Grand Prix #1000 - 2019 Chinese GP

[PTRACER]

Tell us your favourite race here: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=15973
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There's about a week to go till the next Grand Prix and FORMULA 1's channel have started us off with a cracking video of facts. Apparently, Peter Gethin won the 1971 Italian GP, while just behind, Bruce McLaren finished side-by-side with Jack Lewis and Tony Brooks. Since Brucie had been dead for a whole year and the other two had retired ten years earlier I don't even know how they could mess that one up.

Anyway, China is a race I usually look forward to, I think of all the Tilke circuits this one has the most character. And it has produced some pretty good races over the years. Remember Lewis beaching it in the gravel in the pitlane in 2007?

[erwin greven]

Remember Lewis beaching it in the gravel in the pitlane in 2007?

Still laughing about that. Beaching it at the only gravel trap on that circuit.

[Everso Biggyballies]

An old preview I had written .... I have updated the relevant info to current, but have left race reviews from a few years ago for the hell of it. Apologies if some of the image links are broken. Shit happens.


Formula One heads to China this week for round three of the 2019 Championship and race #1000 of the modern era.

The 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit is the venue and marks the last of
the international races before the teams return to Europe.

Shanghai is one of the most vibrant cities in Asia. It’s definitely not your out-dated
communist country as many would like to think. Attractions are aplenty and the folks
there speak mainly in Mandarin and other dialects but alot of them do speak in English.



The city itself is sophisticated, innovative and has attracted many foreign companies
to set up their business in this country. Shanghai is definitely modern China, a
cosmopolitan city buzzing with activities.

Shanghai is the largest city in China, indeed arguably the largest city in the world
with a population of well over 20 million people in the metropolitan area. Shanghai is
the largest centre of commerce and finance in mainland China, and has been
described as a city on steroids, billboards are flashing, highway lights are pulsing,
and tall buildings seem to have been converted into giant television screens.



China’s showcase city appears to be showing off, decorating itself as though
it’s Asia’s Las Vegas. Shanghai is known as the Paris of the East and so aptly
named because the old and the new merge together.It is known for its historical
landmarks such as the Bund and City God Temple, but perhaps visually known better
for its modern and ever-expanding Pudong skyline Not only is it the commercial
centre it is also the fashion capital and by far its coolest metropolis, in a country
increasingly populated by grimy, characterless cities. Shanghai is without doubt a
spectacular sight at night.

Shanghai literally means above (Shang) and sea (Hai)

Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the
19th century due to its favorable port location, and its strategic position
at the mouth of the Yangtze River made it an ideal location for trade with
the West. It was one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842
Treaty of Nanking. The city flourished as a centre of commerce between
east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business
by the 1930s.




SCHEDULE (Local Times)
14
APR
Race

14:10 - 16:10

13
APR
Qualifying

14:00 - 15:00

13
APR
Practice 3

11:00 - 12:00

12
APR
Practice 2

14:00 - 15:30

12
APR
Practice 1

10:00 - 11:30


THE TRACK

Located in Shanghai International Automobile City (SIAC) in Jiading District,
Shanghai International Circuit (SIC) is one of major projects in SIAC. The circuit
covers a total area of 5.3 square kilometers, with the track taking up 2.5 square
kilometers and the rest having 2.8 square kilometers. The circuit is located in a
convenient venue, accessible from the main highways, 30 kilometers to the city
center and 20 kilometers to the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The circuit is
surrounded by Jia Jin Highway (A5), Hu Jia Liu Highway (A12) and Outer Loop
Highway (A30).

The track was designed by Hermann Tilke in 2002 and was built the following
year on disused marshland. The construction of the venue was a remarkable
feat of engineering which required 40,000 stone pillars to be laid in the ground
to shore up the foundations before building work could begin.

The circuit's layout is in the shape of the Chinese character 'shang', which
means 'high' or 'above'. As one would expect for being a modern purpose built
for F1 circuit it has the full Bernie requirements, with excellent pitlane and
paddock facilities, with huts suspended on stilts in a small lake to replace the
usual motorhomes that the teams take to European races.

The track features two DRS Zones.



Aerial,click larger


Shanghai's track layout is a demanding mix of straights, turns and hairpins.
Over the 5.4km lap, the drivers will negotiate seven left- and seven right hand
turns, the tightest of which being turn one, entered into flat out but exited in
second as the corner squeezes tighter and tighter before a left-hander into
turn two.

With so many slow and medium speed corners over one lap, the car must have a
perfect balance, achieved through an efficient aero package.

Although dominated by corners, Shanghai also has two long straights (the
longest being between turns 13 and 14 which stretches to 1,175m) which will see
drivers reach speeds of 320km/h and raise the average lap speed to 205km/h.

The engineers must, therefore, provide a set-up which also offers high top
speeds and low drag levels without compromising the cornering stability. At
almost 1.4kms the straight from 13>14 is the second longest of all the F1 tracks.

Similar to Istanbul Park, the track at Shanghai measures, on average, between
13 and 15 metres in width (20 metres at turn 13) so offers ample room for
overtaking manoeuvres. The long straight offers a good overtaking opportunity,
as it feeds into a hairpin and the track is very wide at this point, allowing the
drivers to take two different lines.

Number of Laps: 56
Circuit Length: 5.451 km

Lap Record
1:32.238 Michael Schumacher (2004)

Full-throttle: 55%

Top Speed: 318kph
Average Speed: 205kph
Average Corner Speed: 134kph
Longest Straight / flat out section: 1397m or 19 seconds

The Shanghai circuit has several fast corners that demand a great deal of
downforce and high vehicle stability. Due to the restrictions on aerodynamics
introduced this season, we will probably see cars running with maximum
downforce. But there are also long straights where maximum speed is of the
essence. This will no doubt assist those with a good KERS system to use in
combination with their DRS. Because the track is very wide and the run-off
areas are mostly tarred, a bit of a slide doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out
of the race.

That’s an incentive for the drivers to overtake, so we can look forward to quite
a spectacular race. Good car balance is important, particularly in the first turn
combination. The drivers go into it at very high speed and brake deep into the
corner. This section is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the season in terms
of testing driving skills. All in all, Shanghai is a very challenging circuit.



Gearshifts per lap: 52


CHINESE GP HISTORY

Like Bahrain, the Chinese round was first held back in 2004.
However it isnt the first time there had been a Chinese GP scheduled on the F1
calendar.

Back in 1999 there was a Chinese GP scheduled on the draft calendar for that
season, to be held at the Zhuhai circuit. In the end, political and safety issues
meant this race never happened. The Chinese government then went back to the
drawing board and built a brand new circuit just outside Shanghai, designed by
Herman Tilke, and they were rewarded with a place on the 2004 calendar.

Traditionally the Chinese GP formed part of the end season flyaway races
with Japan and Brazil, but due to the addition of the Abu Dhabi race at Yas
Marina taking the prestigous last round status, China was bumped to the
earlier flyaway

Repeat winners.

5 Lewis Hamilton 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017
2 Fernando Alonso 2005, 2013 and Nico Rosberg 2012, 2016

Constructors

5 Mercedes 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
4 Ferrari 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013
3 McLaren 2008, 2010, 2011
2 Red Bull 2009, 2018

Past winners


Year Driver Constructor
2018 Australia Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-TAG Heuer
2017 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2013 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari
2012 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2011 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2010 United Kingdom Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2009 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2008 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2007 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
2006 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2005 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2004 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ferrari



The first Chinese Grand Prix took place in September 2004 and believe
it or not was was dominated by Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari back then) and Jenson
Button, (2004 was a good BAR year) who finished first and second respectively,
while recently-crowned world champion Michael Schumacher had a nightmare
mistake filled weekend, spinning in qualifying then colliding with Christian
Klien during the race.



In 2005 the race became the final race of the season, and seen the
constructors crown settled in Renault’s favour after Fernando Alonso led home a
Renault one-three. Their closest challengers, McLaren, lost out when Juan
PabloMontoya became a victim of a loose drain cover, smashing his suspension
and retiring from the race.




A similar fate had befallen a Ford Falcon in a V8 SUpercar race held at the
same circuit. The 20kg grate was hit by Winterbottom's Falcon at 130kmh after
it had been dislodged by another car. It slicedthrough the front Kevlar splitter,
impacting on the radiator andthe engine sump, and then tore open the floor and
gouged chunksfrom the driver's carbon-fibre seat. It also sliced through the
carsroll cage. Team engineers say the damage bill was well in excess of
$75,000. Fortunately we have seen no similar problems since



But for 2006 the weather was poor, and this let Michael Schumacher show his
wet weather skills to take what was to become his final F1 victory, ahead of
championship rival Fernando Alonso.

