2008 Chinese Grand Prix

The V Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix (alternately the 2008中石化中国大奖赛 or the 2008 Zhōngshíhuà zhōngguó dàjiǎng sài in Chinese), was the seventeenth and penultimate round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China, on 19 October 2008.'17. China 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)'China 2008: Hamilton stakes title claim.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 19/10/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/64035/1/china-2008-hamilton-stakes-title-claim, (Accessed 19/03/2020) The race would be won by Lewis Hamilton, as result which extended his Championship lead to seven points ahead of the Season Finale.
Indeed, Hamilton was attempting to seal the Championship in China, knowing that the title was his if he outscored Felipe Massa by six points. The Brit duly claimed pole position in qualifying having topped all three sessions, although his Brazilian rival Massa secured third on the grid behind teammate Kimi Räikkönen.
The start of the race saw Hamilton sprint off the grid to claim an early lead, while Räikkönen gave chase ahead of Massa. Behind, Heikki Kovalainen got the jump on Fernando Alonso for fourth, Nick Heidfeld shot up to sixth, while Sébastien Bourdais took Jarno Trulli out at the first corner.
After Alonso elbowed his way back past Kovalainen the order at the head of the field stabilised, with Hamilton leading the two Ferraris, Alonso, Kovalainen and Heidfeld. The Brit duly managed to break clear in the early laps to build a four second lead, although by lap ten Räikkönen was the fastest man on track and would begin reeling the #22 back in.
The first round of stops opened on lap twelve, with Mark Webber the first to stop and sparking a slow trickle of drivers into the pits. Massa and Alonso were the first of the leaders to stop on lap fourteen, with Hamilton and Räikkönen stopping a lap later to leave Kovalainen in front of Heidfeld.
Once those two made their stops the order returned to how it had been before the stops, with Hamilton holding a safe seven second lead over Räikkönen, while Massa retained third. The Ferraris would slowly manage to close the gap the lead McLaren during the second stint, aided by the disappearance of Kovalainen when the Finn picked up a puncture.
The second round of stops ultimately decided the race, with Hamilton able to gain more time on the two scarlet Ferraris and hence saw his lead balloon out to thirteen seconds. That prompted the two Ferraris to swap positions on lap 49 with Räikkönen unable to match Hamilton's pace, meaning Massa moved through into second.
With that the race was run, with Hamilton cruising to the chequered flag to claim victory and a seven point margin heading into the season finale. Massa was second ahead of Räikkönen to complete the podium, while Alonso kept Heidfeld at bay to secure fourth. Robert Kubica claimed sixth as his title bid formally came to an end, while Timo Glock and Nelson Piquet, Jr. picked up the remaining points.
==Background==
Lewis Hamilton saw his Championship lead cut by two points as a result of the Japanese Grand Prix, and hence left the Fuji Speedway with a five point advantage. Felipe Massa had hence closed in on the Brit at the head of the field, and was one of only two drivers who could deny Hamilton the crown. Indeed, Robert Kubica still entertained hopes of becoming the World Champion, although he would have to outscore Hamilton by three points in China just to stay in the hunt.
