2007 Chinese Grand Prix

The 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, formally known as the IV Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix (2006中石化中国大奖赛 or the 2006 Zhōngshíhuà zhōngguó dàjiǎng sài in Chinese) was the sixteenth and penultimate round of the  FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China, on 7 October 2007.'16. China 2007', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)'China 2007: Rivals gain from Hamilton crisis.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 07/10/2007), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/60213/1/china-2007-rivals-gain-from-hamilton-crisis, (Accessed 20/02/2020) The race was won by Kimi Räikkönen for , although it would be overshadowed by a potentially title deciding exit for Championship leader Lewis Hamilton.
The Brit had arrived in China with the potential to win the World Championship with a round to spare, having established a twelve point lead over teammate Fernando Alonso, and seventeen over Räikkönen. He duly put his on pole position ahead of Räikkönen, Felipe Massa and Alonso, with David Coulthard best of the rest for during qualifying.
Raceday would see the Shanghai circuit bathed in low cloud and a constant drizzle, meaning the entire field would start the race on intermediate Bridgestone tyres. That, however, would have little impact on the start as it was grid order off the line, Hamilton leading Räikkönen, Massa and Alonso into the sweeping first corner.
Behind, Ralf Schumacher was knocked into a slide in the midfield, which opened the door for Vitantonio Liuzzi to sneak up the order to sixth. Otherwise it proved to be a fairly tame opening lap, with Hamilton initially able to establish a gap back to Räikkönen, while Massa prevented Alonso from harassing the #6 Ferrari.
The race would settle down until the drizzle stopped and the circuit began to dry, resulting in Hamilton suffering from tyre wear. That allowed Räikkönen to close and ultimately pass the #2 McLaren with ease on lap 31, with Hamilton having been instructed to stay out in a bid to complete the race with one stop.
That decision backfired spectacularly, as Hamilton's tyre would delaminate on his in-lap and cost him even more time. Furthermore, the Brit would be unable to slow his car sufficiently to make the tight left-hand corner that steered the cars into the pitlane proper, resulting in the McLaren sliding into the gravel and beaching itself.
Hamilton was out on the spot as a result of that beaching, with the marshals unable to push the McLaren out of the gravel. His title rivals had already made their stops, and so Robert Kubica would inherit the lead, albeit briefly for a hydraulic failure robbed the Polish racer of a strong finish a few laps later.
Kubica's retirement handed the lead back to Räikkönen, who was now being chased by Alonso as the McLaren squad managed to get the Spaniard out ahead of Massa. Behind, Jenson Button had emerged from the pits in fourth ahead of a resurgent Sebastian Vettel, with the ominously closing in on the #7 as the final laps ticked away. The German rookie duly swept past the Honda for fourth with a couple of laps to spare.
With that the race was run, with Räikkönen easing away from Alonso to secure victory and keep his title hopes alive, seven points off of Hamilton. Alonso himself, meanwhile, would move to within four points of Hamilton at the head of the Championship hunt, while Massa completed the podium in third but had already slipped out of the hunt.
Vettel, meanwhile, would secure fourth place to claim 's first points of the campaign ahead of Button, with Liuzzi, Nick Heidfeld and Coulthard securing the remaining points.
==Background==
Victory for Lewis Hamilton moved the Brit a significant twelve points clear in the Championship hunt leaving Japan, meaning he could potentially claim the title in China. Indeed, should the Brit outscore Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen in Shanghai, then Hamilton would become the first rookie to win the F1 Championship since the inaugural Championship. However, it was still a three-horse race for the crown, with Alonso having the experience of winning two World Championships, while Räikkönen was the dark horse in third.
In the Constructors Championship had enhanced their title winning advantage, leaving Fuji with 78 points in hand over second placed . The excluded would have been a clear first on 202 points had they not been thrown out of the Championship, and so could have claimed the crown in China. Elsewhere, had all but secured third ahead of , leaving them to fend off and in a fight for fourth.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Fernando Alonso 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-22 	 	FO 108T 2.4 V8 	
2 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-22 	 	FO 108T 2.4 V8 	
3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R27 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R27 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
5 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2007 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2007 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
7 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA107 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
8 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA107 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
9 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.07 	 	P86/7 2.4 V8 	
10 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.07 	 	P86/7 2.4 V8 	
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF107 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
12 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF107 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
14 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB3 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
15 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB3 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
16 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW29 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
17 	Alexander Wurz 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW29 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
19 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Etihad Alder Spyker F1 Team 	 	F8-VII-B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
21 	Sakon Yamamoto 	Etihad Alder Spyker F1 Team 	 	F8-VII-B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
22 	Takuma Sato 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA07 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
23 	Anthony Davidson 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA07 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only
38 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW29 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'China 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/chine/engages.aspx, (Accessed 20/02/2020)
==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 	2 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	3 	1:35.798 	 	4 	1:35.898 	 	1 	1:35.908 	1
2 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	1 	1:35.692 	 	1 	1:35.381 	 	2 	1:36.044 	2
3 	5 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	2 	1:35.792 	 	2 	1:35.796 	 	3 	1:36.221 	3
4 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	4 	1:35.809 	 	3 	1:35.845 	 	4 	1:36.576 	4
5 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	7 	1:36.930 	 	7 	1:36.252 	 	5 	1:37.619 	5
6 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	11 	1:37.135 	 	9 	1:36.709 	 	6 	1:38.013 	6
7 	15 	Mark Webber 	 	 	13 	1:37.199 	 	8 	1:36.602 	 	7 	1:38.153 	7
8 	9 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	6 	1:36.737 	 	6 	1:36.217 	 	8 	1:38.455 	8
9 	10 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	5 	1:36.309 	 	5 	1:36.116 	 	9 	1:37.472 	9
10 	7 	Jenson Button 	 	 	10 	1:37.092 	 	10 	1:36.771 	 	10 	1:39.285 	10
11 	18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	9 	1:37.047 	 	11 	1:36.862 	 	 	 	11
12* 	19 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	8 	1:37.006 	 	12 	1:36.891 	 	 	 	17
13 	12 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	15 	1:37.209 	 	13 	1:36.959 	 	 	 	12
14 	4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	16 	1:37.225 	 	14 	1:36.991 	 	 	 	13
15 	23 	Anthony Davidson 	 	 	14 	1:37.203 	 	15 	1:37.247 	 	 	 	14
16 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	12 	1:37.144 	 	16 	1:37.483 	 	 	 	15
17 	8 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	17 	1:37.251 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
18 	3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	18 	1:37.290 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	17 	Alexander Wurz 	 	 	19 	1:37.456 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	20 	1:38.218 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	21 	1:38.668 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	21 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	 	22 	1:39.336 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/823/china/qualifying.html, (Accessed 20/02/2020)
*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.