Michael Schumachers victory here in 2006, his 91st and final F1 win.

Click for larger



In 2007 we saw Lewis Hamilton qualify on pole position have the chance to take
the title at his first attempt, but he threw the chance away in a gravel trap on
the entrance to the pit lane due to worn tyres, a poor pit call (or lack of) and a
total failure to stick to the team plan. His rivals, Kimi Raikkonen and then
team-mate Fernando Alonso, went on to finish first and second and set up a
three-way showdown at the final race in Brazil where Raikkonen went on to win,
causing the biggest title turnaround of all time.



Hamilton waves to his title chances as they start to go away at Shanghai 2007

....But made up for it in 2008


In 2008 the race was the penultimate round of the Championship, followed only
by Brazil. Lewis got his revenge, driving an absolutely perfect race in Shanghai,
never looking in the least bit threatened and duly came home to win, in what
could be called Lewis's Chinese Takeaway. The two Ferraris struggled in his
wake and in the end had to play out a public charade to allow Felipe Massa to
pass an obedient team playing Kimi Raikkonen in order to limit the damage. The
McLaren victory meant that Hamilton thus left China with a 7 point lead in the
WDC, and had to finish fifth or better in Brazil to win his first World
Championship. Alonso continued his late season form improvement from the two
BMW's of Heidfeld and Kubica. Piquet Jnr picked up the last point.

A pictorial review of 2008. Click for larger. Pic ID's give description.






2009 Race review



It was quite an eventful race all things considered......

On Sunday morning the clouds turned to drizzle and then to rain as the
winds came whipping in across the flatlands. We had the dreaded Safety Car
start , and it wasnt until lap 8 it came in leaving poleman Vettel to lead the short
fuelled Alonso and Webber off, with the Brawns strangely behind. Alonso left
the two Red Bulls out in front by pitting for fuel on lap 7 before the SC had
come in!

They led until their stops, Webber on lap 14, Vettel on 15. That put Button into
the lead after he had passed team-mate Barrichello on lap 11. Behind them,
there was some fabulous fighting as Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa went on to
the warpath. Lewis climbed up to fifth place and then spun back to 10th. He then
went back up to eighth but then the Safety Car was sent out again on lap 18
after Robert Kubica ran into the back of Jarno Trulli's Toyota.

Amazingly under the SC, Buemi clipped the back of Vettels car, unsighted in the
spray as they came upon the slowing Trulli..... Felipe's race, however, ended on lap
21 when the Ferrari shut down with an electronic glitch. Raikkonen had been
suffering an engine problem since the early laps. Ferrari were yet to score a point
all season and were last equal with the unlucky Force India team.

The racing was on again a couple of laps later and with a lighter fuel load Vettel
began to pull away from Button and Webber.
On lap 29 Button went off and instantly Webber was back in second again. Two laps
later Button grabbed the place back when Webber went wide but then Mark pulled
off a lovely move and sailed around the outside of Jenson.

Vettel made his final stop on lap 40 and Button was ahead of him again but it was
clear that Button would have to stop. Before Jenson could do that Vettel went
ahead with an assured move. The top three were really in a race of their own
but behind them Rubens Barrichello was having a fraught time, with a number of
different off-track moments.

In the end the fifth place went to Heikki Kovalainen, who was thus able to
celebrate his first points of the season. He was also able to beat Lewis Hamilton,
who after his early charges had a number of incidents which dropped him
behind Kovalainen.

It was not a great day for Toyota, but Timo Glock ended the day in seventh
place, having yo-yoed up and down the order. He started from the pit lane with a
heavy fuel load on wet Bridgestone tyres. He quickly made up ground and was up
to 11th by the second Safety Car. He then damaged his front wing and had to pit
but then fought back up the order again.

BMW Sauber also had a miserable time. Heidfeld looked like he might score
points but then faded after a collision with Glock. He finished 12th, just ahead
of Kubica, who had a torrid time, running into Trulli and later damaging his nose
a second time. Fisichella finished 14th but the performance was nothing to write
home about.

