Pre-GP Stats Analysis: China

A fifty-race drought

The last race won by an Italian driver is the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix and thus Italy faces a winning drought that will reach 50 races in China this weekend if the race isn't won by Jarno Trulli or Giancarlo Fisichella.

This is not the longest dearth of wins for Italy. From the 1966 US Grand Prix to the 1975 German Grand Prix, Italy went 113 races without a win. Vittorio Brambilla ended the drought at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1975, but then another winless streak began and this lasted exactly 100 races before Riccardo Patrese won for Brabham at Monte Carlo in 1982.

There was then another winless period that amounted to 69 races from the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix to the 1989 Spanish Grand Prix - this time brought to an end by Alessandro Nannini, who inherited the Japanese GP when Ayrton Senna was excluded. But the longest period in history without an Italian winner went from the 1992 Australian Grand Prix to the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, a total of 168 races.

The final countdown

Lewis Hamilton heads into the final two races with a five-point advantage over Felipe Massa and 12 over Robert Kubica.

There are three mathematical chances for him to have the 11-point advantage he would need to seal the title after the Chinese Grand Prix:

Hamilton   Massa                Kubica
Winner     Fifth or worse       Any result
Second     Seventh or worse     Any result
Third      Outside the points   Second or worse

If there is a ten-point difference between Hamilton and Massa after China, the count of the race classifications would come into play in case of a tie at the end of the championship, opening up many possibilities. At the moment the situation is as follows:

            Wins  Second  Third
Hamilton     4      2      3
Massa        5      1      2

China personal scorecard

• Kimi Raikkonen has climbed onto the podium three times out of four in the Chinese Grand Prix, winning last year, coming second in 2005, and third in 2004.

• Felipe Massa has scored points three times out of four, retiring only in 2006. His best result came last year with a third place.

• Nick Heidfeld's best result is a seventh place scored both in 2006 and 2007.

• Robert Kubica has never scored points in China, finishing 13th in 2006. He was up to fifth in that race, but risked the grooved tyres too early on a track that was drying and was forced to make another pit stop within one lap to put back on the intermediates.

• Fernando Alonso won in 2005 and was second both in 2006 and 2007. A fourth place in 2004 completes the scenario: the Spaniard always finished in the points.

• Nico Rosberg has never made it into the top ten in China, both in qualifying and in the races. His best result is an 11th place at the end of the 2006 race.

• David Coulthard finished ninth in his first three Chinese Grands Prix and last year obtained his best result, an eighth place starting from fifth on the grid.

• Mark Webber's best result came in 2005 with a seventh place. Seventh is also his best grid placement, obtained last year.

• China has been a terrible race for Jarno Trulli, who has never made it into the top ten. His best qualifying effort produced a 12th in 2005 and 2007 and last year he obtained is best race result in 13th.

• Jenson Button has always scored points in China. He was second in 2004, then eighth, fourth and fifth last year.

• Rubens Barrichello recorded his last win to date in the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix starting from pole. After that he was in the points only in 2006 with a sixth place.

• Giancarlo Fisichella finished in the points in his first three races run in China, recording a podium (third) in 2006. Last year he was only 11th.

Fernando Alonso celebrates his 7th victory of the 2005 season in the Chinese Grand Prix © LAT

Other notes on the Chinese Grand Prix

• Ferrari have won the race three times out of four. The only time they missed the top step of the podium was in 2005, when serious tyre problems left Barrichello only 12th. Michael Schumacher retired after a spin when the safety car was deployed. Ferrari scored pole only in 2004. Last year's victory was Ferrari 200th win.

• McLaren have never won a Chinese Grand Prix, importing a second place both in 2005 and 2007 as their best result.

• Renault won the race in 2005 and in 2006 recorded their 50th pole, the last one to date for the French team.

• BMW Sauber suffered their last mechanical failure in the Chinese Grand Prix a year ago.

• The only time a Toyota was in the points in the Chinese Grand Prix was in 2005, with a third place for Ralf Schumacher.

• Williams scored their last points in China in 2006, with an eighth by Mark Webber.

Anniversaries of the race weekend

October 17th 1981, Las Vegas. On the new Las Vegas track, designed inside the Caesar's' Palace parking lot, the final race of the season took place, with Carlos Reutemann (49 points), Nelson Piquet (48) and Jacques Laffite (43) all in contention for the title.

After qualifying the situation seemed favourable for Reutemann, who was on pole in front of teammate Jones; Piquet was fourth and Laffite only 12th. Reutemann started awfully and Jones passed him, pulling away to a solitary win, while Carlos was only fifth after the first lap, but still leading the championship, as Laffite was seventh and Piquet eighth.

The problems for Reutemann started after a few laps, when his gearbox started to jam and he found difficult to change gears, slowing considerably. Piquet passed him on the 17th lap rather easily and the same scene repeated also when he was passed by other drivers, raising questions about his determination.

After Piquet's pass, Nelson and Reutemann, for different reasons, continued their race to the title in slow motion: Piquet towards mid-race started to suffer from the heat and his helmet wobbled dramatically at every corner, while Carlos was left without fourth gear. At the end of the race Piquet was fifth and Reutemann only eighth.

Piquet was in a complete state of exhaustion after the race, his overalls covered with vomit and he was unable to climb out of the car. After 15 minutes he was lifted from his Brabham and was then able to start celebrating his first world title.