2007 Chinese Grand Prix

The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix (officially the 2007 Formula 1 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix ) [ 1 ] was the sixteenth race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship . It was held on 7 October 2007 at Shanghai International Circuit , Shanghai , China . The race was won by Ferrari 's Kimi Räikkönen with Fernando Alonso finishing second and Felipe Massa finishing third. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton suffered the first race retirement of his Formula One career after going off at a wet pit entran...

Race

The weather conditions at the track were affected by Typhoon Krosa which hit the east coast of China. [ 3 ]

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel was facing a drop of ten places on the grid for his collision with Mark Webber in the previous race (the Japanese Grand Prix ), but this punishment was reduced to a reprimand. [ 4 ] However, the Toro Rosso driver was then dropped five places on the grid for impeding Heikki Kovalainen during qualifying. [ 5 ]

Qualifying

The final session saw Jenson Button come 10th in a rare top ten qualification. The two BMW Saubers were 8th and 9th, with Nick Heidfeld ahead of Robert Kubica . The Red Bulls of David Coulthard and Mark Webber did very well, qualifying 5th and 7th respectively. They were separated by Ralf Schumacher 's Toyota. As usual in the 2007 season, the Ferraris and McLarens occupied the top 4 spots in qualifying, with the Italian team's Felipe Massa pipping McLaren's Fernando Alonso , to third place.

Although Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari had been the fastest driver in all three practice sessions and in the first two sessions of qualifying, Lewis Hamilton managed to beat this time in his McLaren during the third qualifying session and therefore earned the pole position, the 6th of his career. [ 6 ]

Race

Anthony Davidson , who had qualified strongly, was the first retirement on lap 11, after his Super Aguri suffered a brake failure. He had already dropped down to twentieth position. Adrian Sutil was the next to drop out in the Spyker , also from twentieth, after he spun in the wet conditions on lap 25. Schumacher, recovering from his earlier incident, had made it up to twelfth on lap 22, before he spun twice and eventually retired on lap 26.

As the track dried Hamilton began to suffer from tyre wear. With his pit stop imminent, McLaren elected to keep Hamilton out and stick to the original strategy. This turned out to be a detrimental choice, because by lap 31, Räikkönen had passed Hamilton when the latter ran wide, allowing Räikkönen to take the lead. Hamilton had to come into the pits. This should not have been a problem, however, as he would still have had enough points to secure the World Championship, had he remained in that po...

An effective strategy from the BMW Sauber team benefited Robert Kubica, who was propelled into the lead after the Hamilton incident. It was short-lived, however, because after one lap, a hydraulics failure deprived him and the BMW Sauber team of a potential first victory each. This left Räikkönen leading from Alonso, who had overtaken Massa in the pitstops, and Jenson Button.

Räikkönen eventually came home to win comfortably from Alonso, who after having pulled out a considerable lead from Massa was later pulled back until the Brazilian finished less than three seconds behind him. This result ensured the World Drivers' Championship would be decided in the one remaining round - the Brazilian Grand Prix . Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso managed to overtake Button in the closing stages to claim fourth place after he had started seventeenth. His one stop strategy gave him...

Alexander Wurz finished twelfth in the Williams , and announced his immediate retirement from Formula One the day after the race. Williams announced that he would be replaced by Kazuki Nakajima for the last race of the season. [ 8 ]

External links

31°20′20″N 121°13′11″E / 31.33889°N 121.21972°E / 31.33889; 121.21972

Quick Facts

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Table 1

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Q1	Q2
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:35.798	1:35.898
2	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:35.692	1:35.381
3	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:35.792	1:35.796
4	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren-Mercedes	1:35.809	1:35.845
5	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:36.930	1:36.252
6	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:37.135	1:36.709
7	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:37.199	1:36.602
8	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:36.737	1:36.217
9	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:36.309	1:36.116
10	7	Jenson Button	Honda	1:37.092	1:36.771

Table 2

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	1:37:58.395
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren-Mercedes	56	+9.806
3	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	56	+12.891
4	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	56	+53.509
5	7	Jenson Button	Honda	56	+1:08.666
6	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	56	+1:13.673
7	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	+1:14.224
8	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	56	+1:20.750
9	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	56	+1:21.186
10	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	56	+1:24.685

