10:07: And that about wraps up our coverage today, thanks for joining us and be sure to be back with us for the start of the European season, Barcelona, on 11th May. Adios, and thanks again!

10:03: And the Constructors' it's Mercedes leading the way with a massive 154 points. 2nd is Red Bull on 57, ahead of Force India (54), Ferrari (52) and McLaren (43).

10:01: So these are the updated drivers' standings. Four points the difference for Hamilton and Rosberg

FIA Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship

 
 

Driver

Country

Team

Points

1

Nico Rosberg

Ger

Mercedes

79

2

Lewis Hamilton

GB

Mercedes

75

3

Fernando Alonso

Spa

Ferrari

41

4

Nico Hulkenberg

Ger

Force India

36

5

Sebastian Vettel

Ger

Red Bull

33

6

Daniel Ricciardo

Aus

Red Bull

24

7

Valtteri Bottas

Fin

Williams

24

8

Jenson Button

GB

McLaren

23

9

Kevin Magnussen

Den

McLaren

20

10

Sergio Perez

Mex

Force India

18

11

Felipe Massa

Brz

Williams

12

12

Kimi Raikkonen

Fin

Ferrari

11

13

Jean-Eric Vergne

Fra

Toro Rosso

4

14

Daniil Kvyat

Rus

Toro Rosso

4

15

Romain Grosjean

Fra

Lotus

0

16

Adrian Sutil

Ger

Sauber

0

17

Esteban Gutierrez

Mex

Sauber

0

18

Max Chilton

GB

Marussia

0

19

Kamui Kobayashi

Jpn

Caterham

0

20

Pastor Maldonado

Ven

Lotus

0

21

Jules Bianchi

Fra

Marussia

0

22

Marcus Ericsson

Swe

Caterham

0

9:59: Lewis Hamilton: "The fans have been incredible, I felt a lot of energy. It's been hard work from the team again. I still can't believe how good the car is, and how hard the team have worked.

"After P2 we had to make a lot changes, and it worked perfectly, so I was just racing myself. I'm glad to see Nico up here too, it's great for the team."

Nico Rosberg: "The whole weekend was really bad for me, no telemetry in the race so no communication, but I'm pleased with 2nd. I'm looking forward to a normal weekend in Barcelona. Attack, attack again."

Fernando Alonso: "It was a good weekend, we improved the car from the first few races.

"That's a nice surprise, and I'm happy with a podium today and now I'm 3rd in the drivers' championship. There was big contact with Felipe Massa on lap one but the car was ok, we managed to finish the race, luckily."

9:53: Rosberg does not look too pleased... he doesn't like finishing 2nd to Hamilton does he?

9:52: 'God Save the Queen' rings out on the podium, with 'Deutschland Uber Alles' right behind for Nico Rosberg. And Hamilton lifts the trophy high. Ron Meadows, team manager at Mercedes, takes the constructors' trophy.

9:49: 1) Lewis Hamilton 2) Nico Rosberg 3) Fernando Alonso 4) Daniel Ricciardo 5) Sebastian Vettel 6) Nico Hulkenberg 7) Valtteri Bottas 8) Kimi Raikkonen 9) Sergio Perez 10) Daniil Kvyat 11) Jenson Button 12) Jean-Eric Vergne 13) Kevin Magnussen 14) Pastor Maldonado 15) Felipe Massa 16) Esteban Gutierrez 17) Kamui Kobayashi 18) Jules Bianchi 19) Max Chilton 20) Marcus Ericsson 21) Romain Grosjean (Ret.) 22) Adrian Sutil (Ret.)

9:45: So plain sailing for Lewis Hamilton, as we prepare for the celebrations. The Brit pulls up and fist pumps like no tomorrow. Rosberg stays top of the overall standings, but the gap is shortening. We'll have all the reaction and standings soon

9:44: The top ten: 1) Hamilton 2) Rosberg 3) Alonso 4) Ricciardo 5) Vettel 6) Hulkenburg 7) Bottas 8) Raikkonen 9) Perez 10) Kvyat

9:43: And Lewis Hamilton wins the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix!

