Performance Podium: Bahrain

The Bahrain Grand Prix turned out to be a race in which some rather unexpected names stood out, making this the Performance Podium of the ‘unusual suspects’.

But in which order did the stars of Sakhir end up in performance terms? Keep reading, and you’ll find the answer.

1) Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez answered his critics in fine fashion in Bahrain with a highly impressive drive to sixth place.

The McLaren driver had been criticised for not defending hard enough when battling with other cars in China, but Perez came back brilliantly in Bahrain, getting stuck into fights with other drivers throughout the race, most notably with teammate Jenson Button, with whom the Mexican tussled in a thrilling duel that lasted many laps.

Perez got the better of his McLaren sparring partner late on in the race, before passing Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber in the closing laps and also demonstrating his renowned tyre management by getting to the end on three stops, in a race where Button was forced to make four visits to the pit lane.

The challenge now is for Perez to continue to produce drives of this nature, and if he manages to do so, he will more than begin to repay the faith McLaren showed in signing him to replace Lewis Hamilton.

2) Romain Grosjean

Romain Grosjean was another man slightly under the cosh before this weekend. The Frenchman hadn’t driven particularly badly, but had failed to show the speed he had often demonstrated in 2012.

It was perhaps apt, then, that Grosjean produced by far his best performance of the season so far in Bahrain, the scene of his maiden Formula One podium last year, making best use of a three-stop strategy to take third place.

Having spent the first part of the race mired in a battle with the McLarens, Grosjean came alive in the second half, using his fresher medium tyres at the end to pass Paul di Resta in the closing stages and claim his first podium finish since Hungary last year.

Grosjean has managed to keep his nose clean so far this season, and if he can build on the speed he found this weekend, then the Frenchman could well become a regular podium challenger throughout the year.

3) Paul di Resta

Paul di Resta made best use of an extremely quick Force India to match his career best finish of fourth in Bahrain.

di Resta moved up to fourth on the opening lap, and when Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg began to drop back, for a time was running in an incredible second place on merit.

The Scot lost out to Kimi Raikkonen on lap 34, but then ran solidly in third place, and looked set for a maiden F1 podium before Romain Grosjean’s charge bumped him down to fourth in the closing stages.

Despite missing out on the podium, di Resta will be delighted with his weekend’s work, and with Force India fighting it out at the front on merit so far this season, a top three finish may not be too far away.

HM) Sebastian Vettel

It would be hard not to find a place in this Performance Podium for Sebastian Vettel, who even by his standards produced a storming drive in Bahrain.

A stunning overtake on Fernando Alonso on the first lap put him second, before his swift pass on Nico Rosberg gave him an early lead which allowed him to streak clear at the front.

From that point Vettel never looked like being beaten, and comfortably drove out the rest of the race to take his second win of the season and cement his place at the top of the drivers standings.

HM) Fernando Alonso

It’s a testament to Fernando Alonso’s driving ability that he recovered from two DRS failures to secure eighth, and a good haul of points from today’s Grand Prix.

Two unscheduled stops in the early part of the race, put him on a compromised pit strategy, and with no DRS to make his way through the field, he was forced to make up lost ground with a significant speed disadvantage.

Despite the lack of DRS making him defenceless against Sergio Perez in the closing stages, Alonso will be happy to have salvaged some points from this race and minimise the ground lost in the title battle ahead of F1’s return to Europe.

2013 Performance Podium Rankings
1) Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 13pts
2) Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus-Renault) – 10pts
2) Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) – 10pts
2) Sergio Perez (McLaren-Mercedes) – 10pts
5) Adrian Sutil (Force India-Mercedes) – 5pts
5) Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 5pts
5) Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) – 5pts
5) Romain Grosjean (Lotus-Renault) – 5pts
9) Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) – 2pts
9) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 2pts
9) Paul di Resta (Force India-Mercedes) – 2pts
12) Jules Bianchi (Marussia-Cosworth) – 2pts
13) Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) – 1pt

The Performance Podium rankings are calculated depending on where each driver places in each race. 1st place receives 10 points, 2nd place = 5pts, 3rd place = 2pts and an Honourable Mention = 1pt

Stephen D’Albiac

Rampant Vettel takes dominant win in Bahrain

Sebastian Vettel cruised to his second win of the season as he romped to victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix.

