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Formula 1 Chinese GP

Chinese GP final practice and qualifying

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Radio Comms
"I don't know what the f*** is going on - every time I push to the limiter I lose speed. I don't want to do another timed lap". Sounds like some minor engine drama for the other Red Bull too now.
Magnussen finally gets a proper time on the board - up to sixth now for the Haas, on the soft tyres, displacing the Force Indias of Perez and Ocon and bumping the Renaults down to ninth and 10th.
Better news for the other Red Bull, though, as Verstappen moves up to fourth, ahead of Hamilton and within a second of the pace now.
Radio Comms
"We've got to do something with the rear - especially in high speed it's really bad. The car feels disconnected from one corner to another". Trouble for Bahrain star Gasly, who is down in 16th at the moment in the Toro Rosso-Honda.
An improvement from Bottas on the second flying lap too, but still seven tenths off the pace.
Hamilton improves to 1m34.057s on his next lap, but that leaves him a second off title rival Vettel.
Information
Suspected turbo failure for Ricciardo, according to Red Bull's Christian Horner.
Hamilton was on a better lap too, but has lost lots of time in the final sector.
Stopwatch
Vettel goes back to the top with a 1m33.018s lap, that's 0.451s clear of Raikkonen. Bottas improves but he's 0.862s off the leading Ferrari.
Vettel is on a hot lap too and is nearly three tenths up on Bottas through sector one.
Mercedes fit the ultrasofts now, so a direct comparison with Ferrari coming up.
The VSC period has ended now, so the track is fully 'green' again.
Information
Current top 10 with 20 minutes left: 1 Raikkonen, 2 Vettel +0.220s, 3 Bottas +0.954s, 4 Sainz +1.113s, 5 Hamilton +1.338s, 6 Hulkenberg +1.372s, 7 Ricciardo +1.592s, 8 Alonso +1.895s, 9 Verstappen +1.982s, 10 Perez +2.025s.
Ricciardo climbs onto the back of a scooter to hitch a lift back to the pits. That's becoming a familiar process for him this year, sadly.
Just before that drama, Sainz managed to split the Mercedes drivers to go fourth fastest for Renault.
Radio Comms
Perez is warned to look out for oil on track following that Ricciardo car failure.
The marshals are now trying to push the car up the straight along the grass.
Yellow flag
Virtual safety car in sector three as Ricciardo climbs from the car and vaults the barriers.
Radio Comms
"I've got an issue" he says before pulling off to the side of the track.
Crash
Looks like engine failure for Ricciardo. Smoke pouring from the back of the Red Bull.
Stopwatch
Bottas has closed to within 0.7s of Vettel before Raikkonen finally displaces his Ferrari team-mate at the top with a 1m33.469s lap.
Ricciardo goes sixth fastest for Red Bull, but is warned to "beware" of the headwind into Turn 1, which is causing tailwind oversteer into Turn 2.
Edd Straw
Meanwhile, another trackside update from Edd Straw: That slight rear end instability on the McLaren on entry to the slower stuff is still there. Alonso had the rear misbehaving out the left-hander, which compromised his line on the crucial entry to the Long right.

By: Geoff Creighton

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