Chinese GP
Shanghai International Circuit
ended
1 month ago
That ends our live coverage of P3 on the McLaren.com Pitwall. So far so good! Please join us back here for qualifying in 2hrs time.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You have finished the session more than 0.1s faster than anyone."
1 month ago
The top 10 for you: 1) Lewis, 2) Jenson, 3) ROS, 4) SCH, 5) WEB, 6) MAL, 7) PER, 8) KOB, 9) VET, 10) RAI
1 month ago
Lewis comes back to the pits. With both cars in the garage, it's now time to look at the data and make final preparations for qualifying!
1 month ago
Jenson ends his morning with a live pitstop.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You are P1 by 0.1s, ahead of Jenson."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We are still P1 and you were fastest in the middle and final sectors."
1 month ago
Pit: "Everyone get ready for pitstops please."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "The cars around you are all on out-laps."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You have Jenson coming past you now, then SCH. The gap is behind SCH."
1 month ago
Lewis heads out for his option run.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "The car behind is SCH. He's on an out-lap and he's 4s behind."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "You are currently P1 and fastest in the middle sector."
1 month ago
Jenson heads out for his option run.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
Pit: "When Lewis comes back in, we'll need a pretty quick turnaround. Just fuel and tyres."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We've now fitted the option tyre and added some front wing."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Gap behind KOB is good. You have 14s there."
1 month ago
Lewis heads out, once again on the prime tyre.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "There's a light crosswind as you go down the back straight towards Turn 14. That gives you a slight tail wind on the start-finish straight."
1 month ago
Hamilton: "Which direction is the wind pointing today?"
1 month ago
Given the cloud of yesterday, it really is great weather in Shanghai today. Not quite suntan worthy, but easier to get temp into the tyres!
1 month ago
Hamilton: "The car is feeling very similar to yesterday. The turning is quite good in the low-speed and my biggest problem is through the high-speed."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You're P3 on the timesheets at the moment. WEB is fastest."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Box this lap. On that lap you matched Lewis in sectors 2 and 3. Given the age of the tyres, that's another good lap time."
1 month ago
Halfway through P3, the top 10: 1) WEB, 2) ROS, 3) Lewis, 4) RAI, 5) SCH, 6) KOB, 7) Jenson, 8) MAL, 9) SEN, 10) ALO
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Given the age of the tyres, I think that's a pretty strong first lap."
1 month ago
Jenson's first flying lap: 1m37.6s. P7.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "The car behind is KOV. You have a big ahead, so stay ahead of him. You have 0.2s to find in sector 2 and 0.3s in sector 3."
1 month ago
Lewis's first flying lap: 1m37.3s. P4.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "20s gap behind. Let's warm the brakes."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Let KOB through. The gap is behind him."
1 month ago
Both cars are on-track.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You're joining the track close to KOV. Be careful of him because he's coming down the start-finish straight."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "This is the same set of tyres that we used on the install lap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Looking at end-of-straight speeds, the Mercs have slowed down a lot compared to yesterday. They've obviously added downforce overnight."
1 month ago
Lewis and Jenson are getting strapped in once again. Time for business. There are now 20 cars on-track.
1 month ago
PER sets the fastest lap of the session so far with a 1m37.8s. Nearly 4s slower than last year's pole time.
1 month ago
Lewis and Jenson are still walking around the pit garage while their cars are checked over. Nice shades, Lewis!
1 month ago
As the track falls silent for a few moments, some stats for you: we're chasing our 150th pole and our 150th fastest lap this weekend...
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "If you want to hop out, please do. We won't be going out for 15 minutes or so."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Stop on your marks and lay some rubber."
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Happy with the steering?"
1 month ago
Now it's Lewis's turn to head out on the medium tyre.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Radio is good all around the lap. Box this lap please."
1 month ago
Jenson heads out of the pits to begin his day's work.
1 month ago
Hamilton: "Yes, no probs."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Can you hear me?"
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Radio check Jenson."
1 month ago
Both drivers are in their cars, ready to go.
1 month ago
The gearbox on Lewis's car was changed overnight, so he'll definitely face a 5-place grid penalty for tomorrow's race.
1 month ago
Much better weather than yesterday. The sun's shining, so we can expect lots of running for Jenson and Lewis.
1 month ago
A very good morning from Shanghai! Welcome to our live coverage of P3 on the McLaren.com Pitwall.
1 month ago
That concludes our live coverage from China today - don't forget to join us tomorrow for P3 and qualifying!
1 month ago
Fastest time of the afternoon was a 1m35.973 (SCH). Lewis was second with a 1m36.145s and Jenson sixth on a 1m36.711s.
1 month ago
The order at the end of P2 in China is 1 SCH 2 HAM 3 VET 4 WEB 5 ROS 6 BUT 7 KOB 8 DIR 9 HUL 10 ALO.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Time for one more timed lap."
1 month ago
Hamilton: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
Fastest time is Michael Schumacher's 1m35.973s. Lewis is second on a 1m36.145s. Jenson sixth on 1m36.711s.
1 month ago
Last few minutes of the session remaining - and with our long-run times in the low 1m40s, it's unlikely that anyone will go faster.
