F1 season finale

[Iliana]

Shanghai here we come…

from formula1.com

They’ve only been there once before, but the drivers can’t wait to get back to the Shanghai International Circuit, which last year threw up a thrilling race, with the top three finishers separated by less than 1.5 seconds. As season finale, the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix should prove even more emotional - not only will some drivers and their teams be bidding each other farewell, it will also be time to say goodbye to Sauber and Minardi in their current forms.

Jenson Button, BAR

2004 Qualifying - 3rd, 2004 Race - 2nd

"The Chinese Grand Prix has become one of my favourites, so it's great to be heading there this week for the final race of the season. The Shanghai circuit is quite challenging and fun to drive. We were on the podium last year and we know it's a track that should suit this year's car. We did some good work in testing for the last couple of races and though I'm reluctant to make any predictions after a disappointing home race for the team in Japan, I think we will be stronger in China. We have a busy week ahead though looking at where things went wrong for us and what we can do to make sure we can step up again to end a tough season on a high note. I am looking forward to it."

Mark Webber, Williams

2004 Qualifying -12th, 2004 Race - 10th

“Last year’s inaugural Chinese Grand Prix was one I enjoyed a lot. I went to Beijing beforehand and visited the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. All those monuments and venues are very interesting and one really must go and see that part of the world. I think it’s a good thing that China is hosting a Formula One race, especially in Shanghai, which is an incredibly modern city.

“The circuit itself is unique, especially the first sector which has a great layout and includes a long back straight where you can get some good overtaking done. The facilities are world class and the atmosphere at the track is better than we anticipated it to be for a new venue. I enjoyed last year’s event and I’m now looking forward to returning.”

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren

2004 Qualifying - 2nd, 2004 Race - 3rd

"I am hoping for a less eventful race this weekend in China! However, I am prepared to battle together with the team as much as we did in Japan, and more if necessary, to get the result we need. It is going to be an exciting race and we will all do what we can to take the title. I enjoyed driving at Shanghai last year, as it has a good mix of challenges, such as the really long straight with overtaking opportunities at each end, which saw some interesting racing. The track is generally very wide, however there are some places where it narrows down, including through the long turn one, which gets tighter and tighter. Following the Japanese race, I flew to Tokyo for a couple of days, and will travel to Shanghai on Thursday."

Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren

2004 Qualifying - 11th, 2004 Race - 5th

"Following Japan, I hope I am able to have a more productive race in China to help try and win the Constructors' title with Team McLaren Mercedes. The MP4-20s are still awesome and with the team, I want to be able to make the most of that. The Shanghai International Circuit has a little bit of everything. I always like Tilke circuits; they seem to suit my driving style. The long back straight, where we reach over 330km/h, has a hairpin at the end, which is a great place to pass. Turn four is also fun, you need to get a good exit to get a good lap time, and it immediately goes into turn five, which is very long and you pull lots of g forces. I arrived in Shanghai on Monday and have spent my time relaxing in preparation for the race."

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault

2004 Qualifying - 7th, 2004 Race - 7th“I am feeling good. It (China) is another demanding circuit, where the car needs good speed, good efficiency in the aerodynamics and a stable balance for the long corners. The R25 has been a great car all year, and I am sure it will be competitive there as well. We can put up a good fight, no question.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota

2004 Qualifying - NA, 2004 Race - NA

"The first session on Friday will be slightly strange to be finding my way around a track that everyone knows - but of course I have done that many times before during my first season in the sport. It makes the weekend slightly more interesting than usual but it doesn't affect anything. You just take ten laps to get used to the lines and that's it. From then on the weekend will be like any other. I don't really know anything about the circuit yet. I watched last year's race on the television but you can learn very little from that, just as you can't really understand anything from circuit maps and simulations. The closest I have been to China was when I raced in Macau when I was in F3. So I'm looking forward to my first visit to the country and hoping that we can finish the year on a high."

