Shanghai has seen a combined 206 cars start the previous seven runnings, with 22 of those failing to see the chequered flag, making an 89.3% finish rate.

 

The 206 starters at Shanghai have raced for 31,332 laps in all, or 170,791 km. The most came in 2016, with the 31 entrants covering 27,849 km, for the only time more than 5,000 laps have been covered in China.

 

Click Here: liverpool mens jerseyThe LMP1 podium at Shanghai 2018 hosted a reunion of former F1 World Champions and McLaren F1 team-mates Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, the pair sharing a podium for the first time since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. Alonso’s Toyota TS050 featured Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi, whilst Button’s SMP Racing BR1 crew contained Vitaly Petrov – all former F1 drivers.

 

All four class lap records were broken in 2017, with Sebastien Buemi lapping the 5.451km circuit in 1m45.892s to set a new WEC race lap record.  Because of the heavy rain during the 2018 race, none of the 2017 records were broken.

 

Pedro Lamy (LMGTE AM) has both the race in Shanghai four times and in two different cars (Corvette in 2012 and Aston Martin in 2014 / 2016 / 2017).  The Portuguese driver has also the most class pole positions with five, all for Aston Martin (2014/2015/2016/2017/2018).

 

Julien Canal is the only driver to have won the race in Shanghai in two different classes (LMGTE Am in 2012 and LMP2 in 2014 and 2017)

 

G-Drive Racing has won the LMP2 class three times (2013, 2014 and 2016). 

 

Jackie Chan DC Racing won the LMP2 class in 2018, becoming the first Chinese flagged team to win at home in Shanghai.

 

The longest race distance was in 2016 with Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber winning after completing 1062.95km (195 laps).  This race distance was equalled in 2017.  

 

Ferrari has never won in the LMGTE Pro class at Shanghai.  Aston Martin won in 2012, 2013 and 2018, Porsche won in 2014 and 2015 and Ford in 2016 and 2017. 

 

Chevrolet won the LMGTE Am class in 2012 with Larbre Competition, in 2013 it was Ferrari with 8 Star Motorsports, Ferrari with AF Corse in 2015, Aston Martin Racing in 2014, 2016 and 2017, with Porsche taking their first class win in 2018 with Dempsey-Proton Racing.

 

Stefan Mucke has secured the LMGTE Pro pole position three times for two different manufacturers.  In 2013 and 2014 the German driver took pole position with Aston Martin, alongside Darren Turner, and in 2018 he took pole position with Olivier Pla for Ford in the American manufacturers final season in the WEC.

 

Pedro Lamy secured the LMGTE Am pole five times in the seven editions of the Shanghai race, four with Canadian driver Paul Dalla Lana. In 2019 Dalla Lana is looking to secure his fifth consecutive pole with his new teammates Darren Turner, who has three LMGTE Pro class poles in Shanghai, and Ross Gunn. 

 

Mike Conway, Nicki Thiim and Olivier Pla have all secured pole position for the race in Shanghai in two different classes.  Conway in LMP2 (2013) and LMP1 (2017/ 2018), Thiim in LMGTE Am (2013) and LMGTE Pro (2017) and Pla in LMP2 (2014) and LMGTE Pro (2018). 

 

Aston Martin has been the most successful brand in LMGTE qualifying taking the class pole on no less than 10 occasions from a maximum of 14 (6 in LMGTE Am and 4 in LMGTE Pro).

 

In LMP1 Alex Wurz secured pole position for Toyota in 2012 and 2013 (with Nicolas Lapierre), in 2014 Neel Jani and Romain Dumas and in 2015 and 2016 Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley took pole position for Porsche. In 2017 and 2018 Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway took pole for Toyota

 

The fastest pole position average lap was set in 2015 with a 1m42.719 by Brendon Hartley (1m42.621) and Mark Webber (1m42.818)

 

Lap Records

LMP1

S. Buemi

Toyota TS050-Hybrid

1m45.892

185.3kph

5 November 2017

LMP2

B. Senna

Oreca 07 – Gibson

1m51.793

175.5kph

5 November 2017

LMGTE Pro

O. Pla

Ford GT

2m02.154

160.6kph

5 November 2017

LMGTE Am

M. Dienst

Porsche 911 RSR (991)

2m03.531

158.9kph

5 November 2017

 

Shanghai International Circuit

Work started in April 2003 and in 18 months the area was transformed from swampland to an international racetrack with a team of 3000 engineers working around the clock.

 

The track layout was inspired from the Chinese character shang  (上) the first character in the name of the city Shanghai, meaning “above” or “ascend”.

 

Circuit Length:  5.451 km (3.387 miles) / 1170m: The length of the back straight at the Shanghai International Circuit.

 

Shanghai

With a population of 24,256,800 (in 2014), Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population and the largest city proper by population in the world.

 

Shanghai municipality area is 6,340.5 km2 or 2,448.1 sq miles

 

The two Chinese characters in the city’s name are 上 (shàng, “above”) and 海 (hǎi, “sea”), together meaning “Upon-the-Sea”.

 

Shanghai also has various nicknames in English, including “Pearl of the Orient” and “Paris of the East”.

