Chinese Grand Prix

Chinese Grand Prix - FP3

3rd & 7 37yd

@Phoenix: Possibly, but he is in a Mercedes-powered team and at the moment the best seat on the grid would be a Mercedes.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:11:21 AM
If it's a marathon for McLaren and this is their developmental year why not be running at 100%? It would show the potential and Honda would look better. I don't recall a major team being so far behind. Typically they were competitive and only lacked in reliability. McLaren currently is showing neither.

by rpr 4/11/2015 4:11:34 AM
@rpr: Because McLaren and Honda are not treating this season like a championship year. They want to be in a position at the end of the year where it can challenge for wins, giving it a good platform for next season. Plus, throwing everything into the engine is very risky considering they've used so many parts in just two races.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:12:18 AM
Lots of action now as Sainz goes top with a 1:41.302, before Verstappen slots behind him - albeit four tenths down.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:12:40 AM
@Nate, when you say engine penalties...what exactly is the penalty ? Is it monetary...if so how much ? And is it not worth taking that risk now rather than being an "also-ran" or being a "back-marker" ? Will it not affect their sponsors and the revenue thereof... ?

by TS 4/11/2015 4:12:42 AM
@TS: This year the penalties have been tweaked slightly. Changing an entire power unit gives a 10-place grid penalty but, unlike last year where penalties were carried over if you could not serve the full ten, the penalty is at follows.
If you cannot serve: 1-5 grid slots, you get five second race penalty
6-10, you get a ten second race penalty
11-15 is a 20 second penalty
Anything more equals a drive-through to be served at any point through the race.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:14:22 AM
What do wins at the end of the year matter when it's a developmental year?

by rpr 4/11/2015 4:14:24 AM
Ford Honda-McLaren it looks like an ultra marathon! Remember BAR and how that effectively scuttled the career as mulitple champion of Jacques Villeneuve?... Mary Lou

by Mary-Lou 4/11/2015 4:14:30 AM
Rosberg has joined the fray and knocked Vettel off the top with a 1:40.055.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:14:46 AM
watch the Toro Rosso, so much talent and a reasonable car to mix it up.

by cash_flow_gold 4/11/2015 4:14:53 AM
Hamilton told there has been a wind change - now a headwind on the backstraight which might upset the balance slightly.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:15:14 AM
Hulkenberg appears to have some hot brakes as he wobbles through the heavy-braking Turn 14 hairpin.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:15:45 AM
McLaren will always be behind Ferrari, Mercedes, Williams , Red Bull.

by HS 4/11/2015 4:16:02 AM
Raikkonen out on track currently. Big day for the Finn. A clean day is essential.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:16:34 AM
Raikkonen slots into third, barely anything behind Vettel - the gap currently 0.3s between the red cars.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:17:18 AM
All the runs so far on medium tyres.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:17:25 AM
Vettel crosses and improves on his time to move a tenth closer to Rosberg - he's now 0.120s down. Hamilton currently on a lap.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:17:52 AM
Hamilton went very fast through the first two sectors but then backed off significantly in the final sector.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:18:07 AM
@HS That is just plain silly.

by satyaban 4/11/2015 4:18:09 AM
I think McLaren will work out the kinks. It's gonna require some effort, but it'll happen.

by Nate 4/11/2015 4:18:14 AM
Is there a US site of espn f1?

by Mike Alan edited by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:19:27 AM
@MikeAlan: This is the one! We're part of ESPN UK but we're also part of the international website.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:19:42 AM
Mclaren in my opinion ... Losing weight being fat is a progress but staying fit with no body fat is another level.so right now mclaren is just shedding weight.

by Sammie Srini 4/11/2015 4:19:51 AM
@SammieSrini: Interesting way of putting it, good job.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:20:04 AM
Hamilton goes top with a 1:39.776. That's nearly three tenths quicker than team-mate Rosberg.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:20:36 AM
Nate, why is espnf1 no longer on the espnf1.com domain? and why doesn't the ESPN F1 android app work?

by Phoenix 4/11/2015 4:20:41 AM
@Phoenix: As part of the ESPN re-design we've been moved onto the global website. That address should still re-direct you to us. The mobile app has some technical gremlins which are being worked on by our product team and should hopefully be up and running again soon. I should point out the new site is designed for mobile too, meaning you can check us out on your phone instead of the app.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:21:43 AM
@satyaban ! McLaren have not been able to develop a winning car from decades.. You maybe right but after more than 5 years from now for sure.

by HS 4/11/2015 4:21:52 AM
Bottas bails out of a committed hot lap but one which looked very unbalanced.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:22:16 AM
Yeah, Nate, what the hell kind of development did you guys do? You're worse than Honda! I thought you were a programmer not a journo...

by mfbull 4/11/2015 4:22:19 AM
@mfbull: If I was a programmer I could sort out some of the teething problems myself!

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:22:36 AM
A frustrated Massa also bails out of his own hot lap, complaining about smoke coming out of the cockpit. There isn't anything noticeable coming from the car but I guess the team knows better than us.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:23:11 AM
An on-board shows a light mist coming from the cockpit, around his right knee sort of area. Odd.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:23:32 AM
Decades? I would like to disagree. The 2012 car was a winner in terms of pace.Reliability cost them a shot at the championship.

by Phoenix 4/11/2015 4:23:34 AM
@Phoenix: Exactly. Reliability cost McLaren titles in 2005 and 2012. They shot themselves in the foot in 2007 by not backing either driver, and in 2010 two Hamilton errors in Italy and Singapore cost him the title.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:24:13 AM
I like the new ESPN F1 format. Yes it needs work but I feel it's an improvement.

by rpr 4/11/2015 4:24:21 AM
@rpr: Rare praise, thanks!

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:24:26 AM
Are Red Bulls saving milage on their engines? You would think get in as much data as possible in practice?

by cash_flow_gold 4/11/2015 4:24:35 AM
@cash_flow_gold: Possibly. Those problems still haven't been solved, plus the team is running 2014 Brembo brakes this weekend after its troubles in Malaysia.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:25:16 AM
@nate..where the official timings of race weekends for other countries you have to have earlier on the old website of yours?? i mean of respective countries timings..?? what happened to that!! kindly introduce it back so that we can know what is the time of race weekends in respective countries

by Gaurav2175 4/11/2015 4:25:19 AM
@Gaurav2175: Our site is currently undergoing a lot of changes and we hope these timings will return soon. The dream is they will be at the top in the grey header scoreboard but at the moment, for whatever reason, we don't have them. I'm just a humble journalist trying to keep the world a'turning.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:26:13 AM
Why is Williams weak this year

by asshole 4/11/2015 4:26:16 AM
What's the word on Williams, has the car not been developed much over last year or has it been developed in the wrong direction?

by mfbull 4/11/2015 4:26:18 AM
@mfbull: I spoke to Pat Symonds in Barcelona earlier this year and he said the car was an evolution not a revolution - there's clearly been a lot of change, including to the nose. I still think Williams has a competitive package but there are clearly issues.

by Nate Saunders 4/11/2015 4:27:21 AM
@Gaurav2175: That was convenient. It was what brought me to the site so often to begin with.

by mfbull 4/11/2015 4:27:26 AM

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F1 - Chinese GP
Chinese Grand Prix April 10-12

April 10: Free practice 1
10:00 local | 02:00 GMT | 03:00 BST
April 10: Free practice 2
14:00 local | 06:00 GMT | 07:00 BST
April 11: Free practice 3
12:00 local | 04:00 GMT | 05:00 BST
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14:00 local | 06:00 GMT | 07:00 BST

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