Table 3

+/–	Pos.	Driver	Points
nan	1	Lewis Hamilton*	107
nan	2	Fernando Alonso*	103
nan	3	Kimi Räikkönen*	100
nan	4	Felipe Massa	86
nan	5	Nick Heidfeld	58
Source:[10]	Source:[10]	Source:[10]	Source:[10]

Image Gallery

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F1ABY Commentary

A curious thing, this Shanghai circuit – does its very design, a modern assertion of speed, somehow echo the desperate battles fought on earlier, far less forgiving tracks? Räikkönen secures the victory, a milestone for Ferrari, yet the image of Hamilton’s retirement, a tangle of gravel and compromised tires, forces a stark reckoning. The cessation of Marlboro’s influence, a gradual shift, underscores a changing world, doesn’t it? Sport, always a mirror, reflects the anxieties and evolving regulations of its time. This abandonment of open tobacco branding, a quiet revolution, suggests a deeper societal unease. Consider the implications – a sport, once inextricably linked to industry, now navigating a landscape of scrutiny. The young Brit’s misfortune, a harsh lesson perhaps, but one that foreshadows the increased emphasis on reliability and strategic thinking to come. A significant moment, undeniably, yet one layered with the weight of history.

The trajectory of motorsport is irrevocably shaped by moments of singular consequence, and this, gentlemen, is precisely that. Scuderia Ferrari’s 200th victory, secured by Räikkönen, echoes the very foundations of the sport – a testament to relentless pursuit and a lineage stretching back to the dawn of speed, mirroring the enduring spirit of Fangio himself. Hamilton’s premature exit, however, serves as a stark reminder that even the brightest stars can be extinguished by the unforgiving nature of this demanding discipline.

F1ABY Trivia

The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, transformed Shanghai’s circuit into a treacherous canvas. Räikkönen, piloting a Ferrari F2007 with its 2. 6-liter V8 churning out 740 horsepower, navigated the slick conditions with a precision born of countless laps. A significant factor, perhaps overlooked, was the Renault team’s tire strategy – the team opted for a conservative approach, deploying a slightly older, softer compound to manage the evolving track surface. The 2007 season, already a turbulent one, continued its unpredictable dance.

The rain, a persistent, sullen guest, dictated the rhythm of this Shanghai spectacle. Kimi Räikkönen, with a precision honed over countless grey skies, seized the moment, securing Ferrari’s 200th victory. A staggering statistic, you must concede, considering the sport’s origins—a testament to the enduring power of Italian engineering and a driver’s unwavering focus. Hamilton’s early misfortune, a frustrating setback, underscores a recurring theme: the inherent volatility of slick asphalt under conditions demanding absolute tire management.

F1ABY Tales

There! Räikkönen wrests the lead from Montoya, a surge of scarlet through the rain-slicked turns. A momentous occasion – the 200th victory for Ferrari, a lineage stretching back to the dawn of this sport. Consider the context: the last open display of tobacco branding, a fading echo of a different era. Hamilton, however, a casualty of the track’s treacherous nature, a heartbreaking setback for the young Briton. The Shanghai circuit, a modern marvel, revealing its inherent challenges, mirroring the relentless evolution of F1 itself. This retirement, a stark reminder that even the fastest machines are susceptible to the whims of weather and surface. The championship fight, as always, remains fiercely contested.

The rain, a persistent, sullen grey, mirrored the frustration etched across Felipe Massa’s face. A palpable tension hung in the garage – the Brazilian’s gamble on slick tires, a desperate attempt to claw back ground, had dissolved into a costly spin, leaving him a distant third. This circuit, a recent addition to the calendar, demanded a different approach, a sensitivity to the track’s evolving grip. Hamilton, meanwhile, a figure of youthful exuberance just two seasons prior, now wrestled with a harsh lesson: precision, not simply speed, dictates success. The scent of damp asphalt and burning rubber, a familiar aroma to any devotee of this sport, spoke volumes. Räikkönen, however, a stoic presence, calmly accepted his victory, a testament to calculated aggression and a driver’s unwavering focus. A century of racing, compressed into a single, soaking afternoon.