CHINESE GP: Lewis Hamilton Wins from Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel to Extend Lead in F1 World Championship
- Lewis Hamilton led every lap after clinching pole position to seal his second victory of the campaign
- Nico Rosberg was second for Mercedes with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel completing the podium
- Hamilton seals the 36th victory of his grand prix career to extend his lead at the top of the standings
- Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth for Ferrari with the Williams drivers of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas 5th and 6th
- Jenson Button was involved in a collision with the Lotus driver of Pastor Maldonado late on in the race
Daily Mail UK, 12 April 2015
Lewis Hamilton produced an exceptional display of race management to clinch his fourth Chinese Grand Prix victory.
The double Formula One champion's drive at the Shanghai International Circuit was befitting of his status to underline a thoroughly dominant weekend after topping every practice session ahead of claiming his 41st pole and 35th win.
Lewis Hamilton drove flawlessly on the track where he has known great success – and one agonising low – to win the Chinese Grand Prix for the fourth time.
The race finished in a disappointing anti-climax as marshals failed to clear Max Verstappen’s crippled Toro Rosso off the track, leaving Hamilton to cruise home ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in second place and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in third.
It was here at this circuit, 20 miles north north-west of Shanghai city centre, that Hamilton skidded off at slow speed entering the pits in 2007, devastating his title hopes during his rookie year. But following the safety car home today, he was hailed by a huge roar from the 29,000-strong main grandstand as the chequered flag was waved for him.
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DRIVERS' STANDINGS
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 68
2. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 55
3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 51
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Lewis Hamilton is now 13 points clear in the race for the drivers' championship after winning the Chinese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton led the field on the run down to Turn 1 and never looked back as he claimed his second victory from three races
Hamilton stands on top of his Mercedes and salutes the crowd after claiming the fourth victory of his career in China
Hamilton points to his team after extending his lead at the top of the Formula One world championship after three rounds
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PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION: CHINESE GRAND PRIX
Nico Rosberg is left with champagne on his face after finishing second
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:39:42.008
2. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes +00:00.714
3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 00:02.988
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 00:03.835
5. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 00:08.544
6. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 00:09.885
7. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Mercedes 00:19.008
8. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber - Ferrari 00:22.625
9. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull - Renault 00:32.117
10. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber - Ferrari 1 lap
11. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1 lap
12. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 1 lap
13. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1 lap
14. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso - Renault 1 lap
15. Will Stevens (Britain) Marussia - Ferrari 2 laps
16. Roberto Merhi (Spain) Marussia - Ferrari 2 laps
17. Max Verstappen (Holland) Toro Rosso - Renault 4 laps
r. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus - Mercedes 7 laps
r. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Red Bull - Renault 41 laps
r. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 47 laps
(rank: r = retired, nc = not classified)
Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton,1:42.208, lap 31.
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Hamilton was congratulated over the radio for having the ‘the full house’: pole, fastest lap and race win.
Greeted on the podium for the interviews by 400m hurdles double Olympic champion Ed Moses, Hamilton said:
'A fantastic job by the team. It was great to have a smooth weekend, dialling in the car which I then put in the place I wanted.
'It was then about controlling the gap to Nico until the safety car which wasn't helpful, meaning the end was a kind of an anti-climax. But we've done a great job to come back from the last race where we struggled a little bit, so I'm massively proud we've got the job done here.'
The race posed many tantalising questions.
Could they match Mercedes in the warm Shanghai heat, or were they flattered by the much hotter conditions in Malaysia a fortnight ago
(Answer: not quite a match but they provided real hope that they should keep Mercedes honest as the season develops.)
Could Rosberg live up to his coiffured, Euro chic sheen having lost his confidence and his way in recent weeks? (Answer: he was quicker all weekend than in the last few races, but was slightly ruffled on the radio, sometimes asking for more information; other times for less.)
Would Mercedes keep their heads under pressure from Ferrari?
(Answer: yes.)
Did their top men, Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe, have the experience and coolness to implement perfect strategy calls in the furnace of competition?
(Answer: yes, no mistakes.)
Hamilton salutes the crowd as he makes his way on to the podium to collect his trophy for winning the Chinese Grand Prix
Daniel Ricciardo (left) and Daniil Kvyat battle for position on track - the latter was forced to retire after an engine failure
Hamilton is covered in champagne by Rosberg as the Mercedes pair celebrate a one-two finish
Hamilton, who has provided emphatic answers to every question since taking last year’s title fight by the jugular, made the perfect start. He inclined his car right on the grid, covering Rosberg next to him, before darting through the first, right-hand corner in front.
The Briton maintained a lead of about one second over Rosberg with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel three seconds further back for much of the first stint. He then banged in a series of fast laps to more than double his advantage over his team-mate before their first pit stops.
When they were all reshod, it remained: Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, first, second, third. But Hamilton was relatively slow at this moment. Rosberg made this point over the radio, saying he could not get closer to Hamilton, though, because to do so would damage his tyres.
This slower procession allowed Vettel to get close to Rosberg, but never close enough that he could seriously entertain the idea of passing the Mercedes. Minutes later, Hamilton put down the hammer again, showing his true pace. He blitzed ahead.
The next round of pit stops unfolded: Vettel, Rosberg and Hamilton came in on successive laps fractionally beyond the middle of the 56-lap race. It changed nothing significant, all the stops running like clockwork. Hamilton’s lead was just over six seconds at this point.
Hamilton takes great pleasure in spraying champagne over a grid girl as he celebrates his victory at the Shanghai International Circuit
Rosberg appeared glum on the podium after losing out to team-mate Hamilton at the third consecutive race
An honourable mention for 17-year-old Verstappen, who drove his Toro Rosso with elan. He put his car down the inside of Marcus Ericcson’s Sauber, causing Max’s father and former racer Jos Verstappen to exhale in relief as he watched the potentially destructive move from the garage. He then applauded in admiration.
Verstappen also passed Sergio Perez with a daring late-braking move on the inside to move up to eighth. Wonderful stuff. Alas, his engine gave up on him and he walked out of his smoking car that was parked on the start-finish straight, to bring out the safety car for the last couple of laps of the afternoon.
Red Bull’s woes continued with Daniil Kvyat’s Renault engine billowing out its polluted grey smoke into Shanghai air that was thankfully less smoggy than usual.
‘I saw a lot of smoke coming from the rear of the car and I had to stop immediately,’ said Kvyat. ‘It is not ideal, but we have to carry on. It is not looking good but we must stay strong to overcome these problems.’
Their other car, driven by Daniel Ricciardo, was ninth.
McLaren were even less successful than Red Bull, again. Jenson Button, who was involved in a collision with the zany racer Pastor Maldonado of Lotus, was 13th, a place behind Fernando Alonso.
Alonso was even lapped by the Ferrari of Vettel, his direct replacement in the car that would have been his had he not moved team. McLaren’s journey back will be a long and hard one, testing even the perplexingly unshakeable optimism of both their drivers.
Max Verstappen starred once more following a number of thrilling passes, but he failed to make it to the end of the race after his engine expired
Jenson Button, who finished 13th, was involved in a collision with Pastor Maldonado towards the end of the race
Lewis Hamilton Wins
Sportsmail's Chinese GP stats: Lewis Hamilton
Sportsmail's Chinese GP stats: Nico Rosberg
Sportsmail's Chinese GP stats: Sebastian Vettel
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