The Formula 1 season steps back to take a breath after a frantic start to the season with a three week break before the next race in Turkey. After Lewis Hamilton’s heroics in Shanghai to reignite the championship race and with the opening skirmishes complete, who will be taking momentum into the fourth race of the season and who is treading water? Here are the big winners and losers at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Winners
Lewis Hamilton
His consummate drive at the Chinese Grand Prix is being hailed as one of the finest of his career and rightly so. Perhaps only behind Mark Webber in terms of over-taking and excitement, the McLaren man edges the Australian for man of the race for the sheer drama that surrounded his move past championship leader Sebastian Vettel on his way to victory. For putting doubt into the minds of the Red Bull team alone the 2008 World Champion will relish this victory more than most, and with updates pending for the McLaren MP4-26, the championship race which had until now looked to be dying flames, has just been doused in petrol.
Mark Webber
Despite his third place finish in Shanghai, this will feel like a win for the Red Bull driver. Having come in for some criticism during the opening two races of the season, most of which was grossly unfair as he was forced to contend with a healthy dose of bad luck, Webber will be delighted to prove his doubters wrong. His race must be put into context however. Without his newer tyres this type of recovery would not have been possible – and credit must go to his team as well-, so he will have to get his house in order if this is to be the start of something rather than the peak. His qualifying was a disaster, while he will hope that his KERS can be developed into something approaching reliable, then he may well find himself on the podium more often this season.
Nico Rosberg
The German declared himself disappointed with the outcome of the race and will know that on another day, he would have ended up on the podium. In a race where strategy was king, Rosberg unfortunately came up short as first his tyres, and then his fuel levels got the better of him. He was a central figure as the drama unfolded around him, and when his first stop launched him into the race lead, he will have been confident of finishing in the top three at least. Having got the measure of his illustrious team-mate and with the Mercedes providing a timely speed boost in time for F1′s return to Europe, Rosberg will look to finally establish the famous German marquee as a race winner this year.
Losers
Jenson Button
The sight of the McLaren man celebrating and offering his congratulations to his team-mate after his dramatic win was admirable, but inside Button will know he has missed out on a serious opportunity to stand atop of the podium. Having got away brilliantly to snatch the lead from Vettel, Button admitted he struggled for grip in his rear tyres, and having watched first Hamilton then Webber fly past him, the Briton will know he must up his game if he is to avoid being considered a number two driver at McLaren.
Michael Schumacher
The seven times world champion finds himself at a crossroad already this season. While Rosberg battled it out with the likes of Vettel and Hamilton, Schumacher was left to fend off the midfield as he scrapped his way to an 8th placed finish. Having spoken positively before the race of the updates to his car, the German may find himself being left behind before too long. Schumacher is nothing if not a winner, and he will be hurting, but he must turn it around, or this could be his last season in F1.
Fernando Alonso
Another world champion who struggled while seeing his team-mate put in an aggressive performance. His battle with Schumacher as they crossed the line together for 7th and 8th place was particularly telling as both Rosberg and Felipe Massa battled it out at the front, and Alonso will have been hurting at missing out on the action. Ferrari have been making some serious noises about sorting about addressing the problems this season and as the European races approaches, they are perhaps one of two teams capable of turning things around mid-season. Alonso thrust himself into the champion race last year, but he will surely be growing tired of playing catch up with the Scuderia.
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