** Vettel awarded a five place grid penalty for impeding another driver.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired	Grid 	Points
1 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	56 	1:37:58.395 	2 	10
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	56 	+ 9.806s 	4 	8
3 	5 	Felipe Massa 	 	56 	+ 12.891s 	3 	6
4 	19 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	56 	+ 53.509s 	17 	5
5 	7 	Jenson Button 	 	56 	+ 1:08.666 	10 	4
6 	18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	56 	+ 1:13.673 	11 	3
7 	9 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	56 	+ 1:14.224 	8 	2
8 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	56 	+ 1:20.750 	5 	1
9 	4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	56 	+ 1:21.186 	13 	
10 	15 	Mark Webber 	 	56 	+ 1:24.685 	7 	
11 	3 	Giancarlo Fisichella	 	56 	+ 1:26.683 	18 	
12 	17 	Alexander Wurz 	 	55 	+ 1 Lap 	19 	
13 	12 	Jarno Trulli 	 	55 	+ 1 Lap 	12 	
14 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	55 	+ 1 Lap 	20 	
15 	8 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	55 	+ 1 Lap 	16 	
16 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	54 	+ 2 Laps 	15 	
17 	21 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	53 	+ 3 Laps 	22 	
Ret 	10 	Robert Kubica 	 	33 	Hydraulics 	9 	
Ret 	2 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	30 	Spin 	1 	
Ret 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	25 	Spin 	6 	
Ret 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	24 	Accident 	21 	
Ret 	23 	Anthony Davidson 	 	11 	Brakes 	14 	
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:
==Milestones==
* 750th Grand Prix entry for a car using #12 as its race number.[Archived] '2007 Chinese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410001408/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2007&gp=Chinese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/02/2020) - Original
* 69th and final Grand Prix start for Alexander Wurz.
* Kimi Räikkönen secured his fourteenth career victory.
** Also the 50th win for a car issued with #6 as its race number.
* secured their 200th win as a constructor and engine supplier.
==Standings==
With Lewis Hamilton failing to finish for the first time in his fledgling career the title fight would go down to the season finale in Brazil, with three main protagonists in contention. Hamilton continued to lead the charge, with a four point advantage over Fernando Alonso, with the Spaniard needing to finish fourth or higher with Hamilton failing to score. The third man, and dark horse in the fight, was China racer winner Kimi Räikkönen, who would have to finish second or first in China, and see Hamilton finish sixth or lower.
In the Constructors Championship had added to their title winning tally once again, leaving China on 186 points at the head of the field. headed to the finale having already secured second, and were just six shy of the 100 point mark, while had claimed third with a round to spare on 51. Elsewhere, had picked up their first points of the campaign, moving them up to seventh from the foot of the table.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	107 	
2 	Fernando Alonso 	103 	
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	100 	
4 	Felipe Massa 	86 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	58 	
6 	Robert Kubica 	35 	
7 	Heikki Kovalainen 	30 	
8 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	21 	
9 	Nico Rosberg 	15 	
10 	David Coulthard 	14 	1
11 	Alexander Wurz 	13 	1
12 	Mark Webber 	10 	
13 	Jarno Trulli 	7 	
14 	Sebastian Vettel 	6 	4
15 	Jenson Button 	6 	1
16 	Ralf Schumacher 	5 	2
17 	Takuma Sato 	4 	2
18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	3 	1
19 	Adrian Sutil 	1 	2
World Championship for Constructors*	World Championship for Constructors*	World Championship for Constructors*	World Championship for Constructors*
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	186 	
2 	 	94 	
3 	 	51 	
4 	 	28 	
5 	 	24 	
6 	 	12 	
7 	 	8 	3
8 	 	6 	
9 	 	4 	2
10 	 	1 	1
EXC 	 	166 	
Only points scoring drivers are shown.
** Includes points scored by before their exclusion prior to the 2007 Belgian Grand Prix.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:2007 Grands Prix
Category:Chinese Grand Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles