Kobayashi: “Bahrain Is One Of My Favorite Circuits”

With the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix still set to take place this weekend, the F1 fraternity has moved swiftly on from China to the Kingdom of Bahrain. One driver who is eager to get into the car this weekend is Kamui Kobayashi, who says the Sakhir track is one of his favorites.

“Bahrain is one of my favorite circuits, and its layout is really good.” Explained the Japanese driver, “I also like the high ambient temperatures there. It feels like summer. There was no race last year, so we have to guess how the track conditions are. Maybe it will be very slippery in the beginning. We obviously have to be prepared to make sure we keep everything very cool.”

Kamui Kobayashi currently lies 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, after successfully scoring points in both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. However, the Sauber team were rather disheartened with the way the Chinese Grand Prix panned out. After qualifying a highly competitive 3rd of the grid for the race in China, Kobayashi and his team-mate Sergio Perez struggled in the race, with the Japanese driver only managing to finish 10th, loosing seven places from where he qualified.

Regardless of the harsh return to normality after finishing 2nd in Malaysia, Sauber are confident heading into this weekends race. With many unknown factors surrounding the race weekend, including how the Pirelli tyres will work in what is their first race in Bahrain as the official F1 tyre supplier, tyre degradation is set to remain a key factor in the outcome of the race.

Even though the Sakhir International Circuit is one of Kamui Kobayashi’s favorite circuits, the Japanese star has never finished a full race distance in a Formula 1 car. In 2010, Kobayashi retired after only 11 laps with a hydraulics issue. However, in GP2 he has won twice at Bahrain, and will be hoping for similar success this weekend.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

HRT Wary Of Cooling Issues Ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix

With barely enough time to catch your breath after the Chinese Grand Prix, the teams’ are now frantically preparing for this weekends Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir International Circuit. HRT have had a successful last two Grands Prix in Malaysian and China, successfully finishing both races albeit a lap or two off the pace.

However, heading into Bahrain the Spanish outfit are now wary of the cooling issues that are still plaguing the team. In Malaysia, the rain prevented the gremlins from recurring, and the temperature in China wasn’t high enough to worry the team. However, in Bahrain the heat and lack of rain could well prove tricky for HRT.

“This Grand Prix will take place in very different conditions,” Explained Team Principal, Luis Perez-Sala, “Although we could say that we’ve made up for the lack of pre-season and are now at the starting point, our biggest weakness is still cooling. Here that is a key factor but I’m confident we can continue along the same line as in the last races and will be able to progress a little bit more this weekend.”

Pedro de la Rosa is highly confident heading to the weekends race, after having made his McLaren debut at the track back in 2005. The Spaniard went on to finish 5th in that race, setting the fastest lap along the way. However, de la Rosa also believes it is important that the team continue their improvements into the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“The Bahrain International Circuit is a difficult track because it has strong braking corners and it’s very easy to overrun coming into them.” Said Pedro de la Rosa, “It’s a circuit I like because I made my debut for McLaren there, so I’ve got good memories of it, I also achieved my first fastest lap in a race there too. In Bahrain the objective is to continue the improvement which we clearly saw in China, where we took a big step. Now we must maintain our reliability but in a hotter climate, we have to try and take the same step that we took in China.”

HRT will be looking to once again finish the 57-lap race, and continue reeling in the likes of Marussia and Caterham further up the order. However with the hot temperatures in Bahrain, the cooling issues could well continue to plague the team throughout the weekend.

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Sauber Disappointed After Disheartening Result

Heading into the Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber looked set for another competitive race as Kamui Kobayashi lined up 3rd on the grid, his best qualifying position to date. However, once the lights went out Sauber’s day went downhill as Kobayashi suffered a slow getaway on the grid and Perez suffered with the medium Pirelli tyre.

On the back of Sergio Perez’s superlative drive at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where the Mexican piled immense amounts of pressure of Fernando Alonso and subsequently finished 2nd, China couldn’t have been more of a different story.

As the checkered flag fell, Sauber found themselves with only one World Championship point, with the likes of the Williams’ ahead of them after a frustrating and disheartening race.