1 month ago
Hamilton: "Box this lap okay."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
#socialfriday @littlemrsj asks: "Did you bring all the kit back to the UK after the last race?" Our cars & freight went direct to China...
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Current pace is good."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Let's make the gap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Jenson, you have a 15-second gap behind you."
1 month ago
Yes, sometimes more - 3 to 4kg. Thanks to @lucozadeuk we work hard to provide the best rehydration in F1 though! #socialfriday
1 month ago
#socialfriday @lstendardo asks: "Is it true that a F1 driver loses more than 2 kg in a race?"
1 month ago
Lewis is out again - on the Pirelli soft tyre.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Turn the engine off."
1 month ago
Pit: "Jenson is pit lane now - he's stopping on the marks."
1 month ago
#socialFriday @GeoffMadden asks: "How many hours do the pit crews put in to tyre change practice?" About 80 practice stops per weekend!
1 month ago
Lewis is now back in the garage after that run on the softer compound tyre. In the background, Jenson is firing up.
1 month ago
#socialfriday @Canham75 asks: "Is there an advantage of having a smooth nose compared to a dipped nose?" Yeah, it just looks so much nicer!!
1 month ago
Pit: "Can we have the tyres to Jenson's car, please?"
1 month ago
That was a 1m36.145s - so about half a second faster than his previous best on the prime.
1 month ago
Our car looks so driveable through the fast corners!
1 month ago
Lewis is now out on the Option tyre - let's see how this compares in pace to the Prime.
1 month ago
I believe there was a popular order for poached eggs on toast this morning! @absolutetaste
1 month ago
#socialfriday @lollie195 asks: 'What is the best breakfast/lunch/dinner for JB and Lewis before a race to keep them going?'
1 month ago
The engineers' and drivers' suggestions all improve pace and driveability - and that's essential for the designers.
1 month ago
The engineer is the car's end-user - but there's a constant feedback loop between drivers, designers and engineers to improve everything.
1 month ago
#socialfriday @pabloma93 asks: 'In which ways can an F1 engineer help with the development of the car?'
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Still yellows at Turn One."
1 month ago
There's a rescue vehicle collecting Glock's car from the barriers at Turn One.
1 month ago
Hamilton: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
There's yellows at T1 - suggest we box this lap.
1 month ago
Er, * outlaps * - that's AutoCorrect for you!
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "All the cars around us are on outlaws."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Car in front is Senna - eight seconds ahead on a timed lap. You can afford to make the gap at the end of the lap."
1 month ago
In a flash, both cars leave the pits for another comparison run.
1 month ago
#socialfriday You need the ride-height sorted to avoid bottoming out, and you want decent brake cooling for the big stops.
1 month ago
#socialfriday @ashley3one3 asks: "What kind of setup changes are req'd to deal with the heavy braking for T1?"
1 month ago
#socialfriday @TejHattiangadi asks: "Which are JB's and LH's favorite tracks?" Both love Monaco & Spa. JB loves Suzuka & Lewis likes India.
1 month ago
#socialfriday The simple answer is that the car is never fully built up unless it's ready to roll! But Thursday is spent building it up.
1 month ago
#socialfriday @Boyracer94 asks: 'How long (approx.) does it take the team to build up the car from when it arrives at the track?'
1 month ago
Hamilton: "The car generally feels quite good."
1 month ago
For all those just tuning in, yes, Lewis faces a five-place grid penalty - he requires a gearbox change tomorrow.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Jenson, box this lap."
1 month ago
Of course, our most 'famous' race engineer is probably Olympic silver-medallist Tom Stallard - he's a garage celeb!
1 month ago
Nice moody shot of principal race engineer Phil Prew on the TV screens...
1 month ago
That was a 1m37.031s lap from Lewis.
1 month ago
The weather forecast is predicting no rain during the rest of P2.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Large gap behind."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Pace still very good."
1 month ago
Jenson fires up and leaves the garage too.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We're getting ready for our second timed run of the afternoon."
1 month ago
Remember, today's #socialfriday - if you have any questions, submit them @thefifthdriver and we'll answer them on the PITWALL.
1 month ago
Lewis leaves the pits.
1 month ago
The drivers are getting ready for a second run, having refined their set-ups in the pits.
1 month ago
Lewis is now debriefing with Andy Latham, his race engineer.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You're still the fastest car overall - fastest in the first two sectors."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Stop on your marks."
1 month ago
Pit: "Jenson is box this lap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You are fastest in the second and third sectors."
1 month ago
Lewis is now quickest overall, with a 1m36.814s.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Schumacher is on a timed lap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Twelve-second gap behind to Schumacher."
1 month ago
Jenson set a 1m38.025 - second fastest.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Ready for your timed laps."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Large gap behind."
1 month ago
Lewis is out now too.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Track position is good. Car in front is Grosjean on a fast lap and there's a 20-second gap behind - let's make the gap on the back straight."
1 month ago
And out he goes.
1 month ago
Firing up Jenson's car.
1 month ago
Pit: "The car's ready, Dave."
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Radio check?"
