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        • Squawk on Apr 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm

          Don’t see Vettel doing anything wrong. Lewis should’ve backed off since Vettel was further in front than him. I would’ve penalized him for dangerous driving. What if his car caught one of the other teams’ air hoses or ran over a mechanic?

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          • scanzew on Apr 20, 2010 at 11:09 am

            i think if hamilton do exactly what vettel done, i think FIA instantly penalized him and receive huge critics from (envy to be specific) other drivers…LOL

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          • scanzew on Apr 20, 2010 at 5:47 pm

            Vettel pushed Hamilton inside otherwise there would be no danger to pit crews. Did you see 2004 Montoya vs Raikonnen?
            go to German GP 2008 and see how Vettel is released unsafely into Alonso and Alonso gives him room. Only Vettel the loser has ever endangered pit crews with such a silly push. He MUST be fined.

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    • 2fast on Apr 18, 2010 at 10:41 pm

      No penalty but both Vettel and Hamilton got reprimanded.

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      • RH PumpkinKing on Apr 19, 2010 at 10:39 am

        should be a fair call by FIA, since both cancelled out each other on the entry and exit.

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  • great job by rosberg…but dispointed performance by m shuc…

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  • DiVo D27 (Member) on Apr 18, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    WeL… big BoyZ r bck on Top…!
    Gd wrK LoTuS..!

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  • delio on Apr 18, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    amazing starting for vettel…but the finising is different…
    still hope for schumi… go schumi..

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  • Tiadaid on Apr 18, 2010 at 8:21 pm

    Schumi’s out of it…his comeback isn’t turning out to be the comeback everybody’s hoping for.

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  • Ferruccio on Apr 18, 2010 at 9:18 pm

    I’ll give Schumi more time to get into his ‘rhythm’. Don’t expect to see it right away but I do hope he makes progress and by next year, be as quick as his team mate if not ahead.

    Doesn’t help that Rosberg is genuinely fast, in my view. His doing great

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    • Automotive_Critics on Apr 19, 2010 at 11:05 am

      Nico is lack of focus and agressiveness. Hope he improves in Europe tour.

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      • Ferruccio on Apr 19, 2010 at 9:23 pm

        Lack of focus and aggresiveness? He’s clearly outperforming Schumi and finished on podium two races in a row. He’s doing GREAT in my view.

        Are you expecting him to win races the MercGP instead?

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  • ribut on Apr 18, 2010 at 10:44 pm

    lotus team boleh!
    virgin tak boleh!

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  • oldman on Apr 18, 2010 at 10:50 pm

    yg penting, lotus leading the losers…. that’s good news

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    • bmpower on Apr 19, 2010 at 1:33 am

      i know what type you’re .
      in F1, when ferarri win, you support ferrari.
      when mclaren win you support mclaren.

      in soccer you support MU (because they win).
      in worldcup you support brassil
      buying car is toyota.
      a tipical person type

      support the winner type.
      prthhhhhhh

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      • oldman on Apr 19, 2010 at 7:34 pm

        i knew what type of person you are
        in F1, u support super losers like lottus,
        in soccer, u support portsmouth this year (u know why…)
        in football, you support the jaguar (of coz loser like u…)
        you always choose p2 car

        so basically, u support losers becoz u have no expectation in life..and people never expect anything from u….

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  • raybrig on Apr 18, 2010 at 11:08 pm

    Mercedes Benz rule…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • save our earth…
    stop racing petrol car…
    doing smthing new…
    electric car’s racing…..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • bmpower on Apr 19, 2010 at 1:34 am

      then do not read here, go into TNB site, ask them for TNB green racing team.

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      • maybe in year 2100 they will have electric car race. but for now, like u said bro, let us stick with petrol. hehehe…

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        • MonfereBlogspot on Apr 19, 2010 at 9:24 pm

          bro, our world ends in 2012, how can we sampai 2100?

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  • DaveDiablo on Apr 19, 2010 at 12:21 am

    so Ferrari, Red Bull , and now Mclaren Mercedes 1-2 victory…

    whose next then, Mercedes GP, Renault, or Lotus? lol…

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  • halihali on Apr 19, 2010 at 9:06 am

    without the rain, the race could have been a boring race…thank god for the rain

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  • Lotusno1 on Apr 19, 2010 at 11:32 am

    McLaren won because of rain, without rain they probably will finish behind Red Bulls and Ferrari.

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  • qualifying pole is nothing if u loose da race, in unpredictable climate da risk taker wins
    & shows da true champion. Vettel go suck ur annoying 1 finger!

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  • Motorist on Apr 19, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    Nico Rosberg is the young driver to watch out for.

    So far, out of 4 races, he has made podium twice. Although he has been under the radar while with Williams, his performance there has been a steady improvement finishing 7th overall last year.

    He still have some maturing to do but the raw talent is there & this year, he has the opportunity to learn from the Grand Master himself, Schumacher.

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  • 1Malaysia on Apr 19, 2010 at 1:58 pm

    oldman says:
    18/4/2010 at 10:50 pm
    yg penting, lotus leading the losers…. that’s good news

    Even finish in front of other rookie teams but still very slow to challenge top 5 team for collect point. So just waste time & money in F1. this is why Petronas choose to sponsor Mercedes GP but not Lotus Racing.

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    • they just started…wind tunnel test pon x sempat buat..give Lotus a break :)

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    • Tiadaid on Apr 19, 2010 at 5:40 pm

      So if they don’t succeed immediately they should quit, is that what you’re saying? If your child only got 4A for his PMR they quit schooling because the money spent on schooling is a waste?

      Success don’t come easy. To give up now IS a waste of money! Just look at Honda, they quit, and lo and behold, next season they won the championship!

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  • 1Malaysia on Apr 19, 2010 at 2:01 pm

    halihali says:
    19/4/2010 at 9:06 am
    without the rain, the race could have been a boring race…thank god for the rain

    Yalo, if no raining for past 3 race, this year F1 must boring like 1st race at Bahrain

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  • Squawk on Apr 19, 2010 at 2:04 pm

    From what I saw Alonso didn’t jumpstart. The lights were off a brief moment before his car moved. Maybe my eyes not as good as the stewards.

    Poor Schumi. I hope it’s the car and not because he’s lost his touch. Although he’s been away for 3 years but this sort of backs the argument that if you give him a Minardi, he’s not going to win. :-)

    On the other hand, Force India looked quick. Too bad Sutil fell out of the points.

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  • dinding_batu on Apr 20, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    I am not that big a fan of Lotus. But give them a chance lah. Both Red Bull Racing and Force India started at the very back of the field when they got into F1. Now look, Red Bull are at the top (well, nearly la..) with a very fast car (and getting a bit cocky, especially Christian Horner) and Force India are consistently qualifying and finishing in the top 10. All i’m saying is give the rookie teams a chance. Maybe after 3-4 years and they still run at the back of the field, then we’ll have this debate again. But Tony is a smart guy. He’ll probably sell the team if he doesn’t see a successful future in it. In the end he’s a businessman. Full Stop.

    Anyway, great race..!! Jenson had 9 seasons to mature into the driver he is today. So lets hope Lewis will learn from this and won’t take that long to calm down. In 3 weeks, which is a long time is considering the pace of F1’s development, we might see a different team on top. Bring on Barcelona..!!! (If the Icelandic volcano stop erupting la..)

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