Reigning GP2 Champion Jolyon Palmer made his Formula 1 weekend debut with Lotus after sampling the E23 Hybrid during the first practice session for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Palmer is the squad's test and reserve driver this year and is scheduled to pilot the E23 Hybrid during several practice sessions, the first of which took place on Friday at Shanghai. Palmer, who replaced Romain Grosjean, recovered from an early spin to post the 15th fastest time. "I've been waiting to get my hands on […]

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton set the pace during Friday’s practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix as he ended running almost half a second faster than Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton posted a time of 1:37.219 during low-fuel runs on Option tyres to finish 0.443s ahead of Räikkönen. Daniel Ricciardo remained in the garage for the first half of the session but posted the third quickest time for Red Bull, just over a second down on Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel recovered from an early spin to go fourth, […]

Williams' Felipe Massa has maintained that the squad is capable of taking the fight to Mercedes, despite Ferrari emerging as the main challenger to the World Champions across the first two races of 2015. Massa was beaten to third place by Sebastian Vettel in Australia before the German claimed victory in Malaysia, as Massa placed sixth, behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Those results leave Williams in third place in the Constructors' championship, but Massa is confident that the team can improve, starting in China this weekend. […]

Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari is remaining realistic despite ending its victory drought at the Malaysian Grand Prix last month. Vettel beat both Mercedes drivers to the chequered flag but remains adamant that Ferrari must first establish itself as Mercedes' primary challenger before it can battle with its rivals on a regular basis. "I think we are realistic about where we are and what we want to achieve," Vettel said. "I think the targets haven’t changed. Obviously it was a great victory we had in Malaysia […]

Sergio Perez says Force India could be in for a tough season and is pinning his hopes on a B-specification car, which is scheduled to make its debut in a couple of months' time. Force India's VJM08 was delayed and only ran on the final three days of pre-season testing, leaving the squad behind its rivals in terms of development. The team claimed seven points in Australia but left Malaysia empty-handed and is wary that the next part of the season is likely to be […]

World Champion Lewis Hamilton says it is doubtful that his contract extension with Mercedes will be signed this week as he explained why the agreement has not yet been finalised. Hamilton's three-year deal with the squad expires at the end of 2015 and last year he put discussions on hold while he focused on his title battle with team-mate Nico Rosberg. Hamilton has been conducting his own negotiations after splitting with XIX Entertainment last year and the Briton said that the paperwork involved has been […]

After a stunning Malaysian Grand Prix, which proved that the championship fight is open for more than one team, Formula 1 now heads to China for round three of the season. We don’t know yet if Sebastian Vettel’s victory for Ferrari at Sepang was only thanks to the unusual circumstances but we do know it took Mercedes out of their comfort zone and added some extra fight to the season. The Chinese Grand Prix presents a different challenge to Malaysia despite the similarities in the […]

Will Stevens says he is hoping to kick start his season at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix after a disrupted start to his 2015 campaign. Manor Marussia did not run in Australia and the Briton was unable to participate in either qualifying or the race in Malaysia due to a fuel pressure problem. "There were some positive signs at Sepang with the running I was able to achieve, so I’m looking forward to building on that here in China," said Stevens. "It’s been good to […]

McLaren pair Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button reckon the relatively cool conditions in China, allied to the characteristics of the Shanghai International Circuit, will present the squad with a tough challenge this weekend. Neither driver progressed through to Q2 in Malaysia and both Alonso and Button retired from the race due to technical problems with the MP4-30. But despite being upbeat over the potential of the package, the duo are expecting a difficult time in China this weekend. "I have lots of positive memories of […]

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg says he is hoping to get his 2015 campaign back on track this weekend at the scene of his first Formula 1 victory. Rosberg currently sits in third place in the championship, 10 points behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton, but is hoping to kick start his season, three years after he claimed his maiden victory in the sport in China. "The last race weekend was not great for me," Rosberg admitted. "I didn't get my lap together in qualifying, then losing time in […]

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya has acknowledged that the squad still has a 'long way' to go with the development of is VJM08 as it prepares for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Mallya's team only introduced its new car at the final pre-season test but scored seven points in Australia, before leaving Malaysia empty-handed after both Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez finished outside of the top 10. Mallya praised his team's attitude but is aware that they still have to make significant progress. "Both […]

Kamui Kobayashi expressed his frustration after a quirk in the Formula 1 regulations meant he dropped a position at the Chinese Grand Prix. Kobayashi had been involved in a race long duel with Marussia's Jules Bianchi, which was settled in favour of the Caterham driver when Kobayashi passed the Frenchman into the hairpin on the final lap. But the race result was subsequently amended with the standings at the end of lap 54, rather than lap 56, leading to the overall classification. That meant Kobayashi's […]