Button Takes Wet and Wild Chinese Grand Prix
This appears to be the year of rain in Formula 1. Jenson Button took the wet and wild Chinese Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton bringing home second for a McLaren 1-2.The Chinese race started off odd, but ended somewhat predictably. The McLaren was set up well for this race with the F-Duct looking perfect for the long straights. Then, oddly, the cars didn’t qualify very well. Whatever the reason, they clearly came alive in the race. McLaren were deserving of the 1-2 finish with Button being silky smooth and Hamilton charging through the field to take a very solid second.
Driver of the Race – Jenson Button
It isn’t so much that he wins, but that he seems to have become the ace of wet weather driving. Button goes much longer on his tires than anyone else and is silky smooth. You just don’t see the wild gyrations that you do with other drivers. While Hamilton and Alonso deserve credit for moving up through the field, Button was consistent on a day when nobody else was. Given the conditions, that means a driver of the race award.
Team of the Race – McLaren
I’m not a fan of the team as you’ve probably noticed. That being said, there is no denying that the driver and team combination was superior to anyone else in China. The 1-2 was very well deserved and both Jenson and Lewis deserve their points haul. One has to wonder a bit what Lewis thinks of Jenson having two victories to his none, but that will shake itself out during the year. I was not a big believer of Jenson after last year as I gave more credit to the car than driver. It would appear he is a true champion and certainly is driving like one.
A special note for a team I’ve often mocked in the past. Renault should be renamed the Phoenix Team. It has clearly risen from the ashes of 2009 notwithstanding a ghastly paint job. Regardless, Kubica has been impressive and Petrov shows some serious potential when he isn’t driving into walls or being plowed over by other drivers. Renault is clearly the surprise team of the year. They aren’t top level, but they are a hell of a lot closer to the front of the field than I would have ever thought possible.
Poor Drive of the Race – Tie
There were a lot of poor drives in this race. Felipe Massa once again showed his not a top level driver with his bad fade in the rain. Mark Webber is ghastly and a clear weak link for Red Bull. Sutil looked good, but then faded badly as well. Can either of the Sauber drivers make it through a quarter of a race? All of these are candidates, but two drivers deserve the most scorn.
The first is Fernando Alonso. Jumping the start? It wasn’t even close. This from a two time world champion? It was inexcusable as he admitted afterwards. Championships are won and lost on such measures. Fernando is clearly the number one driver at Ferrari, but he must be so much more if he wants to win. Some will say he made a great drive back through the field, but he was lucky. If there had not been a safety car and rain, he would have been lucky to score any points.
The second is Michael Schumacher. His drive reminds me of the song “The Thrill is Gone.” I’m a Schumi fan and was glad to see him come back to add some spice to a field of bland and boring drivers. This, however, is embarrassing. Getting passed by Petrov? A driver who has never completed a grand prix? Yikes. Yes, the tires were shot but tire management is part of being a great driver. This is particularly true when contrasted with the fact Nico finished third. This has the look of a one and done season for the great Schumi.
Here are the race results:
1 Jenson Button McLaren 1:46:42.163
2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren + 1.530
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP + 9.484
4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari + 11.869
5 Robert Kubica Renault + 22.213
6 Seb Vettel Red Bull + 33.310
7 Vitaly Petrov Renault + 47.600
8 Mark Webber Red Bull + 52.172
9 Felipe Massa Ferrari + 57.796
10 Mich Schumacher Mercedes GP + 1:01.749
11 Adrian Sutil Force India + 1:02.874
12 R Barrichello Williams + 1:03.665
13 J Alguersuari Toro Rosso + 1:11.416
14 H Kovalainen Lotus at 1 lap
15 N Hülkenberg Williams at 1 lap
16 Bruno Senna Hispania at 2 laps
17 Karun Chandhok Hispania at 4 laps
18 Jarno Trulli Lotus at 30 laps (DNF)
19 L Di Grassi Virgin at 48 laps (DNF)
20 P de la Rosa Sauber at 49 laps (DNF)
21 S Buemi Toro Rosso at 56 laps (DNF)
22 K Kobayashi Sauber at 56 laps (DNF)
23 V Liuzzi Force India at 56 laps (DNF)
24 Timo Glock Virgin at 56 laps (DNS)
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