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Mercedes finish 1-2 ahead of both Ferrari drivers in Chinese Grand Prix

Mercedes finish 1-2 ahead of both Ferrari drivers in Chinese Grand Prix

At the Chinese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton lead home Nico Rosberg at the Shanghai International Circuit, followed by the two Ferraris of Vettel and Raikkonen.
Chinese Grand Prix Kimi Raikkonen Sebastian Vettel
Come the end of the third round of the Formula One World Championship, Scuderia Ferrari saw its drivers finish in third and fourth places. Sebastian Vettel made it to the bottom step of the podium and, having started sixth, Kimi Raikkonen came home fourth, thanks mainly to an excellent start. Both drivers set off on new Soft tyres and ran a two-stop strategy. Lewis Hamilton won ahead of his Mercedes team-mate, Nico Rosberg.
  • Lewis took his second consecutive Chinese Grand Prix victory – his fourth in Shanghai and the 35th of his Formula One Career
  • The result also marked his second Grand Chelem; pole, victory, fastest lap and leading from lights to flag
  • Nico claimed his fourth Chinese podium, the 29th of his career, in second place
  • Today’s result marks the 31st Silver Arrows Formula One victory and 18th one-two finish from 111 Starts
  • Both drivers ran a two stop strategy of option / option / prime, stopping on laps 15 / 31 (Nico) and 14 / 33 (Lewis)

Chinese Grand Prix Results

P Driver Car Gap
1
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes

1h39m42.008s

2
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes
+0.174s
3
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
+2.988s
4
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
+3.835s
5
Felipe Massa
Williams/Mercedes
+8.544s
6
Valtteri Bottas
Williams/Mercedes
+9.885s
7
Romain Grosjean
Lotus/Mercedes
+19.008s
8
Felipe Nasr
Sauber/Ferrari
+22.625s
9
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull/Renault
+32.117s
10
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber/Ferrari
1 Lap
11
Sergio Perez
Force India/Mercedes
1 Lap
12
Fernando Alonso
McLaren/Honda
1 Lap
13 Jenson Button McLaren/Honda 1 Lap
14
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso/Renault
1 Lap
15
Will Stevens
Marussia/Ferrari
2 Laps
16
Roberto Merhi
Marussia/Ferrari
2 Laps
Max Verstappen Toro Rosso/Renault Retirement
Pastor Maldonado Lotus/Mercedes Retirement
Daniil Kvyat Red Bull/Renault Retirement
Nico Hulkenberg
Force India/Mercedes
Retirement
Lewis Hamilton
I’m really happy. It was a great race and really positive to have a clean weekend throughout every session. The team did a great job. Going into today we expected it to be close with Ferrari as they had been good on the tyres on their long runs. The goal was to run my own race and manage the tyres as best I could; I was driving as hard as I could within the constraints of the tyres and just trying to stretch out the Option stints for as long as possible. I never really had a threat from Nico but I didn’t do anything intentionally to slow him up. Before the second stops I was able to put in a few fast laps to build the gap which I really enjoyed. Then, it was a case of managing the life of the Prime tyre to the finish. Overall, I’ve just got to say thank you to the team for a smooth weekend. We dialled the car in where I wanted and that helped me deliver out there today. It’s a great feeling to win again in China in front of all these amazing fans. Their support has been incredible all weekend, so ‘xiexie’ to all of them!
Nico Rosberg
It was great to beat the Ferrari and the team has done a great job since Malaysia. But I’m also a bit frustrated today, as I saw how much of a difference four hundredths of a second to Lewis in Qualifying can make. Lewis managed his tyres a lot in the middle stint and that put me at risk with Vettel right behind. But the team adapted to box me earlier for the second stop and stay ahead of the Ferrari after he had pitted to try and jump ahead through the undercut on new tyres. So that worked out – but I then had a long final stint to do and the tyres were beginning to give up in the final laps. I’m sure we will sit down and discuss it all now. But in general it’s up to me to change the situation. I just need to make a better job on Saturday.
Toto Wolff
That was a great victory for the team but not an easy one; it was as challenging a race as we anticipated this morning. At the start of the race, we had the pace to pull a little gap to the Ferraris, but they were really strong today. We had to keep the Option tyres alive long enough and asked the guys to drive in an intelligent way. We chose to stick with the Option for the second stint and had to once again look after them to make them last far enough. We had some good communication during that part of the race, telling each driver what they needed to do to keep the one-two finish safe, and then we switched the pit-stop order for the final stops to protect Nico against Vettel by stopping him before Lewis. But it’s clear from today’s race what a big jump Ferrari has made over the winter. They were competitive in Malaysia, very strong here in the opening stint and they will be quick in Bahrain, too. Tonight, though, we can take a moment to appreciate a job well done – then get our heads down and start working for Bahrain next weekend.
Paddy Lowe
A fantastic result for the team to get another one-two finish. Malaysia was not only a good reminder of how difficult it is to win a Grand Prix, but also how much we don’t like not winning! This weekend we went out there to improve on our performance and everybody did a great job to achieve that. Ferrari pushed us very hard indeed – especially in the first stint. We were pleasantly surprised to see that Sebastian (Vettel) was the first to fall away and pit on the first set of option tyres. We were then able to shadow his strategy and bring home the one-two. It certainly wasn’t comfortable and the pressure was very much on both the drivers and the crew to nail the necessary laps and pit stops respectively at this Chinese Grand Prix. It was a great group performance and a well-earned team result.
Ferrari F1 Team are on form for Chinese F1 after second practice