9:41: Lap 56: Final lap, and it's Hamilton all the way. It'll be his first hat-trick - three races in a row - in F1. "There's no chequered flag" says a bemused Hamilton. Think he might have miscounted there. One more lap to go, Lewis

9:40: Lap 55: Two laps left, and Ricciardo's hopes of getting ahead of Alonso and pipping him to 3rd are all but dashed. Too little, too late. But still, 4th for Ricciardo is a triumph, and he looks set to outperform his team-mate Vettel

9:38: Lap 54: Three to go, Hamilton 15 seconds ahead of Rosberg as we move on

9:36: Lap 53: Four laps remaining, which is the gap in seconds between Alonso (3) and Ricciardo (4). Perez having a go at Raikkonen in eighth, but being told not to by his team. "Get the car home" is the message from Force India

9:34: Lap 52: Ricciardo gaining on Alonso, whose tyres are failing. Maldonado is between the two, which will assist the Red Bull man with a bit of DRS advantage

9:33: Lap 51: Max Chilton, 23 tomorrow, is about to finish his 23rd consecutive Grand Prix. The magic number then, but he's just had to pit again, bizarrely with 5 laps to go. He's still ahead of Caterham's Ericsson though

9:32: Lap 50: Perez - VAVEL's driver to look - has been the unsung star here, moving up seven places to 9th from the grid position of 16th. Another point for the Mexican, who was so impressive to take a podium in Bahrain

9:30: Lap 49: A Mercedes one-two in prospect, and Lewis Hamilton set to take his 25th race win, which would match legend Niki Lauda's record

9:29: Lap 48: Looks like Alonso has Ricciardo covered going into the last 9, he's got more pace in the tyres and has used less fuel than the Aussie

9:27: Lap 47: Top 10 is Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Ricciardo, Vettel, Hulkenburg, Bottas, Raikkonen, Perez, Kvyat, which would be great news for Mercedes, adequate for Ferrari, acceptable for Red Bull and good for Force India

9:25: Lap 46: Into the last stage, it's Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Ricciardo, Vettel, Hulkenburg, Bottas, Raikkonen, Perez, Kvyat

9:24: Lap 45: Will Ricciardo have enough laps left to get ahead of Alonso. He's cut the gap to 5 seconds, having shaved off 3 seconds in 5 laps. With 11 laps left, is he favourite for 3rd? Alonso's just done his personal best for the race so maybe not

9:22: Lap 44: Jules Bianchi currently winning the battle of the minor teams, the Marussia man running 17th

9:19: Lap 43: Button 11th, and his hope of a points finish are decreasing by the minute. Back out in front and Ricciardo could have a chance of pipping Alonso to 3rd at this rate

9:17: Lap 42: Hamilton looks a dead cert for 1st, and Rosberg moves ahead of Alonso, who drops to 3rd. Rosberg tearing away

9:15: Lap 41: Rosberg with plenty of fuel in hand, still gaining on Alonso, gunning for a 2nd place that would keep him top of the drivers' championship

9:13: Lap 40: Bottas's telemetry still not working, hence no fuel data for the Finn, and the big finale looks set to be can Rosberg move ahead of Alonso? It looks like it, but you never know

9:11: Lap 39: Entering the last third of the race now and Hamilton is heading in for his second stop, as Maldonado manages to pass Gutierrez without flipping him on his head. Well done Pastor. Second place nowhere in sight for Hamilton

9:10: Lap 38: Maldonado challenging Gutierrez for 14th. We know what happened in Bahrain when the Venezuelan clashed with the Sauber man...

9:08: Lap 37: Lewis Hamilton still flying, 19 seconds ahead of Rosberg in 2nd, with Ricciardo 3rd ahead of Alonso, who is the only one of those who has pitted twice

9:06: Lap 36: Ricciardo needs to look his fuek usage. Again. He's used the most of everyone so far, almost 63kg. He can't afford another DQ

9:04: Lap 35: Vettel has just been passed by Kobayashi. Yeah, really. That really annoys the German, whose tyres are shot but being told to stay out by his team. Now Kobayashi needs yto put a step on if he's to avoid being blue-flagged

9:03: Lap 34: Maldonado sat 11th, up from 22nd. But he's only stopped once. The battle goes on between Rosberg (3) and Alonso (2) but the latter goes in for his 2nd stop. That costlesss up the track for Rosberg

9:01: Lap 33: Raikkonen has stopped twice, and is down in 9th, but when Jean-Eric Vergne pits it will costless the Finn up

8:59: Lap 32: Rosberg challenging Alonso for 2nd, it's a 1.2 second gap between them. Could be a matter of time until the Spaniard gets passed

8:57: Lap 31: Hamilton 13 seconds clear of Alonso, plain sailing for the Brit? Hulkenburg impressive again, the Force India man running 6th. What a talent

8:55: Lap 30: Yellow flag! But it soon disappears, it was Grosjean going off the track. Big problems for the Frenchman. Looks like he's heading for the pits, to retire. The first retirement for Lotus at the Chinese Grand Prix. Good qualifying for Grosjean, just unlucky here

8:54: Lap 29: Grosjean could be heading for a retirement, his 4th gear isn't working, so he's having to skip it. Lotus's woes may continue

8:51: Lap 28: Magnussen flying up the pack, he's targeting 14th now, challenging Gutierrez. He was 21st not so long ago, but still disappointing for McLaren so far today. Magnussen passes him just before Turn One

8:50: Lap 27: But Ricciardo does move past, Vettel pulling out rather than risking contact, and the Australian is up to 4th

8:48: Lap 26: And no, Vettel is refusing the team orders, he's staying ahead of Ricciardo, "tough luck" says the German over team radio. Who's running the team Seb?

8:46: Lap 25: Wow, how times change.. Ricciardo being let through by Vettel after team orders. Is it going to happen?

8:45: Lap 24: And that's opened the door for Ricciardo, who's moving up just behind Vettel, who is slightly shy of Rosberg. Hamilton leads by 6.7 secs from Alonso. Ricciardo with DRS on Vettel, but the threat is covered for now

8:43: Lap 23: Rosberg trying to get past Vettel into third, but it's just not happening right now. Cornering is a strength of this Red Bull, and that's why it's tough. But he does squirm through eventually, good battle ensuing. But Rosberg up to 3rd

8:41: Lap 22: Red Bull team radio, to Daniel Ricciardo: "Only the Mercedes is quicker than you at the moment, you're quicker than Fernando and Sebastian". Ricciardo: "Understood." I think we'll see him challenge soon

8:40: Lap 21: Hamilton's lead over Alonso back up to around 5.5 secs, with Vettel and Rosberg further back

8:38: Lap 20: Rosberg (4) gaining on Vettel (3) each lap, and is gearing up for a charge for the podium. Magnussen flying past the stragglers, he's up to 15th now after passing Maldonado and Kobayashi

8:36: Lap 19: Magnussen finally pits as well, Massa has moved himself off the bottom, past Marcus Ericsson of Caterham to 20th. Valterri Bottas flying the flag for Williams, though. He's 7th and looking good for it

8:35: Lap 18: And Hamilton finally pits, on the pit lane that cost him the 2007 world championship, when he got stuck in the gravel. No repeat of that here, and out he comes. Alonso closes the gap to the Brit to just 3.5 secs

8:34: Lap 17: And now Grosjean going past Magnussen, who needs to pit here, his tyres look shot to bits. He's dropped to 10th

8:32: Lap 16: And Ricciardo pits from 2nd, comes out 5th. Raikkonen (9) is lining up Magnussen (8), who hasn't pitted yet, and passes him with ease on fresher tyres. Steady from the Finn so far

8:29: Lap 15: Vettel challenging Alonso with DRS, but the Ferrari is pulling away! Good pace here from Alonso, and Raikkonen running in 12th. Bottas has passed Gutierrez with Vettels still attempting to pass Alonso

8:28: Lap 14: This race on a knife edge at the moment, could be a thrilling last 10 laps if things stay the same, it's like chess, this. Rosberg comes into the pits, and comes back out miles behind Alonso and Vettel

8:27: Lap 13: Gutierrez currently running 9th, up from 17th! Now that is a jump, but it doesn't allow for him to pit stop, admittedly. Fernando Alonso moves 2nd, ahead of Vettel

8:25: Lap 12: All going onto the medium tyres now, everybody starting to pit. Hamilton, Vettel, Ricciardo and Rosberg - the top four - haven't yet pitted.

8:23: Lap 11: Nightmare for Massa! It's a botched pit stop from Williams, a mistake in the tyres, which weren't prepared properly, and maybe that stems from his collision on lap one. He's now running last, after pitting in sixth. Bang goes his chances of a podium

8:22: Lap 10: The McLaren not showing us much here at the moment, Magnussen in 14th and Button running 20th

8:20: Lap 9: More good news for Hamilton, there are no telemetry problems, the issues are only affecting the left-hand side of Rosberg's car. Bizarre. Also, Massa has the same problem for Williams

8:18: Lap 8: Vettel stays ahead of Alonso, and Hamilton is pulling away by more than a second a lap. A testament to the Mercedes' awesome pace, he's eight and a half secs ahead of Vettel

8:15: Lap 7: three retirements in a row for Sutil this season, as Alonso homes in on 3rd placed Vettel. The Ferrari looking much improved so far

8:13: Lap 6: Adrian Sutil has retired, after contact and damage, as Hamilton stretches out his advantage further. His team have no telemetrics data at the moment, but it's not affecting them at the minute

8:12: Lap 5: Felipe Massa is a lucky boy not to have lost a wheel in his clash with Alonso, the Brazilian would have been at fault, for sure. Wildly flailing across the grid sideways, as we reflect on Alonso's hot start

8:10: Lap 4: Maldonado already up to 18th, great news for Lotus, as Grosjean is holding off former team-mate Kimi Raikkonen to stay 9th. So it's Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso as it stands

8:09 Lap 3: Championship leader Nico Rosberg is 6th, he'll have a lot of overtaking to do today. What has happened to Jenson Button? Up to 13th, but a long way to go to repair the damage of his poor start. Hamilton leads, going fastest

8:08: Lap 2: Vettel is second, good start for the German, and Massa took a whack from a Ferrari on turn one, but he appears to suffering no effects, he's 5th

8:06: Lap 1: Massa with a great start, up to 5th, and Alonso leaps up to 3rd, with Hamilton and Ricciardo leading the pack. Button has had a nightmare, down in 14th

8:04: And it's lights out!

8:03: And the usual abundance of Finnish flags for Kimi Raikkonen, as we're preparing to line up for the start

8:00: And we're about to start the formation lap now, heat shimmering off the track at the moment

7:58: A fair few Union Jacks in the crowd today, presumably for Lewis Hamilton. Or perhaps they could be for Max Chilton too, who still has never failed to complete an F1 race. Or maybe it's just some die-hards yearning for a Paul di Resta return. One to ponder..

7:56: Over 100,000 fans in at the Shanghai circuit, all hoping for a cracker, just like the last one in Bahrain. We're certainly hoping for the same, on this pleasant Chinese Sunday afternoon

7:53: Latest weather forecast, fresh from China: "Mostly/wholly dry (25% chance of light shower); variable cloud; some brighter spells. Max 19C, track 24C; wind North-easterly."

7:50: Ten minutes to go, so settle down, grab a coffee and follow this commentary for all the thrills and spills of the Chinese Grand Prix 2014

7:45: Can the Ferrari find some pace today, after their disappointing time in Bahrain? Fernando Alonso starting 5th, and Kimi Raikkonen - so disappointing since rejoining the 'Prancing Horse' - is way down in 11th

7:39: So again, to recap how the drivers will line up on the grid today. Mercedes and Red Bull look the big winner, but what about the race? The qualifying pace of Hamilton was simply staggering, but different conditions and a different dilemma today

Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1 L. Hamilton Mercedes 1:55.516 1:54.029 1:53.860
2 D. Ricciardo Red Bull 1:56.641 1:55.302 1:54.455
3 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:55.926 1:54.499 1:54.960
4 N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:56.058 1:55.294 1:55.143
5 F. Alonso Ferrari 1:56.961 1:55.765 1:55.637
6 F. Massa Williams 1:56.850 1:56.757 1:56.147
7 V. Bottas Williams 1:56.501 1:56.253 1:56.282
8 N. Hulkenburg Force India 1:55.913 1:56.847 1:56.366
9 J-E. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:57.477 1:56.584 1:56.773
10 R. Grosjean Lotus 1:58.411 1:56.407 1:57.079
11 K. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:58.279 1:56.860  
12 J. Button McLaren 1:57.783 1:56.963  
13 D. Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:57.261 1:57.289  
14 A. Sutil Sauber 1:58.138 1:57.393  
15 K. Magnussen McLaren 1:57.369 1:57.675  
16 S. Perez Force India 1:58.362 1:58.264  
17 E. Gutierrez Sauber 1:58.988    
18 K. Kobayashi Caterham 1:59.260    
19 J. Bianchi Marussia 1:59.326    
20 M. Ericsson Caterham 2:00.646    
21 M. Chilton Marussia 2:00.865    
22 P. Maldonado (DNQ) Lotus No Time    

7:35: Shanghai Circuit, China

Lap length 5.451km (3.387 miles)
Race laps 56
Race distance 305.066km (189.559 miles)
Pole position Left-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’32.238 (212.75 kph) by Michael Schumacher, 2004
Fastest lap 1’32.238 (212.75 kph) by Michael Schumacher, 2004
Maximum speed 316kph (196.353 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) Pit straight and longest straight
Fuel use per lap 1.7kg
Quickest complete pit stop in 2013 19.323s by Red Bull (see full list)

7:33: Will it be a 2 stop strategy today, or a 3-stopper? Ordinarily a 2 stop would be quicker, obviously, but with the amount of rain that fell yesterday it could change things a little

7:30: Confirmation that Pastor Maldonado will start 22nd, right at the back of the grid, after his oil leak yesterday. He didn't get a single lap in during qualifying. He'll have to fight through a lot of traffic to make this result respectable

7:28: A little over half an hour until lights out, so let's recap why VAVEL is focusing on Sergio Perez for today's race. Driver Watch: https://www.vavel.com/en/formula1/339515-chinese-grand-prix-driver-look-sergio-perez.html

7:25: Here's a stat for you..Lewis Hamilton won his 34th pole start yesterday, the most of any British driver in history. He beat the great Jim Clark's record there

7:20: Looks like a dry race in prospect here, a huge sigh of relief from the grid. And it's looking like around 19 degrees in China today. Nearly as good as in Britain, eh?

7:17: Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel admitted this week that he's being beaten "fair and square" by new team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. Can the German halt the trend today? He starts 3rd... but still a place behind Ricciardo

7:13: Today's circuit, Shanghai. That vicious 's' bend between turns 1 and 4 could be interesting on old tyres with a spot of rain...

7:10: And what about Lotus, can they finally grab themselves some points today? Romain Grosjean starts 10th, surely the only hope for the team with Pastor Maldonado starting right at the back of the grid

7:07: Sergio Perez could be one to look, the Force India man the lightning rod of Bahrain two weeks ago, but will start a disappointing 16th on the grid today. How far can he hoist himself up the pecking order?

7:06: A quick refresher on results from qualifying, and how the drivers will line up on the grid: 

1 L. Hamilton Mercedes 1:55.516 1:54.029 1:53.860
2 D. Ricciardo Red Bull 1:56.641 1:55.302 1:54.455
3 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:55.926 1:54.499 1:54.960
4 N. Rosberg Mercedes 1:56.058 1:55.294 1:55.143
5 F. Alonso Ferrari 1:56.961 1:55.765 1:55.637
6 F. Massa Williams 1:56.850 1:56.757 1:56.147
7 V. Bottas Williams 1:56.501 1:56.253 1:56.282
8 N. Hulkenburg Force India 1:55.913 1:56.847 1:56.366
9 J-E. Vergne Toro Rosso 1:57.477 1:56.584 1:56.773
10 R. Grosjean Lotus 1:58.411 1:56.407 1:57.079
11 K. Raikkonen Ferrari 1:58.279 1:56.860  
12 J. Button McLaren 1:57.783 1:56.963  
13 D. Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:57.261 1:57.289  
14 A. Sutil Sauber 1:58.138 1:57.393  
15 K. Magnussen McLaren 1:57.369 1:57.675  
16 S. Perez Force India 1:58.362 1:58.264  
17 E. Gutierrez Sauber 1:58.988    
18 K. Kobayashi Caterham 1:59.260    
19 J. Bianchi Marussia 1:59.326    
20 M. Ericsson Caterham 2:00.646    
21 M. Chilton Marussia 2:00.865    
22 P. Maldonado (DNQ) Lotus No Time    

7:01: And what about Lotus, can they finally grab themselves some points today? Romain Grosjean starts 10th, surely the only hope for the team with Pastor Maldonado starting right at the back of the grid

7:01: Can anyone stop Lewis Hamilton today? Even his team-mate Nico Rosberg has struggled to match him this season, so what hope for the rest of the field?

7.00: Hello! I'm Dan Smith and welcome to this live coverage of the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix, at the Shanghai circuit. Lewis Hamilton will start on pole, with Red Bull pair Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in between the Brit's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg

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Dan Smith
Sports journalism, radio presenter for 103.9 Voice FM and general news bloke, trying to make my way in the working world. Anyone want to pay me to write for them? Have pen, will travel!