After losing second to Fernando Alonso at the start, Vettel produced a stunning overtaking manouevre to reclaim second at turn five on the opening lap, before passing polesitter Nico Rosberg on lap three to take a lead he never looked like losing.

Kimi Raikkonen came second after using a two-stop strategy to come through the field, while his Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean took his first podium of the season by finishing third, passing the Force India of Paul di Resta in the closing stages of the race.

di Resta’s fourth place underlined the improvement Force India have made over the winter, whilst Lewis Hamilton, the hugely impressive Sergio Perez, Mark Webber and the luckless Alonso, who had to pit twice in the opening laps after his DRS got stuck open, rounded out the top eight.

Poleman Rosberg and Jenson Button completed the points, with both struggling to preserve their tyres throughout the race and the pair had to make four stops to get to the end.

Everyone got away cleanly at the start, with Rosberg making it to the first corner from pole position, ahead of the dicing Alonso and Vettel.

Alonso made it out of turn three in second place, but Vettel then used his KERS to great effect on the exit of the fourth corner to blast up the inside of the Ferrari and reclaim his starting position in brilliant fashion.

Now into second place, Vettel clearly had more pace than the Mercedes of Rosberg, and having spent the whole of the second lap threatening a pass, pulled off a move at turn six on lap three to move into the lead.

Alonso then waited his turn behind the Mercedes, and with the help of the DRS made his move on Rosberg to take second at the start of lap five.

However, in passing the Mercedes the Ferrari’s DRS had failed, and the flap on the rear wing of Alonso’s car jammed open, contravening FIA regulations and forcing him to pit on lap seven to get it fixed.

That pitstop dropped the Spaniard way down the order, and instead of hunting down race leader Vettel, he was now staring at the gearbox of Jules Bianchi’s Marussia. He used the DRS to pass the Frenchman into turn 11, but as he did so the Ferrari’s flap stuck open again, forcing a second visit to the pits in as many laps.

With the use of DRS not an option for the remainder of the race, Alonso was forced to make his way through the field without the use of his main overtaking aid, but creditably fought back into the points in the closing stages. He passed Perez to take seventh place, but with no way of using his rear wing to make inroads into the scrapping Webber and Hamilton ahead of him, he became easy prey for the McLaren in the closing laps and the Mexican retook the place to leave Alonso in a still very respectable eighth.

Perez was one of the standout performers of the race. Having received plenty of criticism over his racecraft since his move to McLaren, he got himself into some cracking battles for position throughout the race, most notably with teammate Button in the second and third stints. The pair made contact on more than one occasion as they fought wheel-to-wheel, and the Mexican got the better of his more experienced teammate, managing to complete the race on one less pit stop.

A fine afternoon for Perez was completed on the final lap when he passed the Red Bull of Webber to take sixth place.

Hamilton was another driver that fought through in the closing stages. The Englishman had endured a subdued afternoon up until the final round of stops and looked set for a place in the lower reaches of the points, but fought through in the closing stages to pass Perez and then Webber right at the end after a thrilling battle that lasted several laps.

By now Vettel and Raikkonen were safely out front, and the big question was as to whether di Resta would be able to claim a place on the podium ahead of Grosjean, who had been forced to visit the pits on three occasions throughout the race.

Having driven a storming race, undoubtedly the finest of his F1 career, it looked as though di Resta was set for his first ever podium finish, but the Lotus of Grosjean made a late charge on the medium tyres and with just five laps remaining, took the place from the Force India on the pit straight to take third place and ensure an exact repeat of the podium standings from last year’s race.

But there was no stopping the dominant Red Bull of Vettel, who comfortably drove his car home to take his second win of the season.

He now leads the world championship on 77 points, ahead of Raikkonen with 67, whilst Hamilton lies third with 50, three clear of Alonso in fourth place.

