With the win in Shanghai, third-placed Alonso is now just nine points behind Red Bull’s Vettel in the drivers’ championship table. PHOTO: REUTERS
SHANGHAI:
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso emerged unscathed to take victory yesterday in a drama-packed Chinese Grand Prix, with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton holding on for second and third.
A charging Sebastian Vettel came fourth, just 0.2 seconds behind Hamilton, after adopting a different tyre strategy from most of his rivals, while his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber failed to finish on a dreadful weekend for him.
Jenson Button, of McLaren, was fifth, and Alonso’s team-mate Felipe Massa sixth.
Daniel Ricciardo, of Toro Rosso, Force India’s Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean of Lotus and Nico Hulkenberg, of Sauber, rounded out
the top 10.
Going into the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend, reigning three-time world champion Vettel leads the drivers’ standings on 52 points, followed by Raikkonen (49), Alonso (43), Hamilton (40) and Massa (30).
Alonso said he was delighted to get his season back on track after retiring early in Malaysia last month. The two-time world champion was second, behind the rejuvenated Raikkonen, in the season-opening race in Melbourne.
“It feels good, it is a long time from my victory here (in Shanghai) eight years ago,” said the Spaniard, who narrowly lost out to Vettel for the world title last season. “It was not easy to understand this race sometimes. It wasn’t an easy race. The risk is there when you overtake.
“This is a good reward for the team after the disappointment in Malaysia. Let’s hope this is now the start of the championship and we need to keep going like that.”
Hamilton content with third-place finish
Hamilton, whose lead from pole position lasted only into lap five, when Alonso activated his DRS on the home straight, just held off the rampaging Vettel at the line to earn a second podium place for his new team.
“I’m really happy with today’s result and very happy for the team,” he said. “We didn’t quite have the pace of these two (Alonso and Raikkonen) but we’re very pleased to get on the podium.”
Meanwhile, it was a forgettable race for Webber, who started the race from the pits after a disastrous qualifying session. That run to the front was curtailed though on lap 16 when Jean-Eric Vergne, of Toro Rosso, cut across him.
Webber suffered damage to the front of his car and was called into the pits. But shortly afterwards the Australian inexplicably lost a right-rear tyre. Several cars had to swerve as the tyre rolled across the track. Webber’s bad weekend was over.
Raikkonen was in the thick of it, suffering slight damage when Sergio Perez, of McLaren, attempted to snuff out the Finn’s overtaking manoeuvre. “What the hell’s he doing?!” exclaimed the straight-talking Raikkonen over the team radio.
“I was surprised there was not more damage,” said the Finn. “I hit him quite hard, and was also surprised I didn’t have more problems. It was a good fight for second place and quite a good result in the end.”
Amid all the chaos, Alonso remained in full flow throughout, clocking the fastest lap time of the race, as Vettel – whose tyre strategy meant a late pit stop – Raikkonen and Hamilton scrapped it out for the other two podium places.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2013.
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