Williams had another shocking day, despite having a fast car all year. Nico Rosberg
switched to intermediates hoping that the rain would finish. It did not. Nakajima
looked hopeless all day and spun a lot before retiring with a transmission problem.

Nelson Piquet continued to look like a man literally out of his depth. He spun a lot
and had to replace the nose of his car twice.

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were unbeatable in their Red Bull-Renaults.

With no diffuser it came down to the difference between the Brawn and Red
Bull use of tyres. The RBR5 was a car that wass tyre-hungry in the dry. In the
wet, when there is less grip, the disadvantage became an advantage. The Brawn
was very kind to its tyres in the dry but in the wet proved unable to generate
enough heat in the tyres. Button talked of feeling that the car was floating on
the surface of the water, while Vettel and Webber were able to find grip.

It was the first ever 1-2 for RBR.......

2010 Race written and photographic review

All the pictures in this section are from last years race meeting, starting with Friday and
running on through the weekend in day order.



McLaren driver Jenson Button won a dramatic 2010 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
The at the time reigning World Champion picked up his second win for the year, and
ironically, his win came due to a superior tyre strategy – the same way he took his first
win at the Australian Grand Prix.

The win also means that Button led the world championship.







With rain dampening the Shanghai track in the opening laps of the race, most of the leading
contenders – including Red Bull Racing’s dominant men Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber –
elected to pit for intermediate tyres. The decision ultimately turned out to be the wrong one,
with the track not quite wet enough for them to sustain a good pace. The guys who took this
strategy had to re-pit for drys, costing them an extra two stops compared to those who
braved the conditions.

Button, along with Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica elected to run their first stints on dry
rubber, and it initially worked in their favour, with Button eventually taking the win having
only pitted twice in the race.





His McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton was the best of the ‘four-stoppers,’ finishing in second
place ahead of Rosberg.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was one of the drivers to employ the four stop strategy, and worse for
him was the fact that he’d jumped the start and was forced to complete a drive-through penalty.
He visited pit lane five times but still managed to come home in fourth place.

Kubica was fifth from Vettel, Vitaly Petrov (two stops and first-ever world championship points),
ahead of Webber, Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher.

Despite the rain, the race had little carnage – save for a first lap bingle between Tonio Liuzzi,
Kamui Kobayashi and Sebastien Buemi.


















Some more pics from 2010 on raceday.





More pics from raceday 2010









TECHNICAL STUFF

Shanghai International Circuit: Technical Information

Kilos per lap: 2.42kg/km
Time loss per 5km of fuel: 0.07s/lap of fuel
max speed: 318kph
Average speed: 204kph
Average corner speed: 129kph
Turn angle: 136 degrees
Expected Temperatures: Ambient 26C / Track 32C
Greatest power reductions: 1014 mbar pressure
Pitlane loss: 23.0 sec lost
Pitlane length: 380m
Safety cars: 0.9 per race

SETUP

Setup Priority: Mid-corner grip

Car set-up is a compromise between slow-speed grip and straightline speed.
Ideally, the five second-gear corners around the lap require high downforce,
but the cars need to maintain a high top speed along the back straight, and that
forces the teams to take off wing to reduce drag. However, the key corners
are the slower ones because it is through there that the cars spend the most
time.

So again it will be a case of compromising with the set-up to find the right
balance with a car that is stable in the corners with plenty of downforce and
which still has enough straight-line speed to be able to defend or overtake on
the straights. The combination of widely contrasting corners demands a high
level of aerodynamic efficiency. As well as a well balanced car is the need for a
good change of direction and is stable under braking.

A particularly interesting section is the double right-hander, double left-hander
combination at the end of the start-finish straight. The drivers approach it with
a lot of speed and then stay on the brakes for a long time on the entry. This is a
very unusual section, which places heavy demands on the tyres.

Finding the correct set-up to make the best use of their tyres will be a big
challenge.

TYRES
Pirelli will be bringing their Soft and Hard compound tyres, the same as used in
Australia and Malaysia.

Shanghai International Circuit is tough on rubber with two long straights and 16
corners of varying character. Heavy braking, extreme lateral loads and high
demands on traction all take their toll. Graining is a possibility in Turns Two and
Seven, while the high lateral G loadings generated through Turns Seven and Eight
place strong demands on the tyres’ construction and heat durability.

