A Taste of China

In 2011, we invite you to discover or rediscover the highlights of each Grand Prix, to give you a preview. Thus, we will revisit what happened during the Chinese Grand Prix and which drivers to watch on Sunday. But we also offer you a little game involving guessing information about the host country, hidden behind a mystery number.

It happened in China

The first edition of the Chinese Grand Prix took place in 2004. Won by Rubens Barrichello, this victory also remains the Brazilian’s last for Ferrari. This Grand Prix was also the occasion for Jacques Villeneuve’s return to racing with Renault, replacing Jarno Trulli, while Timo Glock returned to the Jordan seat after Giorgio Pantano’s dismissal, having previously served as a temporary replacement during the Canadian Grand Prix earlier that year.

In 2005, it was on Chinese soil that the Renault team was crowned constructors’ champion for the first time in its history as a standalone team. Kimi Räikkönen achieved his 10th fastest lap of the season, equaling Michael Schumacher’s record, a record he would equal again in 2008, this time with Ferrari. Unfortunately, it was also the occasion of the 250th and last Grand Prix for the Jordan team before becoming Midland the following year. Consequently, it was the last Grand Prix for Narain Karthikeyan before his return with HRT in 2011.

In 2006, Alexandre Prémat made his Formula One debut by participating in free practice sessions for the Midland team, formerly Jordan, which became Spyker. This was his only engagement in Formula One, unlike the German Michael Ammermüller, who also made his Formula One debut as a third driver, replacing Robert Doornbos, who was promoted to a full-time driver at Red Bull after Christian Klien’s dismissal. Won by Michael Schumacher, this 3rd edition of the Chinese Grand Prix remains to this day the 91st and last victory in Formula One for Michael Schumacher, as well as his 154th and final podium.

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton could have won the title in his first season at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Briton should not have conceded more than one point to Fernando Alonso and more than 6 to Kimi Räikkönen to claim the world crown, one race before the end. However, a strategic error and shredded tires postponed the suspense to the following Grand Prix.

But the McLaren driver made up for it in 2008 by claiming the 200th victory for a British driver in Formula One, while Ferrari surpassed the 4000-point mark, above which it remains the only team today.

The 2009 edition of the Chinese Grand Prix was marked by a tribute from Italian teams and drivers to the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake in Abruzzo. But this 6th edition will be remembered above all as the beginning of the epic that saw its first pole position but, more importantly, its first victory in Formula One. Unfortunately, the Austrian team could not fully savor its podium as the British anthem was played instead of the Austrian anthem. This mistake was repeated at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.

One year later, Sebastian Vettel secured his 8th pole position there, the 9th for Red Bull, but the victory went to Jenson Button, which remains, to this day, the last victory for the McLaren driver. As for Vitaly Petrov, he scored his first career points during this Grand Prix, a first for a Russian driver in Formula One.

Some numbers

In 7 editions, 7 different drivers have won in China, and six of these seven drivers will be at the start on Sunday.

Four of the last five editions of the Chinese Grand Prix took place in the rain. This partly explains the fact that Shanghai has an average of 37.4 overtakes per Grand Prix, the highest average for a circuit on the 2011 calendar.

In 2010, contested in the rain, the Chinese Grand Prix was the one where the most overtaking occurred (82). Lewis Hamilton (13 overtakes), Fernando Alonso (10), and Sebastian Vettel (9) were the most active on track, while Heikki Kovalainen (overtaken 17 times), Jarno Trulli (9), Michael Schumacher, and Adrian Sutil (8) were the main victims.

The drivers to follow

With an average starting grid position of 3rd, Fernando Alonso is the strong man in qualifying in China, where he has 2 pole positions, as many as Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. However, the latter two have a lower average position, with the Brit ranking 2nd (4.25) in this statistical category ahead of the German driver (6.25).

By winning in Shanghai, Sebastian Vettel could complete the longest series of consecutive victories for the same driver since 2004, when Michael Schumacher achieved 5 consecutive wins between Australia and Spain, with the absolute record being 7.

Mark Webber, Felipe Massa, Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov, and Nico Rosberg are best positioned to become the 8th different winner in 8 editions of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Rubens Barrichello, and Mark Webber are the only drivers to have participated in and finished the first seven editions of the Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld, Sebastian Vettel, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Vitaly Petrov, and Jaime Alguersuari have also never retired from it.

The Mystery Number

To learn more about China, we suggest you uncover the mystery number. It does not have a direct connection with F1 but will allow you to discover an essential piece of information about the country we are visiting this weekend. You have until the start of the Grand Prix to figure it out by asking questions to which we can only respond with yes or no.

The mystery number of the Chinese Grand Prix is: 50.7