Race: McLaren double, second podium for Rosberg

China was witness this weekend to a new race full of surprises and enlivened by rain and safety car appearances.

First of all, the great take-off of Fernando Alonso, who gained the upper hand over Webber and Vettel, before being penalized later for a “false start.” Indeed, the Spanish driver took off before the lights went out, resulting in a penalty – a drive-through in the pit lane.

Shortly after the start, with the onset of rain, the safety car appeared following an accident involving Liuzzi, Kobayashi, and Buemi, the latter being unlucky this weekend.

Most of the drivers take advantage of this moment to switch to intermediate tires, except for Rosberg who takes the lead, followed by Button, Kubica, and Petrov, who moves up to 4th position after De la Rosa’s retirement. Eventually, these drivers are imitated by the others, who are slower after a few laps and quickly switch back to slick tires. Vettel and Hamilton will also come under investigation for an overly aggressive battle during entry and exit from the pits, putting team personnel at risk.

Upon the resumption of the actual race, the British driver manages to overtake a few single-seaters intelligently, though sometimes pushing the limits, and definitely doesn’t make only friends, as all the drivers blamed him for his behavior in Malaysia. (Editor’s note: Lewis Hamilton had made 4 changes of trajectory in a straight line, whereas only one is allowed, to keep his place against Petrov.)

At the front of the pack, Button takes advantage of an error by Rosberg, who went straight at a corner, to take the lead, and the four drivers who did not change tires are clearly safe from the others. But that was not accounting for the second appearance of the safety car, following the breakage of Alguersuari’s front wing after an overtaking maneuver on Chandhok.

At the time of the race restart, Button slowed down the progress of all the drivers, creating a compact group of single-seaters with the HRT driver right in the middle, unsure of where to go so as not to hinder. Eventually, Hamilton gains the upper hand over Schumacher for the second time today before moving ahead towards the front runners. The German driver, for his part, seems overwhelmed by the events and his rivals, such as Sutil, Alonso, and Vettel. Webber, meanwhile, is a bit further behind, “pushed” off the track by the McLaren driver at the restart, perhaps being a bit too eager.

This one managed to climb back to third place, while Petrov, the second Renault driver, spun out, losing two places to Alonso and Vettel. Behind him, two German drivers are battling, Schumacher tries to overtake Sutil, who is now acting as a brake on the drivers following him. Rosberg, in second place, defends his position against the McLaren driver, but will eventually be overtaken during the second general tire change, as the rain starts falling again. With 4 and 5 pit stops, the 2008 world champion and the double Spanish world champion are respectively 2nd and 4th in the race, having taken advantage of these stops.

The final points are also up for grabs, with Alguersuari, Petrov, and Massa fighting for 9th place. It’s the turn of the Russian driver to show his capabilities, and he does so without hesitation, overtaking the Toro Rosso, then going on to catch Schumacher, and then Webber to finish the race in 7th place, between the two Red Bull Renaults, who are disappointing today. Massa manages to overtake Schumacher, taking 9th place ahead of the seven-time world champion.

In the lead, the two McLaren drivers are walking a tightrope, the intermediate tires are completely destroyed on most cars, but will reach the checkered flag without trouble, with a second win this season for Button, and a second podium for Rosberg, who seems to have taken the lead of this Mercedes team. Petrov, meanwhile, finishes his first race, scoring his first six points.

Button moves back to the top of the world championship, followed by Rosberg at 10 points, closely followed by Alonso and Hamilton just one point apart.

On the constructors’ side, McLaren takes the lead, while Renault is gradually gaining on Mercedes.

The next Grand Prix will take place in Barcelona, in Europe, which means major changes for the cars with new parts, potentially bringing great surprises for the rest of the championship. See you in three weeks for the continuation of the event!

Race Result – Chinese GP – Sunday, April 18, 2010: