Summary

  • Charging Ricciardo wins after Red Bull make crucial pit stop call

  • Verstappen hits Vettel trying to overtake him - Vettel 8th

  • Hamilton 4th after not making safety car pit stop

  • Both Toro Rossos collide, Hartley out

  1. Postpublished at 06:02 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    .Image source, F1.com

    Kimi Raikkonen, as ever, showing no emotion as he leans against the side of the drivers' parade truck, waving his arm robotically like some sort of animatronic Vegas Vic as he passes the fans who are roar his name in delight.

    "Everyone is aiming to get the best possible start," he says. "I'm here to win. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't interested."

  2. Postpublished at 05:57 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    During Friday practice, Mercedes looked set to dominate the Chinese Grand Prix but it all turned around on Saturday in a way they do not yet understand.

    “The grip levels came up, for sure, from yesterday,” Valtteri Bottas said. “So in a way it was better but I just struggled to find as much grip as Kimi and Seb. Maybe some part of it can be from the tyres but I think some of it must come from the car. (The race) is going to be quite different, definitely warmer, a few degrees warmer with the air and definitely on the track; with the sun it’s a question mark. But we don’t think we are less competitive on a cold track. I thought we struggled a bit in Bahrain with the heat! We always need to understand everything better but we need to make the car better as well.”

  3. Postpublished at 05:56 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    .Image source, Getty Images

    Lewis Hamilton is speaking on the drivers' parade about the fans, who have come out in force to support the Briton.

    "They are the best," he said. "They are so cool. Team LH China comes out in full force. It is crazy, for whatever reason Kimi has a lot of support here but Team LH China is starting to take over."

    He also appears to lob a bit of chewing gum onto Sebastian Vettel's start box. Gain any advantage he can?

  4. Kimi feeling the lovepublished at 05:49 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    Something I've learned this weekend is the fans in China LOVE Kimi Raikkonen.

    He looked good yesterday until Sebastian Vettel's stunning lap for pole position, could a first Shanghai win since 2007 be on the cards for the Finn?

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  5. Coming uppublished at 05:46 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    BBC Radio 5 live

    Bright sunshine as the drivers climb on the truck for the drivers' parade.

    Lights out is at 07:10 BST and you can listen to build up and then live race commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and online from 06:30.

  6. Vettel expecting 'a long, tough race'published at 05:43 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    Sebastian Vettel was thrilled to grab pole with an impressive final lap but less convinced that Ferrari would keep their impressive margin over Mercedes into the race.

    “I think it will be a tight race amongst the top three teams,” he said, “and a long, tough race, but obviously it’s good to start from the front.”

  7. What happened in qualifying?published at 05:42 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    .Image source, Getty Images

    Sebastian Vettel snatched a last-gasp pole position from Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen as Lewis Hamilton struggled.

    Raikkonen was the quicker Ferrari going into the final runs but a scrappy final sector and a superb one from Vettel gave the German pole by 0.087 seconds.

    Mercedes lacked performance - Hamilton was 0.58secs off pole and fourth behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas..

    Read the qualifying report here.

  8. Predict the top threepublished at 05:39 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    Who do you see winning this one, then?

    Make your podium predictions here.

    .Image source, .
  9. Home away from homepublished at 05:37 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    The good news for Lewis Hamilton is that this circuit is a home away from home for him, both in terms of support and success on the track - he's won it five times.

    This is also one of the better overtaking circuits on the calendar, so we could be in for another thriller.

    .Image source, Getty Images
    .Image source, Getty Images
  10. Postpublished at 05:32 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    Andrew Benson
    BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

    Loquacious was not the word for Lewis Hamilton at his news conference a couple of hours or so after qualifying on Saturday.

    That was hardly surprising - he had not only been out-qualified by team-mate Valtteri Bottas for the second race in a row, but he was more than half a second slower than his title rival Sebastian Vettel, to whom he had said on arriving in China that he could not afford to lose any more points. And Hamilton was not exactly brimming with optimism about his prospects in the race either.

    “I don’t know if we can challenge,” he said. “We are half a second behind today. I’m confident I can stay where I am. Moving ahead is going to be tough.”

    The Hamilton grumps always go by Sunday morning. What can the world champion do in this race about kick-starting his challenge this season?

  11. A fight on his handspublished at 05:29 British Summer Time 15 April 2018

    .Image source, Getty Images

    I don't want to say it is getting close to crunch time for Lewis Hamilton but... it's getting close to crunch time.

    The reigning world champion is 17 points Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' championship and three places behind on the grid at today's Chinese Grand Prix.

    Hamilton has a fight on his hands.