“Of course after what we did in qualifying the race result is disappointing.” Commented Kamui Kobayashi, “I’m not really sure what happened at the start, my car just didn’t move, it was a bit strange and I lost positions immediately. Then I was stuck in traffic for most of the time, also we made the second pit stop a bit late and the tyres had gone.”

Sergio Perez, who only managed to qualify for the race in 8th, suffered greatly when he switched to the medium tyre compound after 16 laps. Prior to the Mexican’s pit stop he was locked in a feisty battle with Lewis Hamilton, yet when he finally pitted his performance took an unfortunate nose-dive.

“I must say I am very disappointed.” Said Sergio Perez, “I had a very good start, and for the entire first stint it really looked to be going very well for me. But then when I picked up the medium compound tyres I lost a lot of performance from lap 17 onwards. Actually I feel I would have been better off with a three stop strategy, but you never know.”

After an outstanding result in Malaysia, the Chinese Grand Prix has been a harsh return to normality for the Hinwil based outfit. They will be hoping Bahrain is a different story next weekend.

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Nico Rosberg Savours Maiden Grand Prix Victory

After dominating both qualifying and the race, Nico Rosberg has won Mercedes-Benz’s first Grand Prix since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix after finishing 20 seconds ahead of his nearest rival in the Mercedes-powered McLaren of Jenson Button. The German successfully controlled his tyres in a two stop strategy, as Mercedes power filled the podium.

Nico Rosberg’s first Grand Prix win comes on his 111th race start, exactly 111 years after Mercedes’ first win at the 1901 Nice Speed Weeks. As Jenson Button pitted from the lead on lap 40, it became apparent that the British star would have to overtake Rosberg on track if he was to thwart the German driver. That was until the pressure was eased on Rosberg as Button suffered a disastrously slow pit-stop.

With Nico Rosberg out in front as Jenson Button battled with the likes of Romain Grosjean and Sebastian Vettel, the Mercedes driver was left untroubled as he took he first ever victory in a Formula 1 car. Rosberg likened the final 20 laps to the Le Mans 24 Hours’ race, with the Chinese Grand Prix seemingly never-ending for the Mercedes driver.

“This is a very special moment for me. The whole weekend went perfectly. My first pole position, now my first win in Formula One – it really is fantastic.” Explained a jubilant Nico Rosberg, “But it’s not only this; it’s the first win for the new Silver Arrow and for this great team. I will never forget this race, and the last 20 laps felt as long as if I was racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours! But then crossing the line was so intense. We will enjoy this success, but our feet are still on the ground.”

Before the Chinese Grand Prix, the team had only scored one point in the opening two races and Nico Rosberg hadn’t scored any at all. With the success of winning in China, could the 26-year-old hit the ground running and be a title contender 2012?

With Mercedes pioneering the controversial ‘super DRS’ device, they now have the foundations on what could well turn out to be a Championship surge. 

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Rosberg Secures Maiden Grand Prix Victory In Stunning Chinese GP

Nico Rosberg has successfully won his maiden Grand Prix after a stunning drive throughout the Chinese Grand Prix as Mercedes overcame their tyre wear issues to stay at the sharp end of the field. The McLaren’s of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came home 2nd and 3rd after a frenetic final stint.

As the lights went out at the start, Jenson Button got a sensational start as he progressed from 5th to 3rd as the Mercedes’ glided into the lead with Schumacher momentarily coming under pressure from Kimi Raikkonen. Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel suffered a disastrous start, as the Red Bull driver slipped from 11th down to 14th on the opening lap, coming under considerable pressure from Pastor Maldonado in the Williams.

With Mercedes confident they had overcome their tyre issues, the proof was evident after the opening laps as Nico Rosberg opened a considerable gap to Schumacher who was holding off Button and Raikkonen. Mark Webber became the first driver to stop for new tyres on lap 7, opting for the harder compound in favor for his soft Pirelli’s. 

As Nico Rosberg led the way out in front, the pit stops came thick and fast on the tenth lap as Sebastian Vettel and Nico Hulkenberg pitted. Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton pitted together on lap 11, with the two rejoining very close to Mark Webber and nearly coming together with the Australian driver. Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso all pitted within the next couple of laps, with Michael Schumacher rejoining behind Hamilton after loosing out on track.

