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Formula 1
Chinese GP
2009 Chinese Grand Prix Race day at Shanghai International Circuit
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Lap 31: The persistent rain does appear to be heavier at the moment.
Lap 31: Sebastien Buemi in seventh has done a great job in holding off the attentions of Fernando Alonso. The gap between them is less than a second ... as Bourdais pits from ninth place.
Lap 31: Webber is told on the radio they think he has three laps less fuel than Button, so he needs to pull out a five second gap on the Brawn GP car before his final stop.
Lap 30: Jenson Button has run wide at the Turn 14 hairpin and Mark Webber is through for second.
Button resumes from the mistake in third.
Button resumes from the mistake in third.
Lap 30: Timo Glock has been one of the quickest drivers on the circuit in recent laps. He has moved up to 16th, passing the spinning Nakajima and the crashed Piquet.
Timo did, however, spin a couple of laps ago, denting his progress.
Timo did, however, spin a couple of laps ago, denting his progress.
Lap 29: Lewis Hamilton is now fourth but will soon have to make a stop.
Lap 29: Nelson Piquet has aquaplaned at Turn 5, spinning wildly and smashing the front end of his Renault into one of the braking marker posts at the entrance to Turn 6.
The front end of the Renault is damaged, but Piquet keeps the engine going and is touring back to the pits.
The front end of the Renault is damaged, but Piquet keeps the engine going and is touring back to the pits.
Lap 29: Despite the offs for Nakajima and Piquet, Vettel continues to lead by now almost ten seconds from Button.
Jenson now has Mark Webber's Red Bull right behind him.
Jenson now has Mark Webber's Red Bull right behind him.
Lap 28: Nakajima goes off for a second time in two laps. This latest incident was at Turn 1. He makes it to the access road round the outside of Turn 1 and continues.
Lap 28: Kimi Resumes in 17th for the moment.
Lap 28: Raikkonen pits for his fuel and tyres to the finish.
Lap 28: Sebastien Buemi is coming under attack from Fernando Alonso. They are battling over eighth place, as Nakajima behind them runs wide at the final corner of the lap. He rejoins the track without losing his tenth place.
Lap 27: The Ferrari team are ready to pit Kimi Raikkonen.
Lap 27: Jenson Button is told on the radio that his team think relative fuel loads are the reason for the pace of Vettel. This suggests the Brawn GP team have put lots of fuel in Jenson's car.
Lap 27: The rain does seem to have intensified as the clock ticks through the first hour of the race.
Lap 25: Robert Kubica has somehow managed to continue in the race. Earlier, we saw him crash heavily into Jarno Trulli's Toyota, but the Pole pitted at the end of that lap and had the front end of his BMW repaired. The team did a great job and kept Robert on the lead lap.
Since the restart, he has moved up the field to 14th place and is charging after Adrian Sutil in the Force India.
Since the restart, he has moved up the field to 14th place and is charging after Adrian Sutil in the Force India.
Lap 25: Vettel continues to sprint away in the lead as he revels in these tricky conditions.
Jenson Button is second, with Webber, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kovalainen and Barrichello all in an equally-spaced pack behind the leader.
Jenson Button is second, with Webber, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kovalainen and Barrichello all in an equally-spaced pack behind the leader.
Lap 24: Timo Glock has visible front wing damage with the Toyota, and he pits from ninth, promoting Alonso into that place.
Glock gets a new nose and he rejoins the fray.
Glock gets a new nose and he rejoins the fray.
Lap 24: Vettel is extremely fast at this stage on his fresh tyres and with a clear track in front of him. He is now almost six seconds in the lead ahead of Button.
Lap 24: Rubens Barrichello is now seventh and slipping down the order, with Buemi eighth, Glock ninth. Fernando Alonso is up to tenth place, having passed Kazuki Nakajima on the last lap.
Lap 24: Sebastian Vettel sets the fastest lap as he surges to a 4.3 second lead over Button.
Lap 23: Kimi Raikkonen is now fifth with the McLaren of Kovalainen behind in sixth.
Lap 23: Hamilton is through and up to fourth behind Vettel, Button and Webber.
Lap 23: Vettel sprints away, as behind him Hamilton is harrying the back of Raikkonen's Ferrari.
Lap 23: The safety car comes into the pitlane and we are racing once again.
Lap 22: The safety car will pit at the end of this lap.
Lap 22: Lewis Hamilton is told by the team they think he will make it about another 11 laps on his fuel load, and they expect Kimi Raikkonen to pit two laps earlier.
Lap 22: Further incidents are occurring under the safety car. Buemi's rear wing damage reveals itself. He was closing in on Sebastian Vettel, but clipped the back end of the Red Bull driver as the safety car was being deployed.
Vettel currently leads the race, despite the moment. Buemi had the piece of his front wing removed from the rear wing of his car, and he rejoined in ninth.
The incident happened when they were both moving wide to pass the slowing Jarno Trulli, who had no rear wing on his Toyota. He has now retired from the race.
Vettel currently leads the race, despite the moment. Buemi had the piece of his front wing removed from the rear wing of his car, and he rejoined in ninth.
The incident happened when they were both moving wide to pass the slowing Jarno Trulli, who had no rear wing on his Toyota. He has now retired from the race.
Lap 22: Replays show Massa's engine spluttered to a halt.
Lap 21: The Ferrari has pulled to a halt on the back straight and he records his third no-score of the season.
Lap 21: Felipe Massa has stopped and is out of the race.
Lap 21: Sebastian Vettel leads from Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Rubens Barrichello and Heikki Kovalainen.
The Ferrari and McLaren drivers in the top eight have yet to stop, having started with much heavier cars than their rivals.
The Ferrari and McLaren drivers in the top eight have yet to stop, having started with much heavier cars than their rivals.
Lap 20: Barrichello has also been in for fuel and tyres.
Lap 20: Sebastien Buemi is in a fantastic fourth place, but he pits as well as the leader, with slight damage to the rear wing of his Toro Rosso.
Lap 20: Button refuels and gets out of the pits under a green light ahead of Felipe Massa.
Lap 19: Button pits his Brawn at the end of the lap under safety car.
Lap 19: This is bad timing for the Brawn GP pair as they are close to a pit stop.
Lap 19: Robert Kubica was perhaps charging a little too hard. He crashes heavily into the back of Jarno Trulli's slowing Toyota in the braking zone for Turn 16.
Trulli is touring round the circuit without a rear wing on the Toyota, while Kubica came in with heavy damage to the front end of his BMW F1.09.
Trulli is touring round the circuit without a rear wing on the Toyota, while Kubica came in with heavy damage to the front end of his BMW F1.09.
Lap 19: The safety car has been deployed.
Lap 18: There is a lot of debris on the road after a clash between Trulli and Kubica.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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