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This weekend's Chinese Grand Prix will only mark the 12th running of the race. The Shanghai International Circuit does not have the glamorous, mystical, dangerous history of older Formula One circuits like Monza or Silverstone or Monaco.
Still, the 11 Chinese Grand Prixs to date have produced some great moments and some dangerous ones, some humorous moments and some sublime ones. As the F1 circus continues to rack up the frequent flier miles, heading to the far side of the world for the third time in a month, we have scoured the proverbial archives to bring you the top five moments in Chinese Grand Prix history. 1 Michael Schumacher is one of the most talented drivers in F1 history—but that does not mean he was above the occasional on-track screw-up. The 2005 Chinese Grand Prix was the last race of that season. After winning his fifth straight championship in 2004, Schumacher had won just once in 2005 and was sitting a distant third in the drivers' standings when he arrived in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Minardi's Christijan Albers was in his rookie season and had not finished in the top 10 apart from the six-car U.S. Grand Prix. He qualified 18th in China (Schumacher was sixth) and was in the middle of a warm-up lap on his way to the grid, when suddenly a Ferrari appeared in his path. With no time to react, Albers dro 2 Lewis Hamilton arrived at the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, the second-to-last race of his rookie year, with a 12-point lead in the drivers' standings. That was considered a substantial margin at the time for those of you who don't remember the days when a win was still worth a proper 10 points. Sitting second in the race, with worn tyres on a drying track, Hamilton lost control coming into the pits and beached his car in the gravel trap. As you can see in the video, McLaren team principal Ron Dennis looked ready to jump onto the track and push Hamilton into the pits himself. Perhaps he should have. After retiring in China, Hamilton still could (or should) have won the title in Brazil. But a gearbox problem early in the race dropped him almost to the back of the field, and he could not recover. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who was 17 points behind Hamilton before the Chinese race, won the championship by one point. 3 In 2009, Jenson Button won six of the first seven races on his way to the Drivers' Championship. The one missing win from that streak was the Chinese Grand Prix, where Red Bull finally took its first F1 victory in its fifth season as a constructor. Sebastian Vettel secured his first win in 2008 during a wet Italian Grand Prix, driving for Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso. Moving up to the big team in 2009, it took just three races for the German to make his mark. As Red Bull had never won a race before, the organisers of the Shanghai race were unsure which anthem they should play for the winning constructor. Instead of asking someone, it seems they took a guess, landing on Britain's "God Save the Queen" (not unreasonable, considering Red Bull's factory is in Milton Keynes). Unfortunately, the team is registered in Austria, so "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" would have been a more appropriate choice. It's always nice when F1's overly orchestrated podium ceremonies hit a snafu. Regrettably, there doesn't seem to be a high-quality video of the podium ceremony, but if you have to see it for yourself, check out the 10:20 mark of this video—Vettel doesn't seem to know or care. Following the win in China, Vettel would score three more victories in 2009 and finish 11 points behind Button in the championship race. Building on that success, Vettel and Red Bull would go on to win the next four drivers' and constructors' titles. 4 Sebastien Buemi suffered one of the weirdest-looking (and perhaps scariest) accidents you will ever see during free practice at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix. Travelling at over 300 km/h down the Shanghai circuit's long back straightaway, Buemi hit the brakes, and his front suspension broke on both sides. His front tyres broke free and continued down the track while Buemi slid on towards the corner. Despite his best efforts to continue steering, the Swiss driver was just a passenger at that point. He did, however, provide a strong endorsement for all that extra run-off room at modern F1 circuits when he walked away from the crash unharmed. 