Michael Schumacher’s race then took an unfortunate turn for the worse as the 7-time World Champion slowed and then eventually peeled off the track to retire. The reason for this unceremonious retirement was due to the front right not being attached correctly during Schumacher’s pit stop, thus piling all the pressure of a successful outcome for Mercedes onto the shoulders of Nico Rosberg.

Nico Rosberg eventually pitted on lap 14, as the German driver continued to manage his tyres well. This therefore handed the lead down the Sergio Perez, before he also stopped and subsequently handed the lead down to Felipe Massa. The Ferrari driver led for a couple of laps before Rosberg caught and passed the Brazilian, before Massa pitted on lap 19.

Mark Webber became the first driver to stop for a second time on lap 22 before the rest of the field also made their second stops. With Jenson Button closing the gap to Nico Rosberg, it was no surprise that when Nico Rosberg eventually pitted, Jenson Button streaked off into the lead.

As Jenson Button led at the front, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton became locked in a heated battle with Sergio Perez. The 2008 World Champion was unable to make an impression on the Mexican, and had to wait until Perez pitted to eventually pass the Sauber. Mark Webber suffered a near-disastrous mistake whilst exiting turn 14, with his Red Bull running wide and hitting a bump which in turn launched the car in the air. The car then clattered back to earth, with no visible damage to the car but undeniably causing Webber some discomfort in the cockpit.

On lap 39 both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso pitted together, with the former team-mates successfully exiting their respective pit boxes cleanly with Hamilton leading the two as they rejoined the track.

Regardless of Jenson Button’s lead over Nico Rosberg, the 2009 World Champion was forced to make a third pit stop on lap 40. This would mean Button would have to overtake Rosberg on track if he had any desires of winning the race. Unfortunately for the Brit, the left rear took longer than usual to fit to the car, thus leaving Button further down the order with the likes of Raikkonen and Vettel to pass before he had any chance of closing the gap to Rosberg in the lead.

As the race entered its closing stages, a long queue of cars had formed behind the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen, which included Vettel, Button, Webber, Hamilton and Grosjean. Fernando Alonso ran extremely wide and off the track whilst trying to pass the Williams of Maldonado, nearly collecting Perez whilst rejoining the track. Grosjean also ran wide several laps later, and entered a wheel-banging match with Maldonado as the two scrapped for position on track.

Kimi Raikkonen’s race then suffered an almighty blow as the Iceman’s tyres began falling off, with the Finn dropping from 2nd to 10th in a matter of seconds as cars’ streamed passed the faltering Lotus.

With only Sebastian Vettel between Button and Rosberg, the Brit eventually passed the reigning Champion. Yet it was too late as the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg stormed to his maiden Grand Prix victory, winning the race by 20 seconds to Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber were also able to pass Vettel in the closing stages, finishing 3rd and 4th respectively.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai, China; 56 laps; 305.066km; Weather: Dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time
 1.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   1h36:26.929
 2.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    20.626
 3.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    26.012
 4.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    27.924
 5.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +    30.483
 6.  Grosjean      Lotus-Renault              +    31.491
 7.  Senna         Williams-Renault           +    34.597
 8.  Maldonado     Williams-Renault           +    35.643
 9.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +    37.256
10.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +    38.720
11.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +    41.066
12.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +    42.273
13.  Massa         Ferrari                    +    42.700
14.  Raikkonen     Lotus-Renault              +    50.500
15.  Hulkenberg    Force India-Mercedes       +    51.200
16.  Vergne        Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +    51.700
17.  Ricciardo     Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:03.100
18.  Petrov        Caterham-Renault           +     1 lap
19.  Glock         Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
20.  Pic           Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
21.  De la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth               +     1 lap
22.  Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth               +    2 laps
23.  Kovalainen    Caterham-Renault           +    3 laps

Fastest lap: Kobayashi, 1:39.960

Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap
Schumacher    Mercedes                     16

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Red Bull Frustrated After Dismal Qualifying Performance

Reigning Constructors’ Champions Red Bull have suffered one of their worst qualifying performances in recent years after Sebastian Vettel was eliminated after Q2 and Mark Webber failed to shine in Q3 with the two eventually qualifying 11th and 7th respectively. 

