Shanghai 2011 Preview

As Shanghai is only a day away now, I thought I would give you a preview in what we are expecting from the race and things to look out for.

The Shanghai circuit is known for several things mainly because it has the longest straight on the f1 calender and it is built on a swamp. We could also have rain which will bring a different dimension to the normal race. (Lets hope the track doesnt sinK!) A whole lap is 3.38 miles of which Schumacher (in his prime) holds the lap record - no doubt Vettel will again be trying to out do his German Compatriot to break this record. I'd imagine he has a long list of records to break, most of them held by Michael. He will be crossing them off as he goes on in his career. The biggest two obviously are championship wins and race wins.

Obviously there will two factors stopping Vettel from winning this race (Kers and the long straight). McClaren who struggled with straight line pace in Malaysia have had a few days to make their car quick on the long straight. If they get this right they have every chance of grabbing a one-two in Shanghai. McClaren has won two of the last three races here (Lewis in 2008 and Jenson in 2010). Vettel won it in 2009 when it rained so RedBull will be one of the teams hoping for torrential rain this weekend to hinder the pace of McClaren.

There is a rumour flying around the pit lane that Christian Horner and Adrien Newey have actually got Kers running. "They had it running in Malaysia however they wanted to see how fast they were without it and if they actually needed it". But I dont think this is actually true watching the Mark Webber start in Malaysia.

The thing I havent mentioned in my blog yet is Hispania, they didnt race in Melbourne as they didnt qualify within 107% of the fastest lap time. Not surprising when they tested their car for the first time in the second practice session. However things did look bright when they managed to get inside the 107% of Vettel's time in Malaysia so they were allowed to race. This is a huge step for them as last year in their debut season they were actaully worried whether they would actually be able to finish the lap never alone aim for a time.

My Predictions for Shanghai

- If it rains, put your house on Vettel winning
- If it doesnt rain I think McClaren are set for a one-two
- Renault to put in a strong finish again
- Kobayashi and Perez to finish in the top 10
- Paul Di Resta to finish ahead of Sutil
- Schumacher to qualify for the shoot out
- Maldonado will not finish again

Things to look out for

- Having been impressed by Petrov's flying through the air - will Sutil look to better that attempt this weekend?
- The effect of DRS on the long straight, will teams be able to overtake then be overtaken by the same person on the same straight?
- Will the 25th & 26th starting positons be empty on race day?
- Will Buemi's car fall apart again?
- Will Maldonado actually get a mention on the BBC coverage?

I am looking forward to another exciting race! Coverage starts at 1.00pm on Saturday for Qualifying and 7.00am on Sunday for the race (GMT +1)

See you there!