5 Nico Rosberg's first F1 victory came in his seventh season at the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix. The reason this moment makes our top five, though—narrowly edging last year's early chequered flag debacle—is that it was also Mercedes' first F1 win since 1955. "We are proud to deliver the first victory for a works Silver Arrow car in 57 years," team principal Ross Brawn said, according to The Telegraph's Tom Cary. "I was just one year old when Juan Manuel Fangio won in Monza in 1955—but this victory is something I will remember, and savour, for a very long time." More importantly, though, that victory may have helped convince Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes could be a contender, and it set the stage for his move from McLaren to Mercedes, which his new team announced later that year. That worked out pretty well for everyone (except McLaren and Rosberg): Vitality. This, by most observers’ perceptions is what Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari breathed back into a sport that had been straining under the weight of unrealistic expectation prior to Malaysia. After moribund premonitions about the 2015 season a fortnight ago, F1 burst back into life in the searing heat of Malaysia because unexpected victories always inspire human expression. First off there was joy. By simply swapping teams and becoming the underdog, in victory Sebastian Vettel was celebrated rather than booed as he leaped onto the top step in Sepang. 6000 miles away in Maranello, the centre of Ferrari’s beating heart, church bells were pealing. Down in the pitlane below Vettel, amongst the throng, we saw grown men crying. No doubt this was the case all over Italy. Thirty-four races is a long time for the Scuderia to wait between wins and next to us James Allison was visibly moved whilst hanging on the every word of the man who drove his creation to the chequered flag. By all accounts Maurizio Arrivabene’s racing team have had an extra 100 million Euros added to their yearly budget by Ferrari. What does that tell you about their hopes for the months ahead? There was also frustration. Lewis Hamilton’s annoyance with his race engineer Pete Bonnington talking to him while cornering encapsulated the emotion of an afternoon that even had Paddy Lowe flustered. The champions were beaten in the words of Vettel “fair and square” so much so that Hamilton, realising this, was able to put aside his dissatisfaction and enjoy the winner’s moment with him, sat together atop the podium. Indeed the nature of the result raised pulse rates throughout the paddock and has perhaps shifted the paradigm for this season. Prior to the race it seemed Red Bull had simply come to terms with the Sisyphean task of overhauling Mercedes this year. They grumbled that it might force them to rethink their involvement due to the necessity of sporting success to the parallel business of marketing. But Ferrari’s victory has already encouraged Renault to take a more positive approach in the media concluding that: “Mercedes can be caught if all the ingredients are there.” You would think that if the team and its engine manufacturer, with a budget their size, can put aside their public bickering and direct their energies in a more positive manner then they too could be a challenger sooner rather than later - especially as they have more engine tokens left to spend than any of the others. McLaren, to their credit have spun the world a magnificent tale akin to an asthmatic giant struggling to find his inhaler. They have put a brave face on their woes and through gritted teeth and a wry smile ‘Big Ron’ exclaimed that their partner Honda will relish the engineering challenge of catching up. They’re not whinging. So just how long will it take the others to catch Mercedes with the regulations set out and stretching in front of them towards the end of the decade? That is the overriding question but what this weekend taught us is that the sport doesn’t require gimmicks to demonstrate that it’s in good health. It doesn’t need artificial ways to peg the best back. F1’s mantra is to push the technology boundaries further. It requires the dedication and belief of an engineering team that, with good ideas and solid execution can build a car that can challenge anyone. That’s what happened in Malaysia. Hope was born out of hard work. Just as Vettel was being criticised by Bernie Ecclestone for not doing enough to promote the sport when he was world champion, he rose again. He’s not on Twitter and has preferred not to wallow in the trappings of fame. So what? Isn’t that all besides the point anyway? All he’s interested in doing is winning races. Quietly and behind closed doors he’s helped precipitate change at Maranello, breathed new life into Ferrari and in doing so, into the sport. There’s nothing