Race
The weather conditions at the track were affected by Typhoon Krosa which hit the east coast of China. 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.
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. However, the Toro Rosso driver was then dropped five places on the grid for impeding Heikki Kovalainen during 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.
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 | 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 |
Qualifying
| 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 |
Championship Standings After This Race
The Paddock Breakdown
Barry · Gary · KatGary — 33 · Three Fantasy F1 leagues
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.
Kat — 30 · Technical journalist
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.