Live text
Formula 1
Chinese GP
2009 Chinese Grand Prix Race day at Shanghai International Circuit
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
Live Text
Sort by
Lap 46: Buemi did indeed need a final stop and he is in the pits, promoting Barrichello to fourth and Hamilton to fifth.
Lap 46: Kazuki Nakajima has retired from the Chinese Grand Prix. The Japanese showed good pace early in the race, but two spins in two laps saw him drop to the back of the field, and he had been losing pace since that time.
Lap 46: Vettel continues to lead by over 15 seconds from team-mate Webber. Button is third, with Sebastian Buemi a sensational fourth in the Toro Rosso - although he will have to make a final stop.
Rubens Barrichello is fifth, with Lewis Hamilton sixth from team-mate Kovalainen.
Rubens Barrichello is fifth, with Lewis Hamilton sixth from team-mate Kovalainen.
Lap 45: Kimi Raikkonen in 12th is about to be caught by Sebastien Bourdais, while further up the road Timo Glock is continuing to fly. Glock is tenth now and about to catch Heidfeld.
Lap 44: Barrichello pits his Brawn. They decide not to change the tyres at all and he comes out fifth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Lap 44: Nico Rosberg sets his personal fastest lap of the race on his first full lap on the intermediate tyres. His pace is still a touch slower than the fastest cars on full wet tyres at the moment.
Rosberg remains in 14th and is 20 seconds behind Sebastien Bourdais.
Rosberg remains in 14th and is 20 seconds behind Sebastien Bourdais.
Lap 43: Button's stop makes it Vettel from Webber, Barrichello, Button, Buemi and Hamilton.
Lap 43: Heikki Kovalainen has passed Adrian Sutil for seventh place on the last lap. It was a clean move in the first sector.
Lap 43: Button opts for the full wet tyres and resumes fourth.
Lap 43: Jenson Button pits as Vettel sets the fastest lap.
Lap 42: Rosberg took on intermediate tyres at that stop, and we will watch his laptime to see if he can move up the field in the final 15 laps. He is 14th.
Lap 42: The rain does appear to have eased in recent minutes, with something of a clear line forming on the track.
Lap 41: Rosberg pits at the end of the lap, promoting Glock to tenth. Rosberg exits the pits and can run to the end. He has dropped out of the top ten.
Lap 41: Vettel storms out of Turn 13 and sends a brilliant move down in to the hairpin to take the lead into lap 42.
Lap 41: Jenson Button leads by 1.2 seconds from Sebastian Vettel, who has made his final stop.
Vettel is very close behind and looking for a way past the leader.
Vettel is very close behind and looking for a way past the leader.
Lap 41: Timo Glock has passed Kimi Raikkonen in a battle for 11th place at the end of the back straight. He sent the Toyota up the inside under braking, to which Raikkonen didn't have an answer.
Glock is one second behind Nico Rosberg, and running one second per lap quicker than the Williams.
Glock is one second behind Nico Rosberg, and running one second per lap quicker than the Williams.
Lap 40: Webber resumes in third, ahead of Barrichello's Brawn.
Lap 40: Adrian Sutil has continued his strong run and is seventh at the moment. His pace has been very strong in the middle portion of the race. He is closing down Lewis Hamilton slowly, but is more concerned with Heikki Kovalainen who is right behind him currently.
Lap 39: Mark Webber pits from the lead, handing the advantage to Button for now.
Lap 39: Sebastian Vettel is quickly closing on Jenson Button in a fight for second. Vettel will be keen to pass the Brawn in case Button is already fuelled to the finish.
Lap 38: Fernando Alonso has spun away his ninth place in the Renault at Turn 13. He was closing up on Kovalainen, but looped the car comiing onto the back straight, promoting Heidfeld to ninth, Rosberg to tenth and Raikkonen to 11th place.
Lap 38: Mark Webber now leads in his Red Bull ahead of his final stop.
Lap 38: It is a clean stop for Vettel and he rejoins just behind Jenson Button in third.
Lap 38: A battle royal is taking place down the field for tenth place. Nick Heidfeld has Rosberg, Raikkonen and a recovering Timo Glock close to him.
Sebastien Bourdais is a bit further down in 14th place. He has just lost 15 seconds following a wild spin in the Toro Rosso.
Sebastien Bourdais is a bit further down in 14th place. He has just lost 15 seconds following a wild spin in the Toro Rosso.
Lap 37: Vettel pits from the lead.
Lap 37: Sebastian Vettel sets the fastest lap but it is immediately beaten by Webber as the Red Bull duo set a dominant pace at the front.
Lap 36: Fernando Alonso pits from fifth and he resumes behind Kovalainen in ninth.
Lap 36: Robert Kubica's charge through the order for a second time is about to be halted. The front nose of his BMW is coming adrift and he is due in the pits at the end of this lap to change it. He is tenth at the moment, but about to drop down the order.
Lap 35: Heikki Kovalainen also makes his single planned stop of the race.
Lap 35: Mark Webber sets another fastest lap as he closes slightly on Vettel's lead.
Lap 34: Giancarlo Fisichella pits from 15th place, for the first time this afternoon. He rejoins in 17th behind Bourdais and Nakajima.
Lap 34: Hamilton pits and makes it safely to his garage without visiting the infamous pitlane gravel trap. The world champion resumes in eighth after his one planned stop.
Lap 34: Webber is demonstrating the pace of the Red Bull in these conditions as he sets the fastest lap.
Lap 34: Kazuki Nakajima pits from 16th place in the Williams. He drops to 17th behind Bourdais, who is now setting very quick laptimes on his fresh wet tyres.
Lap 33: Lewis Hamilton remains fourth, behind Button, but is setting a good pace ahead of his single fuel stop.
Lap 33: Sebastian Vettel has an amazing 18 second lead over team-mate Mark Webber.
Lap 33: Fernando Alonso finally gets the job done, and has overtaken Sebastien Buemi for seventh place.
Lap 32: Alonso has another go at Buemi but can't get through into Turn 14.
Robert Kubica is now promoted to ninth, but he makes a mistake at the final corner of the lap and Adrian Sutil passes him. Sutil is ninth, Kubica tenth.
Robert Kubica is now promoted to ninth, but he makes a mistake at the final corner of the lap and Adrian Sutil passes him. Sutil is ninth, Kubica tenth.
Lap 32: Mark Webber fights back and is around the Brawn once again. It is a great scrap between these two over second place.
Lap 32: Button is back around Webber and is up to second once again.
Replays show Webber ran wide in the final corner.
Replays show Webber ran wide in the final corner.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
Published:
Lap:
