F1 Shanghai Report

SHANGHAI - Of the many Formula One victories that Ross Brawn has celebrated over an extraordinary career spanning several decades, Nico Rosberg's first winning with Mercedes in China was brilliant.

Rosberg was in charge all the way, proving convincingly that Mercedes have solved their tyre degradation issues. It was their first ‘works’ victory since Juan Manuel Fangio won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza back in 1955, prior to their withdrawal from the sport

To begin with Rosberg was chased off the grid by team mate Michael Schumacher, but the silver arrows would end up bookending the race as a worker in Michael’s first pit stop saw his right-front wheel incorrectly fitted. He thus became the only one out of the race on the 12th lap and the team were subsequently fined €5,000 for his unsafe release.

On the 42nd lap Raikkonen held second for Lotus after a super drive, hounded by Vettel, Button, Grosjean, Webber, Hamilton, Senna, Maldonado and Alonso. And the Saubers weren’t far off, either.

For many laps the black and gold car kept second, until Raikkonen’s tyres were nearly finished, and then he dropped within two laps from 2nd to 12th and the battle now became the one between Vettel and Button, with Hamilton just fending off Webber. Then Button’s pass of Vettel set up the final denouement.

After the race of the season, Hamilton leads the world championship with 45 points to Button’s 43, with Fernando Alonso third on 37 after a tough afternoon. In the constructors’ stakes, McLaren still lead with 88 points to Red Bull’s 64, Ferrari’s 37, Sauber’s 31, Mercedes’ 26 and Lotus’s 24.