Ferrari F1 Team are on form for Chinese F1 after second practice

The Ferrari F1 Team are certainly back on form after their win in Malaysia.

In China the Italians have been putting the work in as they chase down the Mercedes Team.

The second free practice session saw the Scuderia Ferrari drivers finish second and fourth, with Kimi Raikkonen (1.37.662) and Sebastian Vettel (1.38.339) respectively.

Ferrari F1 Team Results

The afternoon programme included a comparison of the two tyre compounds and some long runs. The session ran without a hitch. Fastest was Lewis Hamilton who posted a 1.37.219 in his Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo (1.38.311) split the two Ferraris in his Red Bull.

Ferrari F1 Team Show Promise for China F1 - Practice Times

China F1 Practice Times

Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham goes high-tech storing baby’s umbilical cord stem cells

Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham goes high-tech storing baby’s umbilical cord stem cells

Sky Sports Formula One TV presenter Natalie Pinkham has chosen to use high-tech company Biovault Family to store her son’s umbilical cord blood stem cells, after she gave birth last month .

You expect to hear about the latest technology and processes around the F1 paddock but not in maternity wards. To many it may be the first time you have heard about this service for newborns. It is very simple and the collection is almost as quick as a pit stop! After the birth the cord cells and tissue are sent away and stored in cryogenic vats by Biovault. They can then be used in the future for the treatment of the child or another member of the family for a variety of diseases.

For the F1 presenter it was a simple choice.

I have a real interest in stem cell research and treatments because I have a friend of a similar age in the States who is currently benefitting from stem cell treatment for a serious condition.  Sadly I lost a friend to Motor Neurone disease in his 30’s so I guess I’ve always had a curiosity around the potential of stem cells to treat such diseases in the back of my mind.

Natalie first heard about cord blood banking at her antenatal class.

I’d heard of stem cell treatments and was interested straight away.  The more I knew, the more I wanted to know.  The potential is so huge and there doesn’t appear to be any downsides. As an expectant parent, cord blood banking doesn’t really show up in the big list of things you are advised to consider but I’m really glad we know about it and are doing something to protect our child’s future.

Sky Sports Formula One TV presenter Natalie Pinkham Stores Baby's Cord Blood

Sky Sports Formula One TV presenter Natalie Pinkham Stores Baby’s Cord Blood

Owain was with me at the class and could see that it was something we should seriously consider so we talked and researched it further. We see it as the ultimate insurance policy that we hope and pray we never need to use.  We both decided that we needed to take this opportunity because we have a responsibility to protect our unborn child.  For us the decision was common sense really.

This umbilical cord blood storage isn’t a new process, it has been available for over 20 years but not many people are aware of what it is. As medical treatments continue to advance it seems a great opportunity to help secure your family’s future health. The chance of benefiting from stem cell treatment has accelerated to 1 in 200 for transplant medicine.

F1 Offer

With the start of the 2015 F1 season close upon us we have teamed up with Biovault Family to offer you a pole winning discount on their services.

If you or someone you know is expecting a baby just mention MotoringChat when you contact Biovault and you can receive a £200 discount off their (standard price) cord blood and cord tissue banking services.

Drive safe!

Ferrari President backs Alonso as F1 team improve in Monaco

Ferrari President backs Alonso as F1 team improve in Monaco

This morning, during an interview with Australian motoring journalist Peter Robinson, who was in Maranello to test drive the LaFerrari, President Luca di Montezemolo dealt with questions relating to the current situation within the Scuderia. Specifically, he spoke about rumours concerning Alonso.Continue Reading..