[Iliana]

Qualifying Results

Pos. Driver Team Time

1 F. Alonso Renault 1:34.080

2 G. Fisichella Renault 1:34.401

3 K. Raikkonen McLaren 1:34.488

4 J. Button BAR 1:34.801

5 JP. Montoya McLaren 1:35.188

6 M. Schumacher Ferrari 1:35.301

7 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:35.428

8 R. Barrichello Ferrari 1:35.610

9 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:35.723

10 M. Webber Williams 1:35.739

11 F. Massa Sauber 1:35.898

12 J. Trulli Toyota 1:36.044

13 A. Pizzonia Williams 1:36.445

14 C. Klien Red Bull 1:36.472

15 N. Karthikeyan Jordan 1:36.707

16 J. Villeneuve Sauber 1:36.788

17 T. Sato BAR 1:37.083

18 C. Albers Minardi 1:39.105

19 T. Monteiro Jordan 1:39.233

20 R. Doornbos Minardi 1:39.460

Renault is ahead of McLaren by 2 points in the Constructors' Championship...

This is the 2nd F1 grand prix ever in China. Last year's race was won by Rubens Barrichello. The race is at 9.00am (GMT+3)

[Iliana]

I didn't watch the grand prix live, I was at a bar last night with Zagorakis next to me and came home pretty late :D :P

report from f1racing.net

Alonso and Renault swoop to victory

Fernando Alonso dominated the Chinese Grand Prix to secure the constructors' championship and a clean sweep for Renault. Kimi Raikkonen cruised home in second while Ralf Schumacher took the final podium position. McLaren's hopes evaporated when Montoya hit a damaged drain cover and retired.

The fun and games began half an hour before the start of the race as Christijan Albers collided with the slow moving Ferrari of Michael Schumacher as they made their way onto the grid. Both drivers were forced to start from the pit lane in spare cars.

In warm but hazy conditions, Fernando Alonso romped off into the lead while Giancarlo Fisichella kept the McLarens at bay. McLaren, however, seemed to have very little urgency and were struggling to challenge the second Renault. Alonso meanwhile pulled out a lead of over a second a lap until lap eighteen when the safety car was deployed.

A drain cover had become damaged and Montoya had run over it. The Colombian pitted just as the safety car was being deployed for a replacement tyre. He came in on the next lap to refuel - regulations not allowing the team to refuel if they are changing a tyre. Meanwhile the rest of the field pitted and shook up the running order for the first time in the race.

Behind Alonso and Fisichella Raikkonen was still third with Barrichello gaining from the safety car situation to climb to fourth as did Ralf in fifth and Webber in sixth. Button and Coulthard both pitted just before the safety car came out and lost position - dropping down to seventh and eighth.

Michael Schumacher's dismal race came to an embarrassing end on lap 23. Having struggled to get to grips with the Ferrari spare car Schumacher lost control on cold tyres and with cold brakes and spun off into the gravel. Keeping his crash helmet on plodded away from his stricken Ferrari.

Meanwhile the safety car came into the pits and the race was on again. Montoya was all the way down in thirteenth and McLaren's chances of taking the constructors' championship looked dead. If there was any doubt, Montoya pulled into the McLaren garage on lap 24, the damage to his car too severe to continue.

As McLaren lamented a lost championship, Narain Karthikeyan lost control of his Jordan at high speed, smashing into the barriers and spreading most of his car across the circuit. The Indian climbed from the cockpit unhurt as the safety car was deployed for the second time prompting a flurry of activity in the pits. Alonso was the first to pit while Fisichella held up the rest of the field waiting for his team mate to vacate the Renault pit area. But it was not enough for the Italian as McLaren turned Raikkonen around faster and stole the position.

As the safety car came in Alonso was leading three drivers who did not pit under the safety car: Ralf Schumacher, Massa and Klien. Raikkonen was fifth ahead of Fisichella. There would be a sting in the tail for Fisichella as he was given a drive-through penalty for holding up the cars behind him too much at the second pit stop.

Alonso cruised to the end of the race to take his seventh win of the season and assure Renault of the constructors' championship. Despite Montoya's bad luck, McLaren never looked like challenging Alonso's dominant pace. Raikkonen swept up second place, but it would not be enough. Ralf Schumacher snatched third place.