Classification
1) Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault – 1:36:00.498 secs
2) Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus-Renault - +9.111 secs
3) Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus-Renault – +19.507 secs
4) Paul Di Resta (GB) Force India-Mercedes – +21.727 secs
5) Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes – +35.230 secs
6) Sergio Perez (Mex) McLaren-Mercedes – +35.998 secs
7) Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault – +37.244 secs
8) Fernando Alonso (Esp) Ferrari – +37.574 secs
9) Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes – +41.126 secs
10) Jenson Button (GB) McLaren-Mercedes – +46.631 secs
11) Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams-Renault – +1:06.450 secs
12) Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari – +1:12.933 secs
13) Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes – +1:16.719 secs
14) Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams-Renault – +1:21.511 secs
15) Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari - +1:26.364 secs
16) Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Toro Rosso-Ferrari – +1 lap
17) Charles Pic (Fra) Caterham-Renault – + 1 lap
18) Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari – + 1 lap
19) Jules Bianchi (Fra) Marussia-Cosworth – + 1 lap
20) Max Chilton (GB) Marussia-Cosworth – + 1 lap
21) Giedo van der Garde (Ned) Caterham-Renault – + 2 laps

Not classified
22) Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari – 41 laps

Stephen D’Albiac

Rosberg upsets the frontrunners to claim Bahrain pole

A stunning performance by Nico Rosberg saw him take pole position for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver had not featured amongst the frontrunners during practice, but produced the times when it mattered to take his second career pole.

Sebastian Vettel lines up second, whilst Fernando Alonso will be looking to repeat his victory in Shanghai last weekend as he starts third for the second week running.

Lewis Hamilton set the fourth fastest time, but he will start ninth after picking up a five-place penalty for changing his gearbox after final practice.

Mark Webber would have been promoted to that fourth spot, but his three-place grid drop for his collision with Jean-Eric Vergne in China means he drops back to seventh, meaning Felipe Massa will join his Ferrari teammate on the second row.

Paul di Resta starts fifth and is joined on the third row by Force India teammate Adrian Sutil, a highly impressive result for the Silverstone-based outfit as they look to consolidate their fifth place in the constuctors’ championship.

Webber starts seventh ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who has strong race pace in his Lotus but failed to translate that into qualifying speed, while Hamilton and Jenson Button round out the top ten.

The big shock of Q2 was Romain Grosjean, whose scrappy lap cost him a place in the top ten shootout. He lines up alongside Sergio Perez, while Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg share the seventh row. Valtteri Bottas starts fifteenth, with Jean-Eric Vergne the slowest of those in the second part of qualifying.

Pastor Maldonado and Esteban Gutierrez were the biggest names to fall at the first hurdle, with the Sauber driver now condemned to the back of the grid as he takes a five-place penalty for his crash with Adrian Sutil in Shanghai.

Charles Pic won the battle of the Caterhams and Marussias to qualify 18^th, ahead of Jules Bianchi, Giedo van der Garde and Max Chilton.

The Grid
1) Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
2) Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3) Fernando Alonso (Esp) Ferrari
4) Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
5) Paul di Resta (GB) Force India-Mercedes
6) Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes
7) Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault*
8) Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus-Renault
9) Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes**
10) Jenson Button (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
11) Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus-Renault
12) Sergio Perez (Mex) McLaren-Mercedes
13) Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Toro-Rosso Ferrari
14) Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari
15) Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams-Renault
16) Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari
17) Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams-Renault
18) Charles Pic (Fra) Caterham-Renault
19) Jules Bianchi (Fra) Marussia-Cosworth
20) Giedo van der Garde (Ned) Caterham-Renault
21) Max Chilton (GB) Marussia-Cosworth
22) Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari**
*Three-place grid penalty
** Five-place grid penalty

Stephen D’Albiac

Bahrain Grand Prix Preview

This weekend will see the ninth running of the Bahrain Grand Prix, a race that made history in 2004 when it became the first Formula One race to be staged in the Middle East, but also one that has attracted much controversy over the last few years.

Without wanting to detract too much from the fact we have a race on this weekend, there are clearly a lot of people (both in Bahrain and around the world) that do not think this Grand Prix should go ahead for political reasons.

