What we learned at the Chinese Grand Prix
Crash.net's team in the F1 paddock brings you a more irreverent view of the sport and the stories bubbling away during the Chinese Grand Prix
Talking pits
Lewis Hamilton's slide into a costly retirement at the pit lane entry during the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix remains one of the event's more memorable moments (albeit one the Briton would surely like to forget).
In Hamilton's defence, the fast, straight entry and ensuing sharp 90-degree left-hander into what is a slender pit lane entry remains one of the more challenging pit lanes on the calendar and a look at the entry-to-exit times during the race shows what a difference it can make. For example, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel had identical stop times, but the former gained three tenths overall when clock is started right at the entry point.
It makes me wonder whether a more challenging pit-lane layout, entry or exit would perhaps serve to add another element to the challenge, so long as it doesn't come at the expense of safety, of course. Fittingly, it was a train of thought I was having just as Pastor Maldonado out-braked himself before the left turn and ultimately threw away a probably top ten finish for Lotus.
Indeed, in a sport where margins are measured in thousandths and millimetres, every moment counts, but though these cars are designed and set-up to tackle the rigours of the circuit at speed lap-after-lap, they are considerably clumsier as they negotiate the pit lane, suggesting more time can be won and lost on driver skill alone.
After all, if I was Nico Rosberg - struggling in the dirty air behind Lewis Hamilton - perhaps I would push the limit a little more coming into the pit-lane to gather up a couple of extra tenths, particularly as the fine-tuned stops themselves give little away these days.
A gimmick? Perhaps... but it is still better than the idea of putting sprinklers on some corners!
Don't call us, we'll call you...
In some ways, Mercedes may be glad that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg stirred antagonisms of old during the traditional post-race press conference for the Chinese Grand Prix since it went a long way to overshadowing the clanger Hamilton dropped when he was asked how it felt to be nominated for the impending Laureus Sports Award.
Considered one of the biggest accolades you can receive in sport, the fact the ceremony celebrating sport's finest men and women will be held in Shanghai this week seemed to be a handy coincidence given Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes are all up for nomination in their respective sportsman of the year, breakthrough sportsman of the year and team of the year categories.
Perhaps more importantly, Laureus is a prominent partner of Mercedes - with decals on a C-Class in DTM and involvement in the F1 team -, so it was certainly no coincidence that ambassador and Olympic gold medallist Edwin Moses was conducting the podium interview and Oscar nominated actor and Laureus Awards host Benedict Cumberbatch was present in the garage this weekend. In short, it is a big deal for Mercedes.
So when Hamilton was asked what it meant for him to be up for the award this week, responding by saying he knows he hasn't won three days before the winner is announced is what one would call a faux pas...
"Not really, unfortunately I'm not too excited because I know that I haven't won it..."
Maybe a BRIT Award nomination would spark some more enthusiasm...
No grandstanding
As someone visiting China for the first time, you cannot be help but be astonished by the sheer size and scale of Shanghai, generally regarded as the largest city in the world. It's a slightly crude measure, but the Shanghai International Circuit is a good hour outside what is considered city centre, yet still remains firmly 'in' the city, the drive in taking you past an endless skyline of modern skyscrapers, multiplied apartment blocks and wending highways. It makes London look remarkably compact in comparison.
With this in mind, it's not unreasonable to assume that by building a 200,000 capacity circuit that they will come, but F1 has never quite captured the imagination befitting of the potential around it.
Though it is still one of the better attended races in isolation, the size of the grandstands makes the inevitable pockets of emptiness embarrassingly obvious.
In the 11 years the circuit has been on the schedule, we are yet to see one person stood in the vast grandstands which stretch around turn 12 and 13, while this year the organisers were forced to close the stands around turn 1 and 2 as a reaction to new 'crowd control' safety measures introduced following a deadly crush that killed 36 in Shanghai city centre over New Year.
Consequently, the main 40,000 seat grandstand looked fairly packed for once - if not entirely -, and was resplendent in an array of flags, including - somewhat inexplicably - a Namibian one.
However, filling 40,000 seats in China of all countries should not be the challenge that it has become. Were the organisers too over ambitious in its plans, or has F1 just not reached its potential in China yet? Probably a bit of both, but the sight of empty grandstands in the background of what was a fairly dull race is unlikely to transform the race's nondescript reputation going forward.
