Background
Renault were very confident about their chances in this Grand Prix, they claimed that Michael Schumacher 's previous two races in Shanghai were "poor". Schumacher did admit that he had bad form in China, but said that he expected it "to be better this time around." Following back-to-back wins in Turkey and on home soil , Ferrari certainly had the momentum coming into the Grand Prix, the Italian team were also ahead of Renault by 3 points in the constructors championship and Michael Schumacher was 2 points behind Fernando Alonso in the Drivers' Championship. Following Lewis Hamilton 's GP2 victory in Monza and an encouraging test session with McLaren , the Woking-based team were rumoured to give the young British driver his debut in favour of Pedro de la Rosa , who had been performing well after replacing Juan Pablo Montoya . However, McLaren announced that de la Rosa would be racing in China. McLaren's other driver, Kimi Räikkönen , was aiming to win the weekend's Grand Prix following signs of speed in his previous Grand Prix. Williams announced that they were using a revised FW28, the Williams-Cosworth FW28A. The car featured a new aerodynamic package developed by test drivers Alexander Wurz and Narain Karthikeyan . The test team also carried out the first track test of the Toyota -powered interim Williams FW28B. The car itself completed 745 kilometres and the team only experienced minor problems. Following some impressive Friday test performances at Turkey and Italy, BMW Sauber 's 19-year-old test driver, Sebastian Vettel , had agreed to see out the rest of the year with the German team. The young German driver had a busy schedule, as he was also competing in the Formula 3 Euroseries.
Friday practice
Wurz and Vettel were fastest again in the second session, Wurz was fastest with a 1:35.539, around 0.03 seconds faster than he was in the first session and 0.05 seconds faster than Vettel with Honda's Anthony Davidson completing the top three positions. The Austrian was very happy with his time, specially since this was his first time in Shanghai, "It was a good day today and driving was a lot of fun out there. I have never driven this circuit, and I attacked it right from the beginning" he said...
Friday drivers
The bottom 6 teams in the 2005 Constructors' Championship and Super Aguri were entitled to run a third car in free practice on Friday. These drivers drove on Friday but did not compete in qualifying or the race.
Race
The new leading trio of Alonso, Fisichella and Schumacher made their first pit stops on laps 22, 23 and 21, respectively. Fisichella and Schumacher both kept all the same tyres, but Alonso, whose tyres were already fading, was unsure about whether they could last all the way to the second pit stops, so he changed the front tyres, but left the same rear tyres. However, this disadvantaged him even more, and within a few laps his 20-second lead had evaporated to nothing. For several laps, Alonso, F... Alonso dropped back all the time and on lap 35, having seen several drivers switch to dry tyres and be able to handle the drying conditions, pitted and made the switch. However a wheel nut problem at his stop caused it to last over 19 seconds. When he emerged from his stop he was down in 4th and over 50 seconds off the lead. Schumacher and Fisichella were among the last drivers to switch to dry tyres, pitting on laps 40 and 41 respectively. Fisichella emerged from his stop still ahead of Schumac... Alonso had now rediscovered his pace and charged in the closing stages, setting fastest lap after fastest lap. Fisichella let him past without a fight, but although he continued to close rapidly on Schumacher, he ran out of time to catch him, finishing just 3 seconds behind. Fisichella had dropped back hugely in the closing laps but hung on to a comfortable third place. Nick Heidfeld had started eighth on the grid but through his strategy of pitting late at both pitstops had rising to fourth in the closing stages, leapfrogging Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and Pedro de la Rosa. However, in the closing stages Heidfeld was firstly forced off the track while trying to lap Christijan Albers , then held up by Takuma Sato 's Super Aguri , allowing Barrichello, Button and de la Rosa to close up to him. Button first managed to find his way past Barrichello on the l... The result put Michael Schumacher equal on points with Fernando Alonso, and put him in the championship lead on countback. However, Fisichella's third place allowed Renault to regain the lead of the Constructors' Championship by one point from Ferrari , as well as vaulting Fisichella ahead of Felipe Massa in the battle for third in the Drivers' Championship, also by one point. After the race, Schumacher expressed his surprise at the performance of his car in the wet, after its dismal showing in ...
External links
31°20′20″N 121°13′11″E / 31.33889°N 121.21972°E / 31.33889; 121.21972
Race Result
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Tyre | Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | B | 56 |
| 2 | 1 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | M | 56 |
| 3 | 2 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Renault | M | 56 |
| 4 | 12 | Jenson Button | Honda | M | 56 |
| 5 | 4 | Pedro de la Rosa | McLaren-Mercedes | M | 56 |
| 6 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | M | 56 |
| 7 | 16 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | M | 56 |
| 8 | 9 | Mark Webber | Williams-Cosworth | B | 56 |
| 9 | 14 | David Coulthard | Red Bull-Ferrari | M | 56 |
| 10 | 20 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | Toro Rosso-Cosworth | M | 55 |
Qualifying
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1:44.128 | 1:43.951 |
| 2 | 2 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Renault | 1:44.378 | 1:44.336 |
| 3 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda | 1:47.072 | 1:45.228 |
| 4 | 12 | Jenson Button | Honda | 1:45.809 | 1:44.662 |
| 5 | 3 | Kimi Räikkönen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:44.909 | 1:45.622 |
| 6 | 5 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari | 1:47.366 | 1:45.660 |
| 7 | 4 | Pedro de la Rosa | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:44.808 | 1:45.095 |
| 8 | 16 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1:46.249 | 1:45.055 |
| 9 | 17 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1:46.049 | 1:45.576 |
| 10 | 15 | Robert Doornbos | Red Bull-Ferrari | 1:46.387 | 1:45.747 |
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
Hold on to your helmets! The air here in Shanghai is thick with tension, a palpable force fueled by Renault's audacious pronouncements – they're practically daring Michael to unleash a storm. Schumacher, a man sculpted from steel and strategic calculation, acknowledges the initial hiccups, but the raw power of that Ferrari V8, pushing 800 horsepower, is about to rewrite the narrative. Don't underestimate the strategic chess match unfolding beneath this concrete jungle; McLaren's tire choices alone could shatter this race.
Hold on to your hats! The air in Shanghai is thick with anticipation, a palpable tension radiating from the pit lane. 4 second gap already carved out, a testament to his strategic brilliance and the raw speed of the scarlet machine. Don't be fooled by the numbers; this isn't merely a victory, it's a calculated dismantling of the competition, a statement of intent echoing across the entire grid. The Ferrari driver's win percentage in qualifying this season alone is a staggering 68%, a figure that screams dominance and confirms the championship fight is far from over.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
Here we go! The air crackles, a blue halo blurring into a frantic dance around the Mandarin Oriental Hotel! Schumacher, relentless, a crimson missile hunting down Rosberg – this isn't just a race, it's a brutal psychological war waged at 200 kph! Rosberg's gamble with the undercut… a desperate, breathtaking attempt! But can he hold the lead, or will the German legend seize the moment and claim victory? The margin is shrinking! This is the kind of drama that defines this sport, a heart-stopping battle for supremacy!
The rain… it's a serpent, isn't it? Coiling around the track, promising chaos, delivering doubt. You see it in Kimi's eyes – a simmering frustration, a refusal to yield to the slick. Renault's swagger? Gone. This isn't just a race; it's a psychological chessboard. Schumacher, ever the strategist, seems to be subtly dismantling the Finn's confidence, and the championship battle suddenly feels… fragile. A single mistake, a misjudged corner, and the lead could vanish into the Shanghai mist.