However, the race will go ahead as normal and the fact that there has been no further deterioration in the political situation in the Gulf state since last year’s event, which attracted just as much criticism, means that anyone lobbying for the Grand Prix’s cancellation this time around was as likely to be successful as a Jacques Villeneuve comeback bid.

With that little titbit about Bahraini politics out of the way, let’s move onto the race. And it promises to be yet another exciting one after the three crackers we’ve had to start off the season. Lotus, Red Bull and Ferrari have all taken turns at the front in the first three races, and with Messrs Raikkonen, Vettel and Alonso all tasting victory so far we are almost halfway to a repeat of the electric start to last year’s championship, when seven different drivers won the first seven Grands Prix.

However, with those top three teams looking more likely than anyone to take the victory this weekend, and those three teams all having established lead drivers, it’s quite likely we’ll be seeing that little run come to a crashing halt on Sunday.

The big talking point last time out was the tyres, particularly the durability (or lack of) of the softer compound. With cars not being able to get more than five or six laps out of it in Shanghai, Pirelli have taken the last-minute decision to bring the medium and hard tyres to Sakhir, rather than the soft and medium rubber.

Whether it’s a kneejerk reaction or not, or whether teams like Red Bull have coerced them into the unexpected change of heart is not yet known, but it’s definitely something that will delight a large section of the paddock who have become fed up with using tyres that don’t last.

Will that decision affect the race? If anything, it’s Red Bull that will benefit the most from it. The team have struggled to make their tyres last as long as the Lotus and Ferrari on the longer runs so far this season, meaning they have been unable to unleash the full potential of their car. Therefore, compounds that last longer should help them out a bit in this respect and help them keep up.

However, should these harder compounds have the effect of pushing the race into a borderline two or three stop race, it could be the Lotus, the best car on its tyres so far, that benefits from being able to run one less stop than its rivals and gains the most from it.

All that, and much more, means we are set for a fascinating race on Sunday, and if the opening gambit of this season is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat in Bahrain this weekend.

The Circuit

Designed by (you guessed it) Hermann Tilke and opened for business in 2004, the Bahrain International Circuit was one of the earlier tracks to be brought to the F1 calendar by the sport’s resident architect.

With the exception of 2010, when what can only be described as the most boring section of track in the history of the F1 world championship was added to the circuit (and wisely removed just as swiftly), the race has been held on the original 3.3-mile layout.

The track features a mixture of long straights and hairpins, meaning those with good traction and rear end grip should go well here. There are a couple of fast, sweeping bends that provide a good test of a car’s aerodynamics, but overall this is a track that plays into the hands of those with good mechanical grip.

With several first and second gear corners the circuit is one of the harder ones on the calendar for braking, so its vital for the drivers not to get too trigger-happy with the left foot, or that could become a major concern later in the race if the brakes become too hot and the chances of a failure (never a pleasant experience at 200mph) increase.

Now instead of talking through each part of the Sakhir circuit one-by-one (which isn’t the most exciting thing that’s ever been done), I’ve gone for something different this weekend. So, courtesy of Marussia reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez, here’s an onboard lap of the Sakhir circuit from practice earlier today.

Track Facts
Location: Sakhir, Bahrain
First Race: 2004
Track Length: 3.363 miles/5.412km
Laps: 57
2012 Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault)
Lap Record: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) – 1:30.252 (2004)

Past Winners
2012: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault)
2011: Cancelled
2010: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2009: Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes)
2008: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2007: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
2006: Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005: Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2004: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)

Stephen D’Albiac

Imperious drive in China the perfect comeback for Alonso

When Fernando Alonso entered the paddock in China on Thursday there was no doubting he did so with a huge amount of pressure behind him.

The Spaniard had thrown away a golden opportunity to win in Sepang three weeks previously by hitting Sebastian Vettel, the catalyst for his spectacular front wing failure and retirement a lap later, and with every point in what is set to be another hugely competitive title battle, the importance of bouncing back with a good result was immense.

Alonso was at his nonchalant best at his press call prior to the weekend, coolly playing down the effect of his retirement in Malaysia, but deep down both he and his team knew that another fruitless weekend, even at this early stage of the season, was not an option, and that a strong response was needed under the Shanghai sun.

That response, when it came on Sunday, was emphatic.