artificial about that. That is why he’s a great champion and that’s why, contrary to the doom mongers predictions, F1 2015 isn’t ready to flatline just yet. How will Lewis Hamilton play it? He’s in it to win it. Or at least that’s how Lewis Hamilton said he would be approaching the Abu Double title decider before leaving Brazil two weeks ago. But the fact remains that Hamilton doesn’t need to win it - Sunday's race - to win the other 'it' – the World Championship. Even in the event of a Nico Rosberg victory, second place would be sufficient for Hamilton. And while the World Championship leader sounded fixed on a winning mentality in front of the cameras at Interlagos, he was rather less emphatic in the post-race press conference, telling reporters: "The next race is a different one and as I'm approaching it, I guess I would decide how I approach it." With the Mercedes W05 still in a superior league to the rest of the field, the thought that only a collision or a breakdown - both of which can be mitigated by cautious driving - is liable to prevent Hamilton finishing at least second will have surely prospered over the last 10 or so days. Especially as Hamilton has been enclosed in his family’s Stevenage base, never out of earshot of his father, Anthony, and the advocate-in-chief of Lewis adopting a risk adverse strategy this weekend. "Lewis is a racing driver, so he wants to win every race, but you don’t have to win every race," said Hamilton senior in Brazil. "I always tell him 'just bring the car home' and if you always bring home the car, then you’ll always be one or two." As the final F1 race in Abu Dhabi approaches, which Mercedes driver will emerge victorious and be crowned the 2014 Driver Champion? There's no arguing with that, although the obvious salient flaw in Anthony's advice is that Lewis is more a racer than a racing driver; the only speed he knows is called flat-out. Because it is so contrary to his nature, driving for second is itself inherently risky - perhaps even more risky than risking all for victory. Yet needs must, and the challenge Hamilton ultimately faces this weekend is a test of his maturity and mental strength. He needs to be flexible and adaptable, a racer at heart but a racing driver in his head. Rather than be fixed on chasing victory or second place, Hamilton's best approach will be to be open-minded, to trust his instincts as well as his skill. In his generic approach to F1's new turbo era, Hamilton has, with his generally superior fuel and tyre management to Rosberg, proven himself to be much more of a thinker than his detractors loudly opined he wasn’t capable of being before the season's start. Now he has to seal the deal by thinking smart when it matters most. PG Can Mercedes deliver two reliable cars? Even without the unpalatable spectre of double points decisively intervening in the outcome of Sunday's title decider, there was always going to be one other factor that had the potential to skew the final outcome in such a tight championship battle as this - unreliability. The fact that the two title protagonists drive for the same team, Mercedes, naturally means that there's an increased emphasis on their Brackley team to ensure both their cars hold together for the duration of the Abu Dhabi race weekend. There's also a wider responsibility to the 'show' too, something Mercedes, to their credit, are well aware of: “It is now down to us to ensure that this fascinating year concludes in the right way by giving Lewis and Nico a platform to settle the title purely on the track,” remarked team boss Toto Wolff this week. While the W05 has blown all the would-be competition away this year, the season’s all-conquering machine infamously hasn't been completely without its reliability flaws. Those became acutely apparent during the summer months when either Rosberg, or in particular, Hamilton appeared to be struck down by some technical glitch or another on a recurring basis. The good news for the prospect of a befittingly uninterrupted Hamilton v Rosberg duel to the flag this weekend at least is that since a particular low point was reached in Singapore in September - when the German driver’s car failed to even make it off the grid - the Mercedes pair have recorded four consecutive qualifying and race-day one-twos. That certainly suggests that the team, literally perhaps, have tightened things up, and on a medium-speed Yas Marina circuit which hardly presents the most strenuous test of a car on the calendar, the odds should certainly be in Mercedes’ favour. But still, if Rosberg’s bizarre Singapore problem - when a substance contamination sent his W05’s electronics haywire - proved anything, it’s