2008 Chinese Grand Prix

Championship standings

Hamilton leads on 84 points. Massa second on 79, a five-point gap with two races remaining. Kubica third on 72, Räikkönen fourth on 63. Ferrari lead the Constructors’ on 142 points, McLaren second on 135, BMW Sauber third on 128.

Previous race

Hamilton started from pole in Japan but received a drive-through penalty for braking late at the first corner and forcing Räikkönen wide. Massa then made contact with Hamilton on lap two, spinning him to the back of the field; both received penalties. Alonso won for the second consecutive race, Kubica second, Räikkönen third. Massa recovered to seventh. The gap between Hamilton and Massa closed by two points.

Championship permutations

With ten points on offer, it is possible that Hamilton could clinch the championship in Shanghai.

Background

Renault’s Fernando Alonso created controversy when he said “if I can help, I will help Massa.” His departure from McLaren after 2007 had been acrimonious, and his antipathy toward Hamilton is well documented. Hamilton declined to be drawn: “I don’t particularly have an opinion on it.”

Penalties

Mark Webber carries a ten-place grid penalty after his Red Bull’s engine failed on the back straight in FP3 on Friday, requiring an unscheduled change.

Practice

All three sessions ran on a dry track. Hamilton was fastest in both Friday sessions: FP1 at 1:35.630 ahead of Massa, Räikkönen and Kovalainen; FP2 at 1:35.750 with the Renaults next, followed by Trulli and Webber. Piquet drove into the gravel at the pit-lane entry in FP1 but rejoined. Bourdais spun at turn two and beached his car in the gravel late in FP2. Heidfeld led the Saturday session at 1:36.061, Hamilton second, Kubica third, Kovalainen fourth. Massa, Räikkönen and Alonso lacked pace and failed to reach the top ten.