After Mark Webber topped the timing sheets in Q2, he was unable to replicate such a time in Q3 on the softer tyre as the track temperature began to fall. This subsequently resulted in Webber qualifying 7th, with the likes of the two Mercedes’, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button all ahead of him in Q3.

“The Q2 lap wasn’t bad, but I didn’t get the Q3 lap together as I would have liked.” Explained a frustrated Mark Webber, “It’s a bit all over the place with pulling a lap time together on the soft tyre, but I would have liked to have finished a row further up. It’s frustrating. We know we have a good race car, so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds tomorrow. It’s very close and we’ll keep pushing.”

Further down the order, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel’s season continued it’s uncompetitive form as the German was unable to progress through to Q3. With Vettel stating there was no problem with the car, the Red Bull driver has admitted that the Milton Keynes based outfit simply weren’t fast enough in comparison to the likes of Mercedes, McLaren and Sauber.

“There was no problem with the car, but I couldn’t get the final few tenths.” Said Sebastian Vettel, who suffered his worst qualifying since Brazil 2009. “I was happy with the laps I did in Q2, but they weren’t quick enough and we couldn’t make it in to Q3. We weren’t fast enough and we have to accept it. We start from P11 tomorrow and see what we can do from there.”

Regardless of the teams uncompetitive qualifying efforts, both drivers’ are still confident heading into the race. With a 56-lap race ahead of them, the possibilities are endless in a season which is quickly becoming renowned for its unpredictability. 

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Toro Rosso Disappointed After Qualifying

Both Toro Rosso drivers’ of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are openly disappointed with their qualifying efforts for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, with Frenchman Vergne being eliminated after Q1 with the likes of Caterham, Marussia and HRT.

With all hope for a decent qualifying position resting on the shoulders of Daniel Ricciardo for the Italian outfit, the Australian failed excel and only qualified a position ahead of Vergne in 17th. With the team trying a different approach regarding their set-up in China, thoughts within Toro Rosso is that maybe the changes could have altered the teams pace for the worse.

“Obviously, this was a disappointing qualifying for us and today we clearly lacked the pace we needed to be in the fight.” Explained Toro Rosso’s Chief Engineer, Laurent Mekies, “We now have to look at where we lost this performance. We made quite a few changes to the cars from yesterday and during this morning’s free practice and we must assess where we did not go in the right direction. So far this weekend, we explored a quite different direction in terms of set-up and maybe it cost something in terms of ultimate pace in qualifying.”

Daniel Ricciardo was expecting Toro Rosso to have the pace to qualify much higher for the Chinese Grand Prix, and was ultimately highly disappointed with the final result for the team.

“P17 is not going to put a smile on my face, as I had expected to do better today.” Said Daniel Ricciardo, “I drove as hard as I could, but that did not produce a good enough lap time. With the package we had, I don’t think I could have got much more out of it. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and then we must look at trying to improve our qualifying performance for the next race. This weekend, we had a few small updates but we also tried a few drastic measures in a way that required me to drive differently, so either we can make it work in Bahrain or we could go back to something we understand a bit better.”

With both Toro Rosso’s qualifying so far back on the grid, the two drivers’ are set for a difficult 56-lap race as they will inevitably become locked in a midfield battle with the likes of Williams, Force India and Felipe Massa. A points finish is unlikely for Vergne or Ricciardo, yet in 2012 anything seems possible in what is becoming a highly unpredictable season.

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HRT Happy With ‘Best Qualifying To Date’ In China

For the second race in succession, HRT have been able to qualify within the 107% rule. The Spanish outfit were unfortunately unable to qualify for the opening race of the season in Australia, and have hailed their latest qualifying effort as their best to date.

Regardless of the fact that HRT have qualified on the back row of the grid for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, the atmosphere within the team is positive. Heading into qualifying, Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan both felt a substantial improvement in the balance of the car in relation to the final practice session which took place prior to qualifying earlier this morning.

“I think it was, by far, our best qualifying session to date.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, who qualified 23rd for the race. “I’ve already said many times that we’ve got a lot of room for improvement, but the important thing is that we’ve cut down the distance with regards to pole position considerably, some four seconds from first, and that’s very positive for us. In this qualifying session we’ve made various changes to the set-up and the car responded well.”

