page_title: 2010 Chinese Grand Prix
section_title: Race
hierarchical_section_title: 2010 Chinese Grand Prix / Race
caption_attribution_description: Just a few seconds after the beginning of the race.
context_page_description: The 2010 Chinese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Shanghai International Circuit in the Jiading District of Shanghai on 18 April 2010. Approximately 85,000 people attended the event. It was the fourth race of the 2010 Formula One World Championship and the seventh running of the race. The 56-lap race was won by McLaren driver Jenson Button from a fifth position start. His teammate Lewis Hamilton finished in second and Nico Rosberg of the Mercedes team was third.
  Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the eighth pole position of his career by posting the fastest lap in qualifying. Fernando Alonso for Ferrari, started from third, and passed both Red Bull cars into the first corner. However, the stewards deemed that he had jumped the start and incurred a drive-through penalty. The safety car was deployed on the first lap, after a three-car collision at turn six, and remained out for four laps. Rosberg led from laps five to 19 until Button overtook him. Intermittent rain made track conditions slippery though Button maintained the lead for the rest of the race to secure his second victory of the season and the ninth of his career.
context_section_description: The race took place in the afternoon from 15:00 China Standard Time (UTC+08:00). Approximately 85,000 people attended the Grand Prix. Weather conditions at the start were cloudy, with rain falling on the circuit with increasing intensity 30 minutes before the formation lap. The air temperature was between 18 to 21 °C (64 to 70 °F) and the track temperature ranged from 17 to 23 °C (63 to 73 °F). Buemi modified his Toro Rosso's setup to optimise it for the wet conditions while Ferrari opted for a high-downforce setup for the anticipated rain shower. Glock's car was stationary on its front jacks due to a sudden loss of air pressure in the engine valve system, which was traced to a chassis fault. He was retired in the garage after it was determined that repairs were not feasible. Glock's teammate di Grassi had a malfunctioning clutch that necessitated its replacement and he began from the pit lane. Alonso made a fast getaway and passed the Red Bulls to lead the field on the approach to the first corner as Webber moved past his teammate Vettel for second. At turn six, a three-car accident prompted the deployment of the safety car. Liuzzi lost control of his car under braking and he slid backwards into the cars of Kobayashi and Buemi.
  Several drivers, including Alonso, made pit stops for the intermediate compound tyres at the end of the second lap due to the intensifying rain. Rosberg, Button and the Renaults of Kubica and Petrov chose to remain on the circuit and the former led the field back to racing speed when the safety car was withdrawn at the end of lap three. On the lap after, Kovalainen in seventh was passed by the eighth-placed Barrichello driving towards turn six. As Rosberg continued to pull away from Button on lap five, the stewards informed the Ferrari team that Alonso had jumped the start, for which he incurred a drive-through penalty. He took the penalty on the next lap and rejoined the race in 14th. Although the intermediate tyres initially provided an increase in speed, the rain did not intensify and every driver running on them made a second pit stop, providing Rosberg, Button, Kubica and Petrov with a significant lead over the rest of the field. During this period, Hamilton got wheelspin and slewed sideways as he exited his pit stall alongside Vettel. The two made contact as the latter turned right and Hamilton veered close to the Williams mechanics before going behind Vettel. Webber damaged the front wing after he hit the front jack. The incident cost him nine seconds and dropped him to tenth. On lap nine, Hamilton passed Barrichello for 12th at turn one. De La Rosa in fourth pulled off the side of the track on the same lap to retire with an engine failure.
  Webber was overtaken by his teammate Vettel on the back straight into the turn 14 hairpin for eighth on lap 11 and lost a further position to Hamilton on the lap after. The two drivers got ahead of Kovalainen soon after. On lap 13, Vettel attempted to pass Sutil for seventh at the same corner though Hamilton got past the two on the inside line. Sutil delayed Vettel until the latter clung onto his slipstream before making a pass on the inside line driving towards the turn 14 hairpin. On the 15th lap, Schumacher was caught by Hamilton at a rate of three seconds per lap, and Hamilton tried a pass on the inside at turn 14 but Schumacher defended the position. Hamilton tried again at the same turn on the next lap but Schumacher again kept fifth on the inside line. During lap 17, Hamilton made a third try by achieving a fast exit leaving turn 13 and slipstreamed up the back of Schumacher on the backstraight and withstood the Mercedes driver's attempt to keep fifth.  Further back, Alguersuari overtook Sutil around the outside at the turn 14 hairpin to take ninth as the two made contact leaving the turn. Upfront, Rosberg's lead of 4.5 seconds became nothing when Button closed up to him. He ran wide at turn 11 and Button made the pass for the lead at the turn 14 hairpin on lap 19.
  Rain began to fall heavier on lap 20. The leading trio of Button, Rosberg and Kubi
caption: The start saw the pole position Sebastian Vettel be overtaken by teammate Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso.
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