2008 Chinese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton delivered the composed response his championship campaign needed in China. Pole, fastest lap and victory gave him a seven-point advantage heading to the finale, while Felipe Massa finished second to keep the title contest alive.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:36.303
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:36.325 on lap 13
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Second	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
17 October 2008	Practice 1	10:00
17 October 2008	Practice 2	14:00
18 October 2008	Practice 3	11:00
18 October 2008	Qualifying	14:00
19 October 2008	Race	15:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 17 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 84 points, with Felipe Massa on 79. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 142 points.

Race entries

The 10 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton set the opening pace on a dry Shanghai circuit, with Felipe Massa his nearest challenger. Nelson Piquet slid into the gravel near the pit entrance but recovered, while Sebastien Bourdais also showed early speed. The uninterrupted conditions gave the leading teams a useful chance to establish their tyre and setup choices.

Lewis Hamilton remained fastest in FP2, his early lap surviving the rest of the afternoon. The Renaults ran close behind, while Sebastien Bourdais ended his session in the gravel at Turn 2. Kimi Räikkönen also spun as the teams continued assessing performance over longer runs and on different fuel loads.

Nick Heidfeld topped final practice, but Mark Webber’s engine failure on the back straight had the greater consequence. Red Bull Racing needed a replacement before qualifying, bringing a ten-place grid penalty. Lewis Hamilton had a brief excursion up an escape road, while Ferrari’s quieter session left its ultimate pace to be revealed in qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Chinese Grand Prix FP1, 17 October 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.630	23
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.390s	24
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.422s	23
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.473s	21
5	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.877s	25
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.031s	25
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.410s	23
8	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.440s	32
9	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.550s	30
10	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.648s	25
11	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.861s	26
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.989s	25
13	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.000s	23
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.008s	22
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+2.008s	26
16	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.034s	29
17	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.197s	28
18	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.589s	24
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.655s	25
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+2.849s	26

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Chinese Grand Prix FP2, 17 October 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.750	33
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.274s	36
3	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.344s	38
4	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.409s	32
5	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.625s	38
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.730s	31
7	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.779s	32
8	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.792s	34
9	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+0.803s	38
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.806s	33
11	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.865s	33
12	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.025s	37
13	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.047s	33
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.058s	36
15	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.175s	38
16	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.225s	31
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.723s	38
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.867s	33
19	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.050s	37
20	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.154s	36

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Chinese Grand Prix FP3, 18 October 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:36.061	17
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.074s	15
3	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+0.089s	18
4	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+0.263s	16
5	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.335s	22
6	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.366s	20
7	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+0.581s	20
8	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.651s	18
9	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+0.652s	20
10	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.728s	20
11	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+0.778s	19
12	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.781s	16
13	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.840s	15
14	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.841s	18
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.897s	18
16	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+0.935s	18
17	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.992s	22
18	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.505s	12
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.587s	19
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.903s	18

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa, putting himself in the strongest position for the race. Fernando Alonso qualified fourth, with Heikki Kovalainen fifth after struggling for tyre grip in Q3.

Mark Webber’s engine penalty dropped him down the grid, while Nick Heidfeld received a three-place penalty for impeding David Coulthard. Robert Kubica missed Q3 after setup difficulties, damaging his remaining championship prospects before the start.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying, 18 October 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.566	1:34.947	1:36.303	15
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:35.983	1:35.355	1:36.645	15
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:35.971	1:35.135	1:36.889	16
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:35.769	1:35.461	1:36.927	18
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:35.623	1:35.216	1:36.930	16
6	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:36.238	1:35.686	1:37.083	19
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:36.224	1:35.403	1:37.201	17
8	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:35.752	1:35.386	1:37.685	16
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:36.104	1:35.715	1:37.934	19
10	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:36.239	1:35.478	1:38.885	18
11	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:36.029	1:35.722	—	12
12	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:36.503	1:35.814	—	14
13	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:36.210	1:35.937	—	16
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:36.640	1:36.079	—	15
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:36.434	1:36.210	—	15
16	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:36.731	—	—	7
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:36.863	—	—	9
18	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:37.053	—	—	9
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:37.730	—	—	9
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:37.739	—	—	9

Mark Webber dropped ten places on the grid after an unscheduled engine change.

Nick Heidfeld penalised three grid positions for impeding David Coulthard during first qualifying session.

What happened in the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton retained the lead and steadily pulled away from the Ferraris. Fernando Alonso repassed Heikki Kovalainen on the opening lap to secure fourth, while contact between Sebastien Bourdais and Jarno Trulli ended the Toyota driver’s race. Lewis Hamilton’s pace remained strong through the first stops, preventing Ferrari from changing the order strategically.

Heikki Kovalainen suffered a puncture and later retired with a hydraulic problem, leaving Lewis Hamilton as McLaren’s sole scorer. In the closing stint, Kimi Räikkönen yielded second to Felipe Massa, allowing Ferrari’s remaining title contender to collect the maximum available points behind Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton won by almost 15 seconds from Felipe Massa, with Kimi Räikkönen third and Fernando Alonso fourth. Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica completed a useful double points finish for BMW Sauber, but Robert Kubica was now out of title contention. The championship would be decided between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa at Interlagos.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 94 points, followed by Felipe Massa on 87. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 156, with McLaren on 145.

2008 Chinese Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Chinese Grand Prix was held on 19 October 2008, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	56	1:31:57.403	10
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	56	+14.925	8
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	+16.445	6
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	56	+18.370	5
5	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	+28.923	4
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	56	+33.219	3
7	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	56	+41.722	2
8	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	56	+56.645	1
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	56	+1:04.339	0
10	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	56	+1:14.842	0
11	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	56	+1:25.061	0
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	56	+1:30.847	0
13	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	56	+1:31.457	0
14	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	56	+1:32.422	0
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	55	+1 Lap	0
16	16	Jenson Button	Honda	55	+1 Lap	0
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	55	+1 Lap	0
Ret	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	49	Pneumatics	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	13	Gearbox	0
Ret	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	2	Collision damage	0

2008 Chinese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	13	1:36.325	203.722
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	14	1:36.483	203.389
3	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	1:36.498	203.357
4	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	36	1:36.591	203.161
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	56	1:36.659	203.018
6	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	56	1:36.727	202.876
7	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	56	1:36.854	202.610
8	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	56	1:36.996	202.313
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	55	1:37.212	201.863
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	38	1:37.246	201.793
11	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	32	1:37.302	201.677
12	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	36	1:37.452	201.366
13	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	10	1:37.680	200.896
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	27	1:37.753	200.746
15	16	Jenson Button	Honda	54	1:37.773	200.705
16	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	56	1:37.845	200.558
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	54	1:38.019	200.202
18	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	54	1:38.372	199.483
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	13	1:39.683	196.860
20	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	2	2:39.612	122.945

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	94
2	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	87
3	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	75
4	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	69
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	60
6	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	53
7	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	51
8	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	30
9	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	30
10	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	22
11	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	21
12	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	19
13	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	17
14	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	11
15	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	9
16	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	8
17	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	4
18	Jenson Button	British	Honda	3
19	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
20	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
21	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	156
2	McLaren	145
3	BMW Sauber	135
4	Renault	72
5	Toyota	52
6	Toro Rosso	34
7	Red Bull Racing	29
8	Williams	26
9	Honda	14
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November