With a difficult 56-lap race ahead of the two HRT’s tomorrow, their aims are now set on finishing the race with the performance the team showed in qualifying.

“We’re satisfied with today’s result and, in general, with the work the team and drivers put in which, added to the upgrades we’ve brought to this Grand Prix, have enabled us to qualify comfortably inside the 107%.” Said technical director, Toni Cuquerella, “From here we have to continue improving as our rivals aren’t far away. Tomorrow’s objective is to finish with both cars and for the performance shown in qualifying to translate into the race also”.

Last time out in Malaysia, both Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan finished the race. Narain Karthikeyan even ran as high as 10th when the tropical storm hit, before becoming involved in racing incidents’ with Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel. Karthikeyan will undoubtedly be hoping for a much cleaner race tomorrow, as HRT continue improving with every race.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Nico Rosberg Takes Pole In Mercedes Front Row Lock-Out For China

Nico Rosberg has secured his maiden pole-position for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix after an absolute scorcher of a lap which saw the German qualify half a second ahead of Lewis Hamilton. With Lewis Hamilton set to take a 5-place grid penalty, it will be a Silver Arrow’s lock-out on the front row for the first time since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.

The first session of qualifying started with Ferrari offering no confidence to Felipe Massa, with the team stating they needed a miracle for Massa to progress to Q3. Paul di Resta was the first driver out in Q1, and subsequently set the first timed lap of a 01:38.190 before the top teams’ emerged with Jenson Button going fastest.

The times then began to tumble as Ferrari became the first team to opt for the soft Pirelli tyre compound, which saw Massa shoot to the top with a 01:36.556. With other midfield teams following Ferrari regarding tyre choice, Grosjean, Alonso and then Perez went fastest as the session came to a close. Jean-Eric Vergne was unfortunate to drop out after Q1, along with the usual suspects of the two Caterham’s, Marussia’s and HRT’s.

As Q2 got underway, the Sauber’s of Kobayashi and Perez were first out. It was the Sauber of Kobayashi that initially went fastest with a 01:35.962 before the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg showed his hand and set a 01:35.725. The attention then turned to the midfield, and the battle to progress to Q3. With the Ferrari of Felipe Massa expected to drop out after Q2, no-one could have expected the other big name who was to join him as reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel dropped out after qualifying a lowly 11th on the grid. This being the worst qualifying result for Vettel since the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix when the German qualified 16th in the rain at Sao Paulo.

When the qualifying session resumed for Q3, 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen was straight out for Lotus, setting the initial benchmark with a 01:35.989. That was until Nico Rosberg stunned the opposition with a 01:35.121, nearly a second quicker than the Lotus of Raikkonen. Michael Schumacher was unable to match his team-mates time, setting a time half a second off Rosberg’s sensational lap.

Lewis Hamilton was only able to split the two Silver Arrows, also roughly half a second off Rosberg’s time. With Nico Rosberg so confident his time couldn’t be beaten, he was seen wandering off down the pit-lane with his helmet off clearly under the belief pole-position was his.

As the final qualifying period came to a close, the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi went 4th in an equally stunning qualifying effort. With Hamilton yet to take his 5-place grid penalty, Kobayashi will get promoted to 3rd on the grid with Raikkonen alongside him in 4th. 

With Mercedes, Sauber and Lotus the three top teams on the grid for tomorrow’s race, the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix is shaping up to be a highly exciting 56-lap race. Can Mercedes convert pole into victory, or can Hamilton or Vettel wade their way through the field and reclaim what would be a stunning victory?

Pos Driver Team Time Gap 
 1.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m35.121s         
 2.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m35.626s  + 0.505
 3.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             1m35.691s  + 0.570
 4.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m35.784s  + 0.663
 5.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault        1m35.898s  + 0.777
 6.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m36.191s  + 1.070
 7.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m36.290s  + 1.169
 8.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m36.524s  + 1.403
 9.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m36.622s  + 1.501
10.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault        No time
Q2 cut-off time: 1m35.831s Gap **
11.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m36.031s  + 0.331
12.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m36.255s  + 0.555
13.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault     1m36.283s  + 0.583
14.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault     1m36.289s  + 0.589
15.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m36.317s  + 0.617
16.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes 1m36.745s  + 1.045
17.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m36.956s  + 1.256
Q1 cut-off time: 1m36.933s Gap *
18.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m37.714s  + 1.516
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault     1m38.463s  + 2.265
20.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault     1m38.677s  + 2.479
21.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth    1m39.282s  + 3.084
22.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth    1m39.717s  + 3.519
23.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth         1m40.411s  + 4.213
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth         1m41.000s  + 4.802