Kimi Raikkonen’s long-time manager Steve Robertson says he was certain that the driver would find some way to stay in Formula 1 when his time at Ferrari finally came to an end.

“I knew that he would keep driving,” Robertson insisted. “If he did not stay at Ferrari, he would like to look at another option. And there are not many alternatives.”

The Finn began his F1 career at Sauber in 2001 before moving first to McLaren and then to Ferrari.

After a two year sabbatical from the sport he returned in 2012 with Lotus, before heading back to Ferrari in 2014 for another four seasons at Maranello alongside Sebastian Vettel.

With the Scuderia’s decision to promote Charles Leclerc next season, the 38-year-old took the chance to ‘swap’ places with the youngster and head back to Sauber in a surprise two-year deal rather than retire.

“Kimi loves driving,” Robertson explained. “He could have stopped, but he just loves driving at the top in Formula 1.”

“He has been with F1’s iconic team for eight years, which is incredible,” he added. “Now he may decide to end his career at the team where he started it.

• Vettel admits he’ll be sad to see Raikkonen go

Raikkonen admitted that this was likely to be his last deal in F1. “There’s a big chance for sure. I will stop when I feel it is right for me,” he said last week.

Raikkonen had been told by Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene before the Italian Grand Prix that they weren’t renewing his contract for another year.

“This is what happened. It’s not up to me and it’s not my decision,” Raikkonen replied when about the process. “This is the outcome. At least we have an outcome.”

The idea that he would head back to Sauber had been at Kimi’s instigation, and it came together remarkably quickly.

“I obviously know people from the past and it started after that,” commented Raikkonen.

“Kimi had a meeting with them first and then he handed over to me,” Robertson told C Morelle. “They were interested and Kimi made it clear that he was interested.

“Then he gave me a job and we did [the deal] as we have throughout his career,” he added.

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Artur Kubica, the father of Williams driver Robert Kubica, sees his son’s return to the F1 grid in 2019 as a “miracle” given the ordeal he was forced to surmount.

The Polish driver’s return to Grand Prix racing has been well chronicled and was made effective recently when Williams announced that the 33-year-old would be included in the team’s line-up for next season.

Since almost severing his right arm eight years ago in a horrendous rally crash, it’s been a long and painful road back to the grid for Kubica, marked by a massive physical and mental battle.

“If miracles happen, then yes, it is a miracle,” Artur Kubica told Polish broadcaster TVN24.

“It was an uphill struggle for him. I remember when after six months, his leg had healed and then he broke it again. Such cases can destroy you psychologically.

Williams: Reserve role in 2018 key to Kubica’s return to F1

Professor Mario Igor Rossello, the surgeon who led the team that oversaw Kubica immediately after his tragic crash remembers the uncertainty surrounding the driver’s medical situation.

“We had to fight to keep him alive,” said the Italian doctor. “The fact that we saved his hand was an additional reward.”

Kubica’s return to F1 is perhaps the greatest comeback in the history of the sport, but the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix winner admits that there were days when he almost lost hope.

“Nobody knows exactly how much surgery I had,” he said.

“Certainly more than there are races in Formula 1, and many that were unsuccessful and put me back six months.”

When the lights go out in Melbourne next March, a beaming Artur Kubica will be watching.

“Today I’m happy that he is where he is. I am proud to be his father.”

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Lance Stroll has been all but confirmed as Sergio Perez’s team mate at Force India next year, but the Canadian will run with his father’s team as next week’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi.

It’s a logical step for the 20-year-old now former Williams driver who will enjoy a head start on his 2019 programme with the pink outfit.

Force India calls out ‘hypocrisy’ of Haas protest

According to a tweet from Force India published earlier today, Tuesday’s schedule should see Perez begin the day before handing duties over to Stroll for the afternoon, while the Canadian is expected to get a full day in the car on Wednesday.

.@SChecoPerez and @lance_stroll will be testing for @ForceIndiaF1 in the @pirellisport test next week.

Schedule:
Day 1 – AM: Sergio
Day 1 – PM: Lance

Day 2 – Lance

— Racing Point Force India F1 (@ForceIndiaF1) November 25, 2018

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Several drivers will be making premature switches to their 2019 teams next week. Kimi Raikkonen will join Sauber, while Charles Leclerc will cross paths with the Finn when he hooks up with Ferrari.

Daniil Kvyat will return to action with Toro Rosso, Robert Kubica and George Russell will get down to work with Williams, and Carlos Sainz will enjoy an early run with McLaren.

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has added his voice to the ranks of pundits advising Max Verstappen to get on top of his tendency towards ‘red mist’ in crucial situations.

Wolff was responding to the events of the Brazilian Grand Prix in which Verstappen was spun out of the lead of the race due to contact with Estaban Ocon.

Although the incident was caused by the Force India trying to unlap himself, Verstappen was criticised by race winner Lewis Hamilton for not being more aware of the potential danger posed by the situation.

Verstappen subsequently had a physical altercation with the Frenchman in parc ferme for which he was handed two days ‘community service’ by the FIA. Ocon himself was given a ten-second stop-and-go penalty during the race for causing the collision.

