2012 Chinese Grand Prix

Championship standings

Alonso leads the championship on 35 points after his win in Malaysia. Hamilton is second on 30, Button third on 25, Webber fourth on 24, and Pérez fifth on 22 after his stunning run to second in Sepang.

Previous race

Alonso won in Malaysia from Pérez and Hamilton in a race of extraordinary strategy. Pérez’s second place — Sauber’s first podium finish since 2010 — came on a single set of tyres across 43 laps. Vettel retired with an alternator failure. Räikkönen and Kovalainen lost five-place grid penalties but still scored points.

Between-race developments

Lotus F1 filed a formal protest against the Mercedes F1 W03’s front wing F-duct system before the Chinese Grand Prix, citing Article 3.15 of the technical regulations. The stewards heard the case on Thursday and unanimously rejected it; Lotus confirmed they would not appeal.

Hamilton carries a five-place grid penalty after McLaren changed his gearbox ahead of the race.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the white-banded medium compound as the prime tyre and yellow-banded soft compound as the option — the same combination as Australia.

Weather

Overcast but dry conditions are forecast for race day, with an air temperature of 22°C.