Well what a day of mixed fortunes.

Sadly for Kimi, his misfortune continued as he only managed 10th today when the chequered flag fell. I guess it was always going to be a disappointing day with a ‘double diffuserless’ and KERS free Ferrari not only struggling to maintain pace but it also has very unstable reliability. Kimi suffered from engine power issues and Massa was forced to retire with electrical problems. On the plus side both drivers did show good pace during some periods of the race. Massa was in 3rd when he ground to a holt and Raikkonen was matching the race leaders pace after his pit stop until he got stuck behind Nico. Maybe all is not lost but the upgrades due in Spain do seem to be make or break.

Lewis Hamilton however was on the other side of fortune. He certainly was very lucky to finish and in the points, after numerous adventures off the track. He admitted his race was awful, complaining  afterwards about the graining on his tires but wasn’t sure if it was the tires or his driving style to blame - so we’ll leave that decision up to you!

Luck didn’t come into it for Vettel though. His drive was flawless in treacherous conditions. For the last year or so press and pundits alike, have been calling Vettel the next big thing (or Baby Schumi). Surely he must have earned a place in the record books already after this win. After all he won Toro Rosso’s first victory last year and has now gone and on to claim Red Bull’s first ever win too!

The championship standings look awful for Kimi and Ferrari.  In fact never-mind it being the worst start for the team for 20 something years, it could have been even more embarrassing if Sutil hadn’t crashed out of the points as they’d have been the only team to not have scored a thing in 2009 so far. Lets hope Kimi can finally get some solid points on the board in Bahrain next week.

So 3 races in - Button and Brawn still top the tables but for how long. Vettel and Red Bull must have them worried in all honesty, as they scored a 1-2 without KERS or a ‘double decker’ in sight and with Newey working on an upgrade back at base. Looks like its going to be a long and exciting F1 season - here’s hoping!

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Chinese Grand Prix

Shanghai International Circuit, China;

56 laps; 305.066km;

Weather: Wet.

Classified:

Results
01 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:57:43.485
02 M. Webber Red Bull + 10.970
03 J. Button Brawn GP + 44.975
04 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 1:03.704
05 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 1:05.102
06 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1:11.866
07 T. Glock Toyota + 1:14.476
08 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:16.439
09 F. Alonso Renault + 1:24.309
10 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 1:31.750
11 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso + 1:34.156
12 N. Heidfeld BMW + 1:35.834
13 R. Kubica BMW + 1:46.853
14 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 1 laps
15 N. Rosberg Williams + 1 laps
16 N. Piquet jr. Renault + 2 laps
Did not finish
17 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 6 laps
18 K. Nakajima Williams + 13 laps
19 F. Massa Ferrari + 35 laps
20 J. Trulli Toyota + 37 laps

All timing unofficial

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