In perhaps the most complete performance of his Ferrari career, Alonso put on a driving masterclass in front of the watching fans. He obliterated the field, beating the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen by over 10 seconds with pace still in reserve.

It was a walkover in every way imaginable. From the moment he passed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes for the lead on the fifth lap, Alonso was imperious. His lap times were typically metronomic, his tyre wear was on a par with anyone else, and his racecraft in fighting his way through traffic after his pit stops was exquisite.

There are times in this sport when man and machine just come together during a weekend and create a combination that brushes aside anything that’s put in front of it. It doesn’t always happen that way, but when it does it takes a minor miracle for anything to beat it.

The true magnitude of Alonso’s advantage over his rivals was demonstrated shortly after his final stop, when he began to lap in the 1:39s, a pace almost a second quicker than anyone else had managed all afternoon. His response when told by his race engineer Andrea Stella not to push, “I’m not pushing.”

Lotus fans can point out Raikkonen’s damaged front wing as a reason for his failure to challenge Alonso for the win, but the reality is that Sunday was just one of those days when one man was head and shoulders above the field. The Ferrari could probably have finished 15, 20, even 25 seconds in front if it had wanted to.

To assume that Raikkonen could have won the race you would also have to assume that Alonso was pushing his car through the entire race, and the time the Lotus would have lost as a result of the front wing damage caused by the collision with Sergio Perez was enough that it would have been enough to get to the Ferrari, assumptions that would both have been wrong.

Alonso’s win has put him right back amongst the championship leaders. He lies just nine points behind Vettel in the standings, and with the knowledge that he has now has a car that can challenge for regular wins on pure performance rather than minor miracles, the Spaniard cuts an ominous presence amongst the frontrunners.

With a matador-like fighting spirit, the right car underneath him, and an immovable resolve to salvage the most that he can from any situation, the tidal wave of momentum Alonso will now take to Bahrain this weekend will be huge, and if he can get himself to the head of the championship, and Ferrari can continue to deliver him a car that can run at the front, it is very difficult to see anyone surpassing the Spaniard over the coming races.

And after several near misses and a seemingly neverending wait for that elusive third title, it looks like everything may just be beginning to fall into place for him.

Stephen D’Albiac

Performance Podium: China

The Chinese Grand Prix proved to be a thrilling battle of strategy. So which three drivers made Torque F1’s Performance Podium this week? It’s time to find out.

1) Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso was at his magnificent best in China. After the disappointment of Sepang three weeks ago it was crucial that the Spaniard had a good race to kick-start his title challenge.

Having passed Kimi Raikkonen for second at the start, Alonso then tracked Lewis Hamilton for the first few laps, before making the best use of the DRS to pass the Mercedes driver at the start of lap five.

From then on Alonso never looked back, and consistently pulled away from the rest of the field. He also managed to cut his way through the traffic after his pit stops better than anyone else, which proved instrumental in gaining extra time over his rivals.

Alonso continued to set the pace even after he was told to stop pushing after his final stop, and romped home for his first win since last year’s German Grand Prix, a result which now leaves him third in the drivers’ standings.

2) Daniel Ricciardo

It may have gone unnoticed with all the action at the front, but Daniel Ricciardo produced a stunning drive in Shanghai to finish a career best seventh.

Having surprised many to make it into Q3 yesterday, Ricciardo refused to be overawed by running at the front and remained in the points for the entire race, finally beating his previous best finish of 9^th (something he achieved four times last year) and scoring Toro Rosso’s best result in two years.

With the likely departure of Mark Webber, who looks set to be leaving Formula One at the end of the season to join Porsche’s Le Mans efforts, there is a seat at Red Bull up for grabs in 2014, and if Ricciardo can continue to produce drives of this quality, the chances of earning a promotion next year can only increase.

3) Jenson Button

Jenson Button made the best use of a two-stop strategy to overcome the shortcomings of his McLaren and take a strong fifth place.

Button drove an incredibly strong opening stint, making his tyres last for 21 laps, and he made his first stop at the same time as the rest of the leaders made their second.

