2019 Chinese Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Country:China
Grand Prix:Chinese
Details Ref:[1]
Date:14 April
Year:2019
Race No:3
Season No:21
Previous Round:2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
Next Round:2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Image Link:Shanghai International Racing Circuit track map.svg
Image-Size:200px
Official Name:Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2019
Location:Shanghai International Circuit
Shanghai, China
Course:Permanent racing facility
Course Km:5.451
Course Mi:3.387
Distance Laps:56
Distance Km:305.066
Distance Mi:189.559
Weather:Partly cloudy
Pole Driver:Valtteri Bottas
Pole Team:Mercedes
Pole Time:1:31.547
Pole Country:FIN
Fast Driver:Pierre Gasly
Fast Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda
Fast Time:1:34.742
Fast Lap:55
Fast Country:FRA
First Driver:Lewis Hamilton
First Country:GBR
First Team:Mercedes
Second Driver:Valtteri Bottas
Second Country:FIN
Second Team:Mercedes
Third Driver:Sebastian Vettel
Third Country:GER
Third Team:Ferrari

The 2019 Chinese Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2019) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 14 April 2019 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. The race was the 3rd round of the 2019 Formula One World Championship, and marked the 16th time that the Chinese Grand Prix had been run as a round of the Formula One World Championship. The race also marked the 1000th World Championship race since the first World Championship race was held at the Silverstone Circuit in . This is also the last Chinese Grand Prix until 2024 as the 2020–2023 Grands Prix were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Background

Championship standings before the race

Heading into the race, Valtteri Bottas was leading the Drivers' Championship by one point from Lewis Hamilton. Bottas's team Mercedes was leading the Constructors' Championship by 39 points from Ferrari.[2]

Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand in drivers for either the race or practice.[3]

Free practice

Sebastian Vettel was fastest in the first practice session with Valtteri Bottas fastest in the second practice.[4] [5] Bottas was again fastest in FP3 on Saturday, however the session was brought to a premature end when Alexander Albon lost control of his Toro Rosso and hit the wall on the exit of the final corner, smashing into the wall rear-first with an impact of 49g. He would not compete in qualifying due to the damage sustained from the accident and therefore started from the pitlane.[6]

Qualifying

The first qualifying session ended with no incidents with Valtteri Bottas setting the fastest lap of the session ahead of Charles Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton. Qualifying ended with the elimination of Lance Stroll, George Russell, Robert Kubica, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alex Albon, the last two of whom failed to set a time in the session.

The second qualifying session ended without incident with Lewis Hamilton setting the fastest lap on the medium compound tyre. Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen also set their laps on the medium compound tyre. Daniil Kvyat, Sergio Pérez, Kimi Räikkönen, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris were eliminated from qualifying.

The third qualifying session ended without incident with most drivers having two chances to set a fastest lap. After the first runs, Valtteri Bottas was quickest with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel rounding off the top 3. When setting up their second runs, Max Verstappen was overtaken at turn 14 by Sebastian Vettel and both Renault cars, this prevented him from crossing the line before the end of the session. Pierre Gasly and both Haas cars were also unable to start a lap before the session ended as a result. At the end of the session, Valtteri Bottas was on pole position 0.023 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in second. Sebastian Vettel qualified third. The rest of the top ten consisted of, in qualifying order, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hülkenberg, Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.

Qualifying classification

DriverConstructor
Q1Q2Q3
177data-sort-value="BOT" Valtteri BottasMercedes1:32.6581:31.7281:31.5471
244data-sort-value="HAM" Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:33.1151:31.6371:31.5702
35data-sort-value="VET" Sebastian VettelFerrari1:33.5571:32.2321:31.8483
416data-sort-value="LEC" Charles LeclercFerrari1:32.7121:32.3241:31.8654
533data-sort-value="VER"1:33.2741:32.3691:32.0895
610data-sort-value="GAS"1:33.8631:32.9481:32.9306
73data-sort-value="RIC"1:33.7091:33.2141:32.9587
827data-sort-value="HUL"1:33.6441:32.9681:32.9628
920data-sort-value="MAG"1:34.0361:33.150data-sort-value="9"No time9
108data-sort-value="GRO"1:33.7521:33.156data-sort-value="9.1"No time10
1126data-sort-value="KVY"1:33.7831:33.236N/A11
1211data-sort-value="PER"1:34.0261:33.299N/A12
137data-sort-value="RAI"1:34.1251:33.419N/A13
1455data-sort-value="SAI"1:33.6861:33.523N/A14
154data-sort-value="NOR"1:34.1481:33.967N/A15
1618data-sort-value="STR"1:34.292N/AN/A16
1763data-sort-value="RUS"1:35.253N/AN/A17
1888data-sort-value="KUB"1:35.281N/AN/A18
data-sort-value="ZZZ" colspan="8" 107% time