that you can never be 100% sure of bullet-proof reliability in F1. As the 17-point title leader and the man with five more race wins than Rosberg this year, Hamilton has the most to lose from any mechanical failure, and it’s no wonder that Wolff has spoken of the “nightmare” of a failure costing the Briton the crown. Were such a scenario to come to pass, then it might be advisable to step well back from the fan fallout Who will finish fourth in the Drivers’ Championship? The battle to be fourth in the Drivers’ Championship is a three-way fight between Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas, with just three points separating the trio. Vettel is the current occupant of fourth place, having amassed 159 points thus far and the German enjoys a good record in Abu Dhabi. Not only has he won three of the five grands prix staged there, but in 2012 he charged from the pitlane to the podium. However, the two long DRS Zones at the Yas Marina Circuit could leave him a sitting duck in his final race for Red Bull due to the season-long problem of an underpowered Renault engine. That could also be an issue for Alonso - albeit with a Ferrari engine rather than a Renault power unit – in what will also most likely be his farewell appearance for the Scuderia. Unlike Red Bull, the Ferrari chassis will not be able to make up for part of the engine deficit through the twisty final sector adding to the Spaniard's challenge. The events of Brazil also demonstrated that Alonso can expect no favours from team-mate Kimi Raikkonen or the team in helping him improve his position. Thus could it be the man currently in sixth who jumps up the order when the chequered flag falls on 2014? Bottas will be keen to bounce back from a difficult race in Brazil where pitstop delays, including one whilst his seatbelts were adjusted, meant he dropped from his starting spot of fourth to 10th. In the Finn’s favour will be the Mercedes powerplant in the back of the Williams and the car is incredibly quick in a straight-line which should aid any overtakes that need to be made - particularly into turns eight and 11. 25 year old Freddy is an Anglo-Swedish racing driver based in London and Weybridge, UK. With ambitions to compete at the highest levels of tin top racing he made his debut in a T-Car at age 14, won the Mini Cooper S Class Championship at the tender age of 17 and has since become a race winner at multiple levels. A change of direction for the last two years has seen him take on the NASCAR endorsed Euro Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, in which he was awarded the Most Popular Driver, accolade two years in succession. Freddy has strengthened his CV by contesting the prestigious 24 Hour Dubai race in both 2013 and 2014. 2014 will also mark his third season in the newly renamed NASCR Whelen Euro Series. RS:Tell us something about yourself,since you do motor sports? FN:I have raced gokarts from age 8-13 and cars from age 14. I am 25 so I have raced 12 years RS:how are you satisfied with the season 2014? FN:My season started badly as for the first 2 rounds (4 races) the engine didnt work. It was changed but still didnt work. I also lost one race at Nurburgringring when Mathias Lauda drove into me in the first corner. At the last round at Le Mans the engine failed again so overall the season did not go to expectation. RS:whether it is an expensive deal motorsport? FN:Motorsport is expensive, you sort of know what the season cost but you never know how much damage you will have! RS:What are the plans for 2015? FN:I will probably race in the Euro Nascar again as the series is going from strength to strenght with more professional driver racing and rounds in 6 european countries RS:your favorite track? FN:My favorite track is Spa RS:your favorite driver? FN:I'm a Schumacher fan and have always been, just feel so sorry for him RS:favorite food? FN:I like Sushi and Spag Bol RS:end tell us something funny about yourself? FN:something funny about me? don't know......... best asking someone else 2014 Singapore Grand Prix paper review: The force is now with Lewis Hamilton
