Vettel leads Red Bull one-two in Shanghai

Sebastian Vettel won his second Grand Prix and Red Bull’s first with a sensational drive in treacherous conditions, dominating from start to finish to run out a 11-second winner from team-mate Mark Webber, making it a Red Bull 1-2. So treacherous were conditions that the race was started behind the safety for the first eight laps, from when Vettel pulled clear, his win never truly in doubt.

A second safety car period mid-way through the race bunched the field up again, but Vettel was unfazed and drove peerlessly, which included a brilliant overtake manoeuvre on Jenson Button just before the Briton pitted for the second time.

Vettel secured RedBull’s first ever pole position

Sebastian Vettel secured Red Bull Racing’s debut pole position in a thrilling qualifying session in Shanghai this afternoon. Completing just one run in Q3, Vettel lapped in a time of 1m36.184s to displace team-mate Mark Webber from top spot, the Australian had clocked a 1m36.466s. Q2 had seen Vettel top the times, but the major surprise in Q3 was Fernando Alonso, who secured second place with a lap of 1m36.381s.

Behind Vettel, Alonso and Webber, the Brawn duo of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button endured their worst qualifying session of the season in fourth and fifth respectively, on times of 1m36.493s and 1m36.532s. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was next in 6th (1m36.835s), followed by Williams’ Nico Rosberg (1m37.397s), Kimi Raikkonen (1m38.089s), Lewis Hamilton (1m38.595s) and the ever-impressive Seabstien Buemi (1m39.321s).

Shanghai: Tech File

The Shanghai International Circuit is one of the most impressive facilities on the Grand Prix calendar. Like most of the circuits designed by Hermann Tilke, it features a wide variety of corners, both fast and slow, as well as a long straight followed by a tight hairpin which provides an ideal overtaking opportunity. Technically the circuit is a challenge for the drivers and engineers, not least the never-ending first corner which almost takes the cars through a full circle.

Aerodynamics
As with many modern circuits, Shanghai includes a mixture of high-speed corners and long straights which means the level of aerodynamic downforce has to be judged very carefully to protect position on the straights, without compromising grip in the corners. Turns 7 and 8 make up two of the high-speed corners and lead into the tricky double lefthander of turns 9 and 10.

Fernando explains: “Turns 7 and 8 are a fun part of the lap and you can really feel the performance of the cars here as we take these corners in 6th gear and there is plenty of grip. On the exit of turn 8 you’re straight into turn 9 where you have to be very precise as it’s a corner where you can find a lot of time. We take it in third gear and accelerate hard on the exit so that turn 10 is taken flat. Get it right and it’s a really rewarding section of the lap.”