Fernando Alonso dominates China F1 GP
Start of the 2013 Chinese F1 GP
Fernando Alonso showed all his class to dominate the China grand's prix and win his, and Ferrari's, first race of the season.
Alonso, starting third, took the lead in the early laps and controlled the race from there as his pace was far too much for anyone else to handle. Australian race winner Kimi Raikkonen finished second after a race long battle with Lewis Hamilton, while the Mercedes driver just held off the flying Sebastian Vettel for third.
For Alonso this wipes away the memories of a dismal weekend in Malaysia, where he crashed out after colliding with Vettel. He also reemphasised his dominance over team mate Felipe Massa who finished a disappointing 6th after running 2nd earlier on.
Jenson Button in action during the Chinese F1 GP
Jenson Button continued his impressive form in a poor McLaren car and finished 5 th, while It was a disappointing afternoon for Nico Rosberg who retired on lap 23 after a suspension issue. Mark Webber's dismal weekend also ended prematurely. After starting from the pit lane he steadily made his way through the field before colliding with Jean-Eric Vergne. Webber's car was too damaged to continue and he has been handed a 3 place grid penalty for the next race in Bahrian.
Fernando Alonso wins the 2013 Chinese F1 GP
The two Ferrari's were the quickest out of the traps at the start as they both surged past Raikkonen's Lotus for 2nd and 3rd. Hamilton's Mercedes' in the lead did not have the pace to compete with the Italian outfit and both overtook down the home straight on lap 3. That was as good as it got for Massa though as a poorly timed pit stop saw him fall away from the leading trio and he spent much of the race behind Paul di Resta's impressive Force India.
Alonso blasted away at the front and should have been challenged by Raikkonen, but a clash with Sergio Pérez shaved some of his front wing. Despite missing a large chunk of down force it would have been detrimental for Lotus to bring Kimi in for a wing change. He managed the problem well and was still quick enough for a large haul of points.
Podium of the 2013 Chinese F1 GP: 1. Alonso 2. Raikkonen 3. Hamilton
Tyres again caused havoc as the soft tyre grained far too quickly to be used for long. Vettel and Button started on the medium tyre and finished on the faster soft hoping to reel in their rivals in the dying laps. The three time champion finished just two tenths behind Hamilton, while Jenson's fight for a podium faded. Daniel Ricciardo capped off a fine weekend by finishing 7th, ahead of Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg.
Alonso's win catapults him back up the championship standings into third, 8 points behind leader Vettel. Raikkonen and Hamilton are also in hot pursuit as the main four are already threatening to break away.
See Race Results 2013 Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix
See 2013 F1 Championship standings after 3 race.
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