Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time as wet weather affected final practice for the Chinese Grand Prix. Persistent heavy rain hit the venue prior to the session and no-one ran during the opening 15 minutes. Once running began, the majority of drivers completed only a handful of laps due to the need to save tyres in anticipation of a wet qualifying session. Vettel’s time of 1:57.351 came on the Intermediate tyres despite a mistake at Turn 6, as he drifted wide under braking. Williams’ […]

Fernando Alonso returned to action for McLaren in China and says that any pain from his ribs is 'manageable.' Alonso had not driven competitvely since he crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix in dramatic fashion, sustaining lung and rib injuries in the process. Rib fractures ruled Alonso out of the Bahrain Grand Prix but the Spaniard was cleared to drive following a medical examination on Thursday. "I’ve really missed driving the car in the last 26 days," said Alonso, who was assessed once more […]

Renault has confirmed that a suspension failure on the RS16 was the cause of Kevin Magnussen's truncated day at the Chinese Grand Prix. Magnussen completed only six laps during the morning session when the component failed along the back straight, though the Dane was able to safely return the pit lane. Renault has modified the component but the issue meant Magnussen missed the entirety of the second session. "I had a suspension failure on the car, and that led to the tyre going," he said. […]

World Champion Lewis Hamilton says he was boosted by set-up changes to his Mercedes W07 Hybrid during the second session for the Chinese Grand Prix after admitting he was initially not comfortable with the car. Hamilton spun twice in the first session en-route to finishing second to team-mate Nico Rosberg, before placing fourth in the afternoon session. "It's not been a bad day," said Hamilton, a four-time victor of the Chinese Grand Prix. "I didn't feel too comfortable with the car this morning but the […]

Ferrari turned the tables on Mercedes during the second practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix as Kimi Räikkönen led a 1-2 for the team on Super Soft tyres. Räikkönen posted a lap of 1:36.896 to finish 0.109s clear of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who went slightly deep into the Turn 14 hairpin on his flying lap. Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton completed their Super Soft runs slightly earlier in the session and placed third and fourth, with the German 0.237s behind compatriot Vettel. […]

Nico Rosberg set the quickest time for Mercedes during a disrupted first practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday morning. Rosberg clocked a time of 1:38.037, 0.146s clear of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, though neither Mercedes driver had a clean session. Rosberg pitted during the closing stages with a suspected power unit issue while Hamilton spun twice at Turn 11. However, the session was disrupted by left rear tyre incidents for Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen. Massa suffered a left rear problem approaching Turn […]

Nico Hulkenberg is sure Force India can still challenge for fourth position in the Constructors' championship, despite a tricky start to the 2016 campaign. Force India finished fifth in last year's standings and co-owner Vijay Mallya set the outfit the goal of improving by one position, though after two races the team sits in seventh position, 14 points behind fourth-placed Williams. Hulkenberg nonetheless believes that Force India has been compromised across the first two rounds and is sure that improvements will be made. "I think […]

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton has been handed a five place grid penalty for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix due to a gearbox change. Mercedes assessed Hamilton's W07 Hybrid following the Bahrain Grand Prix, in which he was hit by Valtteri Bottas at the start, and concluded that the gearbox needs changing. As the change has come before the six race limit, Hamilton will consequently drop five places on the grid from wherever he qualifies. "The gearbox sustained damage in Bahrain which required a physical […]

Formula 1 heads to the Shanghai International Circuit in China this weekend for the third round of the 2016 season, with Nico Rosberg looking to extend his early advantage in the championship. Rosberg triumphed in both Australia and Bahrain, though World Champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton remains within touching distance despite a difficult opening pair of rounds. Ferrari remains Mercedes’ primary challenger overall though reliability concerns have left both Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel adrift in the standings, with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Haas’ Romain […]

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton says he remains positive despite enduring a tricky start to his title defence in Australia and Bahrain. Hamilton has taken both pole positions in 2016 but dropped to sixth on the opening lap in Melbourne and was hit by Valtteri Bottas at the start in Bahrain and slipped to ninth. Hamilton was able to recover to the podium positions in both races, to second in Australia and third in Bahrain, and says he is upbeat in spite of a 17 […]

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says the outfit's primary goal for the Chinese Grand Prix is to record a two-car finish, with Esteban Gutierrez yet to reach the chequered flag in 2016. While Romain Grosjean has scored 18 points across the opening two rounds, Gutierrez was struck by Fernando Alonso in Australia and retired in Bahrain due to a brake issue. Steiner says that ensuring both VF-16s reach the finish line at the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend is a priority. "One of our goals […]

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has officially confirmed that the sport will revert to last year's qualifying format, meaning that the live elimination sessions have been dropped. Under revised 2016 regulations, drivers were knocked out of Q1, Q2 and Q3 at 90 second intervals, but the format proved unpopular and was heavily criticised. It was announced last week that the sport would revert to the format used between 2006 and 2015, in which six drivers are eliminated at the end of Q1 and Q2, […]