So delighted with victory Alonso cruised back to the pits and revved his engine so hard in parc fermé that it actually caught fire. Fisichella brough his Renault home in fourth, just behind Ralf Schumacher and ahead of Red Bull's Christian Klien.

Just before his move to Ferrari, and just before the Sauber team changes to BMW, Massa claimed another three points. Mark Webber finished seventh and Jenson Button claimed the final point in eighth.

2005 DRIVER STANDINGS

Pos. Driver Team Points

1 F. Alonso Renault 133

2 K. Raikkonen McLaren 112

3 M. Schumacher Ferrari 62

4 JP. Montoya McLaren 60

5 G. Fisichella Renault 58

6 R. Schumacher Toyota 45

7 J. Trulli Toyota 43

8 R. Barrichello Ferrari 38

9 J. Button BAR 37

10 M. Webber Williams 36

11 N. Heidfeld Williams 28

12 D. Coulthard Red Bull 24

13 F. Massa Sauber 11

14 J. Villeneuve Sauber 9

= C. Klien Red Bull 9

16 T. Monteiro Jordan 7

17 A. Wurz McLaren 6

18 N. Karthikeyan Jordan 5

19 P. de la Rosa McLaren 4

= C. Albers Minardi 4

21 P. Friesacher Minardi 3

22 A. Pizzonia Williams 2

23 T. Sato BAR 1

= V. Liuzzi Red Bull 1

- R. Doornbos Minardi 0

2005 CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS

Pos. Team Tires Points

1 Renault M 191

2 McLaren M 182

3 Ferrari B 100

4 Toyota M 88

5 Williams M 66

6 BAR M 38

7 Red Bull M 34

8 Sauber M 20

9 Jordan B 12

10 Minardi B 7

[Iliana]

Jubilant Alonso wanted more wins

An overjoyed Fernando Alonso sang 'we are the champions' over the radio to his pit crew after he claimed a dominant victory in the Chinese Grand Prix and ensured Renault secured the constructors' championship. Alonso took his seventh win of the season to equal Raikkonen's tally, but said he was sad he didn't win more.

"It's been a fantastic season for the team and we came to the last race with only two points more than McLaren," Alonso said. "So we pushed everything with the car - engine and chassis to win the constructors which is a great motivation for next year to keep it."

"I had a bit of oversteer during the race, but apart from that the car has been perfect and we put all the power on the engine to show our potential in qualifying yesterday," he added. "This was the easiest race of the year probably. We showed here if we wanted to take a bit more of a risk to beat McLaren we can. I'm just a bit frustrated I only won seven races, because we saw the car has the pace to win more."

Raikkonen looks for revenge in 2006

Kimi Raikkonen was left looking to 2006 for revenge on Fernando Alonso and Renault after the Spaniard cruised to victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. Raikkonen did set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, but couldn't find that pace earlier on, when it counted.

"The car was not quick enough and was quite difficult to drive at the start of the race," said Raikkonen. "It got better towards the end of the race and it was quicker but that was too late and Renault won. We'll try again next year. It's always easy to say if afterwards but it doesn't change anything."

McLaren's chances of taking the constructors'  championship were killed off when Montoya ran over a drain cover which had come loose. The damage was too much to the Colombian's car to continue.

"I saw the drain cover was a bit out of place and tried to pass it but I guess Juan Pablo ran a bit wider," Raikkonen said. "It's unfortunate for the team but we'll try again next year. This season could have been a lot worse."

Ralf savours unexpected podium

Ralf Schumacher savoured an unexpected podium finish at the Chinese Grand Prix today. Toyota had struggled with their car all weekend, but a decision not to pit during the second safety car period managed to jump Ralf far up the order. Then a drive-through penalty for Fisichella left the German to scoop up third place.

"We had a very difficult weekend and the car was very difficult, especially in qualifying," Ralf said. "We were a bit lucky with the safety car - but last time we weren't so it worked out. We had a good strategy, the team was really good in the pit stop and it all worked out."

[Iliana]

the class of 2005

the 2005 champion