2013 Chinese GP Preview: Three winners in a row? 

The F1 fraternity heads to China for Round 3 of the 2013 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The event will take place at the Shanghai International Circuit which first booked a spot on the F1 Calendar in 2004.

The 5.45 km circuit has a good collection of slow, medium and fast corners. Sector 1 contains a blend of slow and medium speed corners including the long 270° turn 1. The second sector has some medium and fast corners while the final sector has a 1 km long back straight between turn 13 and 14.

Tyre strategies and possible number of pit stops

Pirelli are bringing soft and medium compound to the race. With lower temperatures and general nature of the track, tyre wear won’t be a major issue as it was three weeks ago in Malaysia. Last year, most teams opted for two stops and it took Nico Rosberg to the first win of his career and first for Mercedes since 1955. This year, Pirelli are expecting three pit stops with two stops being a possibility. Teams like Lotus and Force India, who are relatively easy on tyres ,will be going for two stops while teams like Red Bull, who are quite hard on tyres, will be forced to make three stops.

Form guide

A few years ago, only Ferrari and McLaren had the pace to fight for the championship with a couple of teams winning races and scoring podiums on rare occasions This year, 4 teams have the pace to win races, with McLaren hoping to join the pack by mid-season. At Australia, Ferrari and Lotus seemed to have the faster car while in Malaysia, Red Bull and Mercedes finished on the podium. It’s hard to say which team will be fastest this weekend but Mercedes (because of lower temperatures) and Red Bull (because of general pace of the car) should be the strongest. Lotus and Ferrari should be up there as well while Force India should be the fastest amongst the midfielders. McLaren have been working hard for the past three weeks to get over their aerodynamic and ride heights issues and would be hoping to go to Bahrain with a decent haul of points.

Past Winners

Eight different drivers have won the Chinese Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton being the only driver to have won the race twice (2008 and 2011). Fernando Alono, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg have all won the race once. Vettel’s maiden win in China was Red Bull’s first, and as of now, their only win at the Shanghai circuit.

Interesting Facts & Stats

- China hosted its first Grand Prix in 2004 and it was won by Rubens Barrichello.

- Sebastian Vettel gave Red Bull their first pole position and win here in 2009.

- Nico Rosberg, by winning last year’s Chinese Grand Prix, became only the third son of a Formula 1 race winner to win a race himself. The other two father-son pairs who have won races in the past are Graham and Damon Hill and Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve.

- Michael Schumacher scored his 91st and last win of his F1 career in China

- The straight between turn 13 and 14 is 1,300m long, one of the longest on the calendar.

- If Felipe Massa beats Alonso in qualifying this weekend, it will be the first time that Alonso has been out qualified for five races in a row.