1:39.144

data-sort-value="19"99data-sort-value="GIO" Alfa Romeo Racing-FerrariNo timeN/AN/A19
data-sort-value="20"23data-sort-value="ALB" Scuderia Toro Rosso-HondaNo timeN/AN/A
Source:[7] [8]
Notes

Race

Lewis Hamilton won the race ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

At the start of the race Bottas got a bad start allowing Hamilton to lead into the first corner. At the fourth corner Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris collided which would cause Norris and Kvyat to retire later in the race, despite Kvyat receiving a drive-through penalty as the stewards blamed him for the incident. On lap 11 Charles Leclerc was ordered by Ferrari to let his teammate Vettel past. Nico Hülkenberg retired on lap 17 with an MGU-K problem. Daniel Ricciardo managed to score his first points of the season and his first points for Renault. Pierre Gasly got the first fastest lap of his career.[10] It was also Mercedes' third 1–2 finish of the season and the first time that a team has managed a 1–2 in the first three races of a season since Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese did so for Williams in .[11]

Race classification

DriverConstructorTime/RetiredPoints
144data-sort-value="HAM" Lewis HamiltonMercedes561:32:06.350225
277data-sort-value="BOT" Valtteri BottasMercedes56+6.552118
35Ferrari56+13.774315
433data-sort-value="VER" Red Bull Racing-Honda56+27.627512
516data-sort-value="LEC" Charles LeclercFerrari56+31.276410
610data-sort-value="GAS" Pierre GaslyRed Bull Racing-Honda56+1:29.30769
73data-sort-value="RIC" Renault55+1 lap76
811data-sort-value="PER" 55+1 lap124
97data-sort-value="RAI" Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari55+1 lap132
1023data-sort-value="ALB" Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda55+1 lap1
118data-sort-value="GRO" Haas-Ferrari55+1 lap10
1218data-sort-value="STR" Racing Point-BWT Mercedes55+1 lap16
1320data-sort-value="MAG" Haas-Ferrari55+1 lap9
1455data-sort-value="SAI" McLaren-Renault55+1 lap14
1599data-sort-value="GIO" Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari55+1 lap19
1663data-sort-value="RUS" Williams-Mercedes54+2 laps17
1788data-sort-value="KUB" Williams-Mercedes54+2 laps18
184data-sort-value="NOR" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Renault5015
data-sort-value="19"Ret26data-sort-value="KVY" Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda4111
data-sort-value="20" Ret27data-sort-value="HUL" Renault16Power unit8
Fastest lap

Pierre Gasly (Red Bull Racing-Honda) – 1:34.742 (lap 55)

Source:[12] [13]
Notes

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
DriverPoints
1168
12 Valtteri Bottas62
3 Max Verstappen39
4 Sebastian Vettel37
15 Charles Leclerc36
Source:[14]
Constructors' Championship standings
ConstructorPoints
1 Mercedes130
2 Ferrari73
3 Red Bull Racing-Honda52
34 Renault12
15 Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari12
Source:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 Chinese Grand Prix . Formula1.com . Formula One World Championship Limited . 11 April 2019.
  2. Web site: Bahrain 2019 – Championship. StatsF1. 12 April 2019.
  3. Web site: 2019 Chinese Grand Prix – Entry List . Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . 11 April 2019 . 12 April 2019.
  4. Web site: Chinese Grand Prix 2019 – Practice 1. Formula1.com. 12 April 2019.
  5. Web site: Chinese Grand Prix 2019 – Practice 2. Formula1.com. 12 April 2019.
  6. News: FP3: Bottas ahead of Vettel as big Albon crash shortens session. Formula1.com. 13 April 2019.
  7. Web site: Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2019 – Qualifying. Formula1.com. 13 April 2019. 13 April 2019.
  8. Web site: Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2019 – Starting Grid. Formula1.com. 14 April 2019. 14 April 2019.
  9. Web site: Must-see: Albon on the huge FP3 crash that ruled him out of Chinese Grand Prix qualifying . Formula1.com. 13 April 2019.
  10. Web site: Pierre Gasly – Fastests laps . StatsF1. 15 April 2019.
  11. Web site: Stat Wrap: Chinese GP. Kelly. Sean. 15 April 2019. f1.channel4.com. 17 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417103537/https://f1.channel4.com/news/stat-wrap-chinese/. 17 April 2019. dead.
  12. Web site: Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2019 – Race Result. 14 April 2019. Formula1.com. 14 April 2019.
  13. Web site: Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix 2019 – Fastest Laps. 14 April 2019. Formula1.com. 14 April 2019.
  14. Web site: China 2019 – Championship . StatsF1. 14 April 2019.