With the tyres put under such heavy loads teams have in the past used the
hardest Bridgestone compounds here, principally due to their being more
durable and resistant to degradation. Thoughts re Pirelli is that China should
theoretically give us less degradation than Malaysia but it is hard to make an
exact prediction. The track surface is less aggressive and temperatures should
be lower. There is a reasonably high chance of rain, which might finally give
the Pirelli wet and intermediate tyres their debut.

In the past Turns 2 and 7 were likely to induce tyre graining, whilst the high
lateral G-forces generated through the sequence of turns 7-8 place strong
demands on the tyres' construction and heat durability. With fuel stops a two
stop pit strategy has been the favoured option in the past, as running with
a heavy car as required for a one-stop strategy is likely to be very detrimental to
lap times and cause heavier wear on the tyres. There is an element of gradient
changes over the course of a lap as well as an element of banking in turn 13.

We have also see graining on the rear tyres here previously. Of course history re
tyres is immaterial given the change to the somewhat erratic Pirellis. Time will tell
how many stops will be required.



Hmmm. No mention of how many stops they anticipate, or anything specific to the
tyres, particular problem areas they may face and overall how they might impact on
the Chinese GP. More of a PR flannel than a GP Preview.

Just one final comment from me on tyres. In an idle moment I worked out the reality
of the huge gap between qualifying and race lap times..... 6 seconds plus is the norm.

Ironically Seb's fastest race lap was a 1:41.539, against a qualifying time of 1:34.870.
That means Vettels race times were all outside the 107% rule!
Not one of his race laps was within 107% of his qualifying (pole) lap.

I dont like that. Mind you they used to need 1500hp qualifying engines and special
qualifying tyres to get that sort of difference in days gone. But even then the race
lap times were generally within 107% of their qualy times.

BRAKES

Type of circuit: Medium High
Number of brakings: 9
Time spent under braking per lap: 14%
Expected time spent under brake in 2010: 16%

Brembo Braking Facts



The above diagram indicates the 9 braking points at the Shanghai circuit.
The following is a breakdown of each braking point.

Turn1
Initial speed: 305 Km/h
Final speed: 194Km/h
Stopping distance: 68 m
Braking time: 1.04 sec
Maximum deceleration: 5.37 g
Maximum pedal load: 141 Kg

Turn 2
Initial speed: 152 Km/h
Final speed: 128 Km/h
Stopping distance: 39 m
Braking time: 1.0 sec
Maximum deceleration: 2.03 g
Maximum pedal load: 52 Kg

Turn 3
Initial speed:138 Km/h
Final speed:93 Km/h
Stopping distance:35 m
Braking time:1.13 sec
Maximum deceleration:1.94 g
Maximum pedal load:47 Kg

Turn 4
Initial speed:287 Km/h
Final speed:82 Km/h
Stopping distance:115 m
Braking time:2.66 sec
Maximum deceleration:4.85 g
Maximum pedal load:130 Kg

Turn 5
Initial speed:274Km/h
Final speed:202 Km/h
Stopping distance:46 m
Braking time:0.72 sec
Maximum deceleration:4.50 g
Maximum pedal load:120 Kg

Turn 6
Initial speed:195 Km/h
Final speed:135 Km/h
Stopping distance:39m
Braking time:0.89 sec
Maximum deceleration:2.78 g
Maximum pedal load:72 Kg

Turn 7
Initial speed:281 Km/h
Final speed:91 Km/h
Stopping distance:107 m
Braking time:2.40 sec
Maximum deceleration:4.69 g
Maximum pedal load:125 Kg

Turn 8
Initial speed:316 Km/h
Final speed:79 Km/h
Stopping distance:125 m
Braking time:2.72 sec
Maximum deceleration:5.5 g
Maximum pedal load:153 Kg

Turn 9
Initial speed:252 Km/h
Final speed:172 Km/h
Stopping distance:50 m
Braking time:0.89 sec
Maximum deceleration:3.95 g
Maximum pedal load:105 Kg

(Source :Brembo)

ENGINE

Cooling Requirement: Medium

The Shanghai International Circuit is not one of the most severe on the engine,
but does offer two notable straights which place a premium on outright engine
power. Cars tend to run medium to high downforce settings to cope with the
circuit’s combination of slow corners, which in turn puts greater loads on the
engine along the two straights.

