Results of the 2008 Chinese F1 Grand Prix.
Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen; that was the finishing order in Shanghai. It should've been Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa, except Ferrari's reigning champions mysteriously 'lost pace' in the final laps allowing his title-contender team-mate to overhaul him. And it means the two main rivals for the 2008 title go to the final race in Brazil to decide the outcome.
Fernando Alonso, winner of the last two races, finished a commendable fourth in a race in which positions hardly changed at the front end, except for McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen who suffered a puncture from aggressive cornering, costing him fifth. Meanwhile Nick Heidfeld finished fifth ahead of team-mate Robert Kubica whose mathematical chance of winning the title vanished. Timo Glock also finished in the points ahead of Nelson Piquet Jnr.
Hamilton was the real focus of the day as he drove a perfect race amid talk he would again blow his title lead in the penultimate races. He eventually finished 14 seconds ahead of the Ferraris, leading throughout and with no significant pit stop strategy upsets from either team. He now goes to Sao Paulo needing only to finish fifth and stay out of trouble, to clinch the title as the youngest champion ever.
Ferraris two-three finish however means that McLaren now have only outside chance to winning the constructors' title, as they trail by 11 and would need at least one Ferrari retirement at the last race of the season to claim the title.
Apart from a contact at the start that sent Jarno Trulli wide and ruined his race, there were few dramas and only two retirements. The 40 per cent chance of rain didn't materialise and the only duelling was seen at the back of the order.
With seven points between Hamilton and Massa, the Englishman will be the driver to watch, for the title is in his hands alone. His flawless effort on Sunday silenced critics. Among them is former bitter team-mate Fernando Alonso who publicly has declared he'll do everything he can to help Massa win, and will be lurking in a potential fifth position. He does however have to finish ahead of the other McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen just to salvage sixth in the championship, while the top 10 positions are all but finalised for the year.
Result of the Chinese Grand Prix:
1 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 14.9 seconds behind
3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari at 16.4secs
4 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault at 18.3secs
5 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber at 28.9secs
6 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber at 33.2secs
7 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota at 41.7secs
8 Nelson Piquet (Brz) Renault at 56.6secs
9 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari at 1:04.3
10 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault at 1:14.5
11 Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda at 1:25.0
12 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota at 1:30.8
13 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari at 1:31.4
14 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault at 1:32.4
15 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota one lap behind
16 Jenson Button (GB) Honda at one lap behind
17 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India-Ferrari at one lap
R Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 49 laps completed
R Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 13 laps completed
R Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota two laps completed