In the Constructors Championship had moved back to the top of the pack, largely due to the fact that had failed to score. Indeed, the Brit squad had gone from holding a one point lead to trailing the Scuderia by seven points, with those two still the main protagonists with two rounds to go. were still in the hunt in third, fourteen off the lead, but had long since acknowledged that their focus was on the season.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	1 	1:35.566 	 	1 	1:34.947 	 	1 	1:36.303 	1
2 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	6 	1:35.983 	 	4 	1:35.355 	 	2 	1:36.645 	2
3 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	5 	1:35.971 	 	2 	1:35.135 	 	3 	1:36.889 	3
4 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	4 	1:35.769 	 	7 	1:35.461 	 	4 	1:36.927 	4
5 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	2 	1:35.623 	 	3 	1:35.216 	 	5 	1:36.930 	5
6* 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	11 	1:36.238 	 	9 	1:35.686 	 	6 	1:37.083 	16
7† 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	10 	1:36.224 	 	6 	1:35.403 	 	7 	1:37.201 	9
8 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	3 	1:35.752 	 	5 	1:35.386 	 	8 	1:37.685 	6
9 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	8 	1:36.104 	 	10 	1:35.715 	 	9 	1:37.934 	7
10 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	12 	1:36.239 	 	8 	1:35.478 	 	10 	1:38.885 	8
11 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	7 	1:36.029 	 	11 	1:35.722 	 	 	 	10
12 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	14 	1:36.503 	 	12 	1:35.814 	 	 	 	11
13 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	9 	1:36.210 	 	13 	1:35.937 	 	 	 	12
14 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	15 	1:36.640 	 	14 	1:36.079 	 	 	 	13
15 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	13 	1:36.434 	 	15 	1:36.210 	 	 	 	14
16 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	16 	1:36.731 	 	 	 	 	 	 	15
17 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	17 	1:36.863 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	18 	1:37.053 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	19 	1:37.730 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	20 	1:37.739 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 SINOPEC CHINESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/841/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Webber was awarded a ten place grid penalty for changing his engine.
*† Heidfeld was awarded a three place grid penalty for impeding Coulthard during Q1.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	56 	1:31:57.403 	1 	10
2 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	56 	+14.925s 	3 	8
3 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	56 	+16.445s 	2 	6
4 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	56 	+18.370s 	4 	5
5 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	56 	+28.923s 	9 	4
6 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	56 	+33.219s 	11 	3
7 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	56 	+41.722s 	12 	2
8 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	56 	+56.645s 	10 	1
9 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	56 	+1:04.339 	6 	
10 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	56 	+1:14.842 	15 	
11 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	56 	+1:25.061 	13 	
12 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	56 	+1:30.847 	17 	
13 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	56 	+1:31.457 	8 	
14 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	56 	+1:32.422 	16 	
15 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	14 	
16 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	18 	
17 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	20 	
Ret 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	49 	Hydraulics 	5 	
Ret 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	13 	Gearbox 	19 	
Ret 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	2 	Damage 	7 	
Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'China 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/chine/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* Lewis Hamilton secured the 70th pole position for a engine.
** Also the tenth pole for a car using #22 as its race number.[Archived] '2008 Chinese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410001949/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2008&gp=Chinese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 19/03/2020) - Original
* Ninth career victory for Hamilton.
* 162nd win for as a constructor.
** Mercedes powered a car to a 67th win as an engine supplier.
==Standings==
The Championship fight was down to just two drivers ahead of the season finale in Brazil, with Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa the two pretenders. Hamilton would hold a fair advantage ahead of the finale, arriving in Brazil with a seven point lead, and would therefore win the title if he finished fifth or higher, regardless of what Massa could do. Massa, meanwhile, would have to either win the race with Hamilton lower than fifth, or finish second with Hamilton finishing eighth or out of the points.
The Constructors Championship would also go down to the finale, with just eleven points separating the top two in the field. In a reversal of the Drivers' Championship, however, it was would would land in São Paulo with the advantage, and would win the title if they outscored by seven points. The Anglo-German squad, meanwhile, would likely have to claim second and fifth minimum to beat the Scuderia, although that would not be enough if Ferrari scored more than a point.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	94 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	87 	
3 	Robert Kubica 	75 	
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	69 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	60 	
6 	Fernando Alonso 	53 	1
7 	Heikki Kovalainen 	51 	1
8 	Sebastian Vettel 	30 	
9 	Jarno Trulli 	30 	
10 	Timo Glock 	22 	1
11 	Mark Webber 	21 	1
12 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	19 	
13 	Nico Rosberg 	17 	
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	11 	
15 	Kazuki Nakajima 	9 	
16 	David Coulthard 	8 	
17 	Sébastien Bourdais 	4 	
18 	Jenson Button 	3 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	156 	
2 	 	145 	
3 	 	135 	
4 	 	72 	
5 	 	52 	
6 	 	34 	
7 	 	29 	
8 	 	26 	
9 	 	14 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
* 
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Chinese Grand Prix