107% time: 1m42.931s

* Gap to quickest in Q1

** Gap to quickest in Q2

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Hamilton Fastest As McLaren Finish Top In Final Practice In China

After the dreary conditions at the Shanghai International Circuit yesterday for the Friday practice sessions’, sunshine was forcing its way through the cloud cover as third practice got underway for the Chinese Grand Prix. The one hour session is the last chance for the teams’ to alter their setups prior to qualifying and the race.

The Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen was first out as the session got underway, and was quickly followed by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi and the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan. All of the drivers’ up and down the grid eventually joined the track, all completing their installation laps before returning to the pits.

Narain Karthikeyan set the first timed lap of the day, with a 01:43.624 which was immediately beaten by Romain Grosjean and then Sergio Perez as the majority of the field took to the track to set their first timed laps of the day. Kimi Raikkonen wasted no time in setting a quick time, as the Iceman shot to the top with a 01:37.276 with the two Mercedes’ of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg slotting into 2nd and 3rd behind the Finn.

It wasn’t long before the Mercedes’ began setting much quicker times, as Nico Rosberg went quickest with a 01:36.985 before the Red Bull of Mark Webber went a tenth quicker. The other Red Bull of reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel had a dismal session, as his mechanics were forced to make a rear torsion bar change on the car. This lost Vettel valuable track time, as the double World Champion’s season continued its unnaturally uncompetitive streak.

As the session wore on, many drivers’ began opting for the softer Pirelli tyre and qualifying simulation runs. 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher was the first driver to utilize the softer compound, flying straight to the top with a 01:36.512. However, his reign at the top was short-lived as Nico Rosberg went several tenths quicker almost instantly.

With the majority of the pack now using the softer compound, the McLaren of Jenson Button went fastest with only 10 minutes remaining in the session, before Lewis Hamilton became the only driver to enter the 01:35s with a 01:35.940. Whilst the McLaren’s and the Mercedes’ exchanged fastest laps atop the timing sheets, the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso was loosing out as his mechanics carried out a front suspension change. Ferrari, however, are not expecting to be competitive this weekend, even though they won last time out in Malaysia.

As the checkered flag emerged signaling the end of the session, Paul di Resta had a last minute scare as his Force India became unstable over the bumps under braking for turn 14. The car twitched and nearly pitched di Resta into the wall, with an excellent helmet camera shot portraying the heart-in-the-mouth moment for the Scot.

With all three practice sessions now over, it’s crunch time in China as the teams’ and drivers’ prepare for the all important qualifying session which will determine the grid for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
 1.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes       1m35.940s            13
 2.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes       1m36.093s  + 0.123   12
 3.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes               1m36.389s  + 0.449   16
 4.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes               1m36.512s  + 0.572   17
 5.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault       1m36.635s  + 0.695   16
 6.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault       1m36.765s  + 0.825   17
 7.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari         1m36.781s  + 0.841   19
 8.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari         1m36.880s  + 0.940   17
 9.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault       1m37.039s  + 1.099   15
10.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault          1m37.061s  + 1.121   17
11.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes   1m37.237s  + 1.297   16
12.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault          1m37.274s  + 1.334   19
13.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes   1m37.288s  + 1.348   16
14.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault       1m37.425s  + 1.485   14
15.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari                1m37.465s  + 1.525   12
16.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m37.493s  + 1.553   13
17.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari     1m37.628s  + 1.688   14
18.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari                1m37.831s  + 1.891   14
19.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault       1m38.701s  + 2.761   19
20.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault       1m39.198s  + 3.258   19
21.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth      1m39.796s  + 3.856   18
22.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth      1m40.048s  + 4.108   17
23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth           1m41.263s  + 5.323   14
24.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth           1m41.499s  + 5.559   18

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