Unusually, the back straight is the longer of the two at over 1km in length,
leading into a slow speed hairpin which demands excellent braking stability as
cars brake from close to 320km/h down to around 70km/h. The Shanghai Circuit
is one of the less severe tracks for the engine, but it does offer two notable straights
that both place a premium on outright engine power. Although the time spent at full
throttle is significant, the rest of the circuit is not as taxing on the engine, when viewed
solely in terms of power output.

Turns 2, 3 and 4 are very slow, which places an importance on low speed pick-up. With
increased rear-tyre degradation, the emphasis on the engine to provide a smooth, consistent
torque delivery has increased, with corners such as these probably the most demanding in this respect.

In the past at Shanghai, ambient conditions were such that raw engine power output was the highest of the season. This means that the circuit is not too tough on fuel consumption.

[DoubleFart]

Remember Lewis beaching it in the gravel in the pitlane in 2007?

Still laughing about that. Beaching it at the only gravel trap on that circuit.

I'm still laughing at him beating Rosberg so many times.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Remember Lewis beaching it in the gravel in the pitlane in 2007?

Still laughing about that. Beaching it at the only gravel trap on that circuit.

So amusing we should watch it again, so, lets remind ourselves.... Lewis and the worlds smallest gravel trap (you have to watch it on youtube)

[Everso Biggyballies]

In the preview I posted you will see some of the thumbnails are saying broken link.... however if you click the apparently broken link of the thumbnail the proper full size pic appears.

[John]

This thread now belongs to the Mongols.

[MonteCristo]

[Picci]

Thanks for the intro!

Never really liked this track. It kills the tyres but because of that it also provides a lot of action, even though I wouldn't really call it 'good racing'. If Bahrain is anything to go by, this one should be good.

[Antonov]

what were the #500th and #750th Grand Prix?

they must have been piss poor, as nobody mentions them, lol.

[Everso Biggyballies]

what were the #500th and #750th Grand Prix?

they must have been piss poor, as nobody mentions them, lol.

They have already been mentioned I think, by PT.
If not here is all the 100's

100 – German Grand Prix, Nurburgring. August 6, 1961. Stirling Moss won in a Lotus for the Rob Walker team,
200 – Monaco Grand Prix, May 23, 1971. Jackie Stewart won from pole for Tyrrell.
300 – South African Grand Prix, Kyalami. March 4, 1978. Peterson was the winner
400 – Austrian Grand Prix, Oesterreichring. August 19, 1984. Lauda won his home race for McLaren, despite a late gearbox problem.
500 - Australian Grand Prix, Adelaide. November 4, 1990 won by Senna.
600 – Argentine Grand Prix, Buenos Aires. April 13, 1997Jacques Villeneuve won from pole
700 – Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos. April 6, 2003. The race won on track by Raikkonen but later given to Fisi.
800 – Singapore Grand Prix. September 28, 2008. The year Piquet Jnr crashed to give Alonso the win.
900 – Bahrain Grand Prix. April 6, 2014. Won by Hamilton.

[Everso Biggyballies]

And in those 1000 races we have had 10 British champions, a record for any country. Brazil, Germany and Finland each have three.
19 Brits have won races.
764 Drivers have started an F1 race.... 163 of them British.
Ferrari have entered/started the most races, 974 of them, and raced in every season since 1950.... . They have scored 752 podiums.
There have been 33 WDCs, 20 of them still alive.

[kals]

And in those 1000 races we have had 10 British champions, a record for any country. Brazil, Germany and Finland each have three.
19 Brits have won races.
764 Drivers have started an F1 race.... 163 of them British.
Ferrari have entered/started the most races, 974 of them, and raced in every season since 1950.... . They have scored 752 podiums.
There have been 33 WDCs, 20 of them still alive.

[Everso Biggyballies]

But if we refer to them as World Championship GPs the cars catered for becomes insignificant.
I must confess personally I never have got on with the (eleven) Indy 500 races being part of the World Championship. I would happily deduct those 11 from the 1000 races. The F2 races.... that is what the Championship was for so they count in my mind.

[kals]

But if we refer to them as World Championship GPs the cars catered for becomes insignificant.
I must confess personally I never have got on with the (eleven) Indy 500 races being part of the World Championship. I would happily deduct those 11 from the 1000 races. The F2 races.... that is what the Championship was for so they count in my mind.

Totally agree. I found Recken's point quite interesting.