But after unreliability strikes again there are fears title could be decided by a retirement; Hamilton now heads standings by three points By William Esler. Last Updated: 22/09/14 9:54am Share: 0 0 Lewis Hamilton has overtaken his team mate in the drivers’ championship after Nico Rosberg retired at Singapore, but says he’s determined to stay focussed There was a Star Wars theme to Monday’s newspapers with a consensus that 'the force is with Lewis Hamilton' in his title fight with Nico Rosberg for the 2014 World Championship. Victory in Singapore gave the Briton the lead in the Drivers’ Championship for the first time since the Spanish GP in May and The Times led with the headline ‘Hamilton on the charge in race for the title.” ‘The tide has turned,’ announced Kevin Eason, the newspaper's F1 correspondent. ‘As the champagne poured, Hamilton was the centre of attention, hugging Anthony and Linda, the parents who have become lucky charms. Three times they have turned up this season and three times Hamilton has won. Their influence has been evident. Anthony, sacked as his son’s manager four years ago, is safely back in the fold. ‘It was job done and the lead in the World Championship back in the overalls of the British driver after a summer of bugs and glitches. Now the force is with Hamilton.’ The impact of having Hamilton Snr back in his corner was also highlighted by Jonathan McEvoy in the Daily Mail who feels it could prove to be a crucial factor. ‘The presence of his father Anthony here for a second successive race may be the crucial fillip,’ said McEvoy. ‘He has never won a title without his dad and mainstay at his side.’ Nico Rosberg's face was telling after his retirement Rosberg cut a dejected figure in the Mercedes garage as he watched the remaining 46 laps following his retirement at the Marina Bay Circuit and with just five races remaining Paul Weaver feels it will be difficult for the German to pick himself up mentally. ‘It is the timing of Hamilton’s surge that will most encourage him and demoralise his great rival and Mercedes team-mate, whose season appears to have gone into a tailspin since being asked to apologise for the clash between the two drivers in the race in Spa last month,’ he wrote in The Guardian. Those sentiments were echoed by Ben Hunt in The Sun who wrote: ‘While Mercedes will begin their forensic examination of the failed part on Rosberg’s car today, the German will start assessing just how wrong things have gone for him over the past few weeks. ‘He has been in a tailspin since crashing into Hamilton in their notorious Belgium bust-up, bashed up by the team for causing the crash, bloodied by Hamilton in Monza. And booed by the fans. ‘And he was visibly upset by his latest setback and labelled it his lowest point of the season.’ Yet with Mercedes’ Achilles heel of unreliability striking once again there is a fear amongst the journalists that that rather than on track action could be the deciding influence this season. ‘The single factor that could ruin what is turning out to be the most thrilling World Championship in years could be machinery that fails to live up to the demands of the warriors who are waging battle,’ wrote Eason. In The Telepgraph Daniel Johnson added: ‘Both are coming to the worrying realisation that ultimately this epic duel will not be decided by moments of individual brilliance or speed. It will instead be swayed by how many more times their respective cars let them down.’ With this begins RACE SEASON CAMPAIGN "F1 RETURN IN INDIA" Our campaign was joined by many, and among the first :Mira Erda This is an interview with her and about our campaign I have done 35 races n have achieved 23 awards... Like winner n runner up in the championship... Best Driver... Fastest on grid... Rookie Championship runner up.. Kart open 1st runner up RS:Tell us something about yourself,since you do motor sports? ME:I hav been racing since 2010.. Race in Rotax Indian Championship, Asia Max Rotax Championship held at Malaysia, Formula 4.. RS:whether it is an expensive deal motorsport? ME:Yes, It is a Expensive deal. RS:I follow F1? ME:Yup I follow F1.. RS:your favorite driver? ME:My Favourite Driver is Lewis Hamilton!!! RS:What do you think of the duel, Hamilton and Rosberg in Belgium? ME:Hmm!! For Belgium I Like Pure Racing. RS:you're in the wrong that there is no grand prix of India this year? ME:I feel bad that there is no grand prix in India this year!! RS:Whether you hope that it will be a grand prix india 2015? ME:I would like if there would a grand prix in India next year.. RS:Have u ever been on a track where you drive F1 in India? ME:Yup I hav been at the track.. RS:the best race in the history of F1 India in three editions? ME:The best race in the history of F1 in India was the race of 2013.. RS:We're running a campaign at RACE Season "F1 return in india " ME:" I'm Supporting Your Campaign F1 Return In India" Tell us in a good sentence for the end RS:favorite food? ME:My Favourite Food is Italian Food RS:favorite song? ME:My Favourite Song is " We Are The Champions... My Friend" RS:your favorite track? ME:My favourite track is BIC...BUDDHA INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT |
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