The strength of the Englishman’s first stint of the race was such that after he pitted for the first time, he was actually running a net second. And although he didn’t have the pace to keep the trio of Raikkonen, Hamilton and Vettel behind him, an impressive fifth place finish will give both he and his team confidence as they look to fix the issues with the car over the coming races.

2013 Performance Podium Rankings
1) Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) – 12pts
2) Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus-Renault) – 10pts
2) Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) – 10pts
4) Adrian Sutil (Force India-Mercedes) – 5pts
4) Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) – 5pts
4) Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) – 5pts
7) Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) – 2pts
7) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 2pts
9) Jules Bianchi (Marussia-Cosworth) – 2pt

The Performance Podium rankings are calculated depending on where each driver places in each race. 1st place receives 10 points, 2nd place = 5pts, 3rd place = 2pts and an Honourable Mention = 1pt

Stephen D’Albiac

Brilliant Alonso storms to Shanghai victory

Fernando Alonso took his first win of the season with a scintillating drive at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Alonso passed poleman Lewis Hamilton for the lead at the start of the fifth lap and never looked back, the only thing troubling him from then on being the negotiation of those on different strategies after his pit stops.

Kimi Raikkonen finished second after getting the jump on Hamilton at the final round of pit stops, with the Lotus driver having an eventful race which included him damaging his front wing when Sergio Perez forced him off the track on lap 16.

Hamilton finished third, although he only just held off a charging Sebastian Vettel on the final lap, with the Red Bull driver’s mistake coming onto the back straight costing him the chance to launch an attack on the Mercedes in the DRS zone.

Jenson Button came home fifth after making a two-stop strategy work better than anyone else, with Felipe Massa following him home sixth.

Daniel Ricciardo produced a very impressive drive on his way to a career-best seventh, with Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg completing the points.

Eight drivers, including both Raikkonen and Vettel, were investigated for illegal use of the DRS under yellow flags after the race, but the stewards took no further action against them, meaning the result of the race stands as completed.

There were a number of other incidents throughout the race, with the most spectacular coming on the sixth lap when Esteban Gutierrez misjudged his braking point on the back straight and slammed into the back of Adrian Sutil, ending both their races. The Mexican’s mistake has earned him a five-place grid penalty for next week’s race in Bahrain.

It was also a race to forget for Webber, who after starting from the pit lane, stopped on the first lap of the race to get rid of the soft tyres, and jumped more than half the grid to move himself solidly into the points.

However, it all unravelled for the Australian when he collided with Jean-Eric Vergne, and then retired after his second pit stop went wrong and his right-rear wheel came loose, eventually parting company with his Red Bull on the exit of turn 14. To compound Webber’s misery, he has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix for causing the incident.

Nico Rosberg’s stunning run of form at Shanghai is also at an end after the Mercedes driver retired on the 22nd lap with a mechanical problem.

The result of today’s race means Vettel leaves Shanghai as the championship leader with 52 points, three points ahead of Raikkonen on 49, with Alonso’s win moving him up into the top three with 43 points.

Classification
1) Fernando Alonso (Esp) Ferrari – 1h36:26.945
2) Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus-Renault – + 10.100s
3) Lewis  Hamilton (GB) Mercedes – + 12.300s
4) Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault – + 12.500s
5) Jenson Button (GB) McLaren-Mercedes – + 35.200s
6) Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari – + 40.800s
7) Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Toro Rosso-Ferrari – + 42.600s
8) Paul di Resta (GB) Force India-Mercedes – + 51.000s
9) Romain Grosjean (Fra) Lotus-Renault – + 53.400s
10) Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari – + 56.500s
11) Sergio Perez (Mex) McLaren-Mercedes – + 1m03.800s
12) Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari – + 1m12.600s
13) Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams-Renault – + 1m33.800s
14) Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams-Renault – + 1m35.400s
15) Jules Bianchi (Fra) Marussia-Cosworth – + 1 lap
16) Charles Pic (Fra) Caterham-Renault – + 1 lap
17) Max Chilton (GB) Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18) Giedo van der Garde (Ned) Caterham-Renault – + 1 lap

Not Classified
19) Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
20) Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault21) Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes
22) Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) – Sauber-Ferrari

Stephen D’Albiac