• Verstappen felt ‘provoked’ by Ocon in parc fermé

Wolff said that the first 44 laps of the Brazilian GP proved the Dutch driver’s huge talent, and that the rest would come in time with experience.

“You can see there is a future champion coming together – unbelievable talent and speed,” he said.

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“Once the raw edges are off, he will be somebody who will be a world champion one day,” Wolff added.

“In a few years, he will look at the footage of [the race in Brazil] and maybe have his own opinion as to whether that was the right behaviour or not.

“But you can’t accelerate those things,” he pointed out. “This is a learning process.”

Wolff dismissed reported accusations from Red Bull motorsports consultant Dr Helmut Marko that Ocon had deliberately punted Verstappen off the track in order to help Hamilton win the race.

Marko suggested that Ocon had done so in order to ensure he would be handed a race seat with the Silver Arrows in 2020, but Wolff said that such suggestions were without foundation.

“This is how Dr Marko sees the world, and I want to leave it with that,” he said. “I don’t want to go on this level.”

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Beyond his performance which saw him top the time sheet of the final day of post-season testing at Abu Dhabi, Charles Leclerc concluded his day with a very special feeling inside.

The young Ferrari star picked up where his 2019 team mate Sebastian Vettel had left off the day before, running through the Scuderia’s testing programme while also setting the pace around Yas Marina.

Leclerc comfortably tops final day of post-season testing

But above all, it was a milestone moment for the 21-year-old, who felt that he had officially entered a privileged club, those who have had the honour over the past 68 years to belong to the House of Maranello.

“Of course it was emotional,” commented Leclerc.

“Because driving a Ferrari is special and because this was a day I had been waiting for, for so long without being sure if it would ever happen.

“I am pleased about that and with the work we did. We got through all our programme which centred on comparison testing between this and next year’s tyres.

“For me, it was important because I also got to know the team better, although some were no strangers to me given my time with the Ferrari Driver Academy.

“Over the next few weeks, I will work to be in the best possible shape and to learn from everyone in the team and my team-mate. I can’t wait for next season to start…”

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McLaren rookie Lando Norris will be shooting for the stars next year in his first season of Grand Prix racing, hoping to hit the moon.

The 19-year-old British hopeful has been promoted to a race seat with McLaren, with the Woking team’s line-up also including the vastly more experienced Carlos Sainz.

Ambitious and determined to stake his claim in F1 following his success in motorsport’s junior ranks, Norris has – by his own admittance – set himself a bold target for his maiden year at the top.

“My ideal aim is to beat Carlos at every race, and in every qualifying session,” he affirmed, speaking at the launch on Tuesday of the McLaren OnePlus 6T phone.

“That is an unrealistic goal to set at the moment but I will do the best job I can and complete as much preparation as I can to be ready for it.”

Norris would welcome ‘very valuable’ Alonso feedback

It’s obviously a tall order for the talented young gun who will have a whole set of challenges to contend with as a rookie in 2019.

“Every year when I have gone into a new series, my team-mate will have had one, maybe two seasons in that discipline, whereas Carlos is heading into his fifth year in F1, so that’s a big difference,” he adds.

“There are also some circuits I haven’t been to before – Singapore, Montreal, Melbourne – and tracks like Monaco where it is not always easy to be super-quick in an F1 car straightaway.

“But, of course, I would like to beat him, and that is my aim, and my goal.”

Norris won’t be the only British apprentice on next year’s grid, with reigning Formula 2 champion George Russell also out to prove his worth with Williams.

Inevitably, the two young men will be under a lot of scrutiny, which Norris views as another source of pressure.

“If anything there will be more pressure knowing that there is another guy you can be compared to,” says the McLaren junior.

“If he does really well and beats me in some areas it will be a bad thing for me.

“If I was the only rookie then I can’t be compared to anyone other than my team-mate, and I could look like a hero even if I am doing really badly.

“But it’s a good thing he is in Formula 1 and I do look forward to the races next year, wherever we are on the grid.”

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Ross Brawn believes a maturing Max Verstappen has tempered his on-track boldness, but without losing any of his speed or aggression.

Verstappen endured a difficult start to his 2018 season following a series of incidents and mistakes that required a reset of his approach, with more discipline and a little less willingness for risk.

Stabilisation and more consistent results ensued, the Dutchman winning in Austria and Mexico, and outscoring team mate Daniel Ricciardo in the Driver’s championship.

Horner: Verstappen now the centre of attention at Red Bull

The Aussie’s departure has left the 21-year-old as Red Bull’s de facto team leader for 2019 alongside new recruit Pierre Gasly, a role that should allow Verstappen to flourish says Brawn.

“It’s easy to forget how young he is,” says F1’s sporting manager.

“If you think of yourself at that age, with the exposure and pressure, what he is doing is pretty special.

“What we are seeing with Max is a great maturing of his approach, losing none of his speed and aggression but just being a bit more tempered in terms of how he attacks things.

“In the right car and right team, he’s world champion material for sure. Max will be the known reference in the team in 2019.”

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