2014 Chinese Grand Prix – The Grid: A Tight Hierarchy on a Wet Track

After the qualifying sessions which took place on Saturday of which you can read the summary on Motorsinside.com, the editorial team offers you a recap of the starting grid.

Only Pastor Maldonado is penalized for this Grand Prix following his collision in Bahrain. That said, the Lotus driver was unable to participate in the qualifying session, so his penalty does not affect the standings.

The tires

After a qualifying session in the rain, all drivers used intermediate or extreme wet tires to qualify. Therefore, each driver will have the choice of tires, soft or medium, for the start. These tires show a significant difference over one lap, and it’s highly possible that strategy will play a role in the final victory tomorrow.

The forces in presence

This is becoming a habit, but the two Mercedes are on the first two lines. However, both Red Bull drivers have managed to get between them, but for how long? Fernando Alonso manages to save the honor of the Scuderia with fifth place, which can seem promising, ahead of the Williams drivers who have finally mastered the rain. Behind them, the rest of the pack is quite close, down to the Caterham and Marussia, who will be alongside Pastor Maldonado at the back of the grid.

Starting grid of the Chinese Grand Prix /f1/news/17417-china-qualifications-hamilton-dominates-the-red-bull-grosjean-in-q3.html