1 month ago
Pit: "Can we bring the tyres round please?"
1 month ago
Jenson's already strapped into the car. Lewis is just climbing in no.
1 month ago
We expect to learn a lot more from this session - provided it stays dry!
1 month ago
For those just joining us in Europe: Lewis was fastest in P1, but it was a mixed session held in damp conditions.
1 month ago
WEATHER UPDATE: it's dry. (but it's still cold and grey).
1 month ago
... and it's that change which will trigger the five-place grid penalty.
1 month ago
For those asking for clarification, we haven't changed Lewis's gearbox yet, but it will be changed before qualifying...
1 month ago
We're minutes away from the start of P2 - are you with us? www.mclaren.com/formula1
1 month ago
That concludes our coverage of P1 from Shanghai. Just us again in a few hours for (hopefully) more action from P2!
1 month ago
Top 10 after P1 in China: 1 HAM 2 ROS 3 SCH 4 PER 5 KOB 6 WEB 7 VET 8 BUT 9 RIC 10 VER.
1 month ago
A very busy end to an otherwise quiet morning! We finished first (HAM 1m37.106s) and eighth (BUT 1m39.199s).
1 month ago
1 month ago
Jenson sets a 1m39.199s.
1 month ago
And he goes fastest overall with a 1m38.146s.
1 month ago
Lewis goes purple in sector one.
1 month ago
Lewis immediately sets a 1m39.114s - third fastest.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You have a six-second gap behind."
1 month ago
Pit: "Get ready for the stops."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We're waiting for the gap in traffic before we go out on the slick."
1 month ago
Lewis is out now on slick rubber.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "We'll get a feeling for how the car feels."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
1 month ago
Jenson is out on the Inter.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Track is clear."
1 month ago
So Jenson has just headed out of the garage. Lewis is getting strapped in and is getting ready to to likewise.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Okay, let's go out and have a look."
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
Lewis and his dad are admiring our car! Andy Latham has just joined us to chat with Lewis.
1 month ago
Wow, it's pretty misty out there!
1 month ago
Pit: "Let's do a fire-up."
1 month ago
Getting the best commentary in the house from @lewishamilton!
1 month ago
The damp weather today means there's not a great deal to be learned on track at the moment.
1 month ago
So @lewishamilton is sat next to me - he says hi to everyone!
1 month ago
So we're halfway through P1 - the top 5 is 1 WEB 2 GRO 3 MAL 4 RIC 5 KOV.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Lewis, it looks like the spitting is increasing in intensity - we might wait a little longer before heading out."
1 month ago
#socialfriday @derpingitup asks: 'How much development goes into the car between races?' It never stops! Lots of new parts come to each GP
1 month ago
Conditions look pretty tricky out there - it's damp and greasy. And, because it's cold, there's very little grip too.
1 month ago
Lewis is back in the garage.
1 month ago
Hamilton: "It's starting to spit out there."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You have Webber behind you on a timed lap - suggest we drop back: large gap behind"
1 month ago
Pit: "It's lightly raining outside."
1 month ago
It's actually quite spooky how closely they develop the car - they like their cars set up in very similar ways but drive them differently.
1 month ago
#socialfriday @G1Nader asks: 'Lewis and Jenson develop their setups during the weekend, but how often does one of them copy the other?'
1 month ago
#socialfriday - the engineers develop a race-plan in harmony with our strategists back at MTC. Takes a lot of brainpower!
1 month ago
#socialfriday @Steven8Gerrard asks: Who makes the decisions re race strategy and pitstops? The drivers and their engineers or Martin?
1 month ago
#socialfriday For all those asking, the rear rake is a measuring device that captures airflow data - lots of F1 teams use them.
1 month ago
Both drivers have completed their installation runs and are back in the garage. We're preparing their cars for the session.
1 month ago
Remember that today is #socialfriday - send your questions @thefifthdriver and we'll answer the best ones via the PITWALL!
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Turn Three radio check."
1 month ago
Jenson's just left the garage for his installation lap.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You need to be quite careful out there."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Okay Lewis, can you hear me loud and clear?"
1 month ago
The track is clearly a little damp but it looks like there's a dry line pretty much all the way round.
1 month ago
As you may have guessed, the session's now live.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "All the cars running at the moment are on either Wets or Inters."
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Okay Jenson, radio check."
1 month ago
For the attentive, Lewis is sporting another of his special-edition helmets for this race - check out the back of his lid!
1 month ago
Both drivers are in the garage. Jenson is already strapped into the car while Lewis is relaxing and chatting with his mechanics.
1 month ago
It's fantastic to read all your Tweets to the team! Such positive messages from everyone - thank you!
1 month ago
Weather update: it's not currently raining but the track and ground are still damp - so that's likely to affect running at the start of P1.
1 month ago
Jenson, too, is happy, fit and motivated after some rest and training in both Hawaii and Japan.
1 month ago
We're just conducting our internal garage radio checks here before the session kicks off.
1 month ago
As ever though, Lewis is smiling in the face of adversity, and his aim for the race on Sunday is to 'just move forwards'. He never gives up!
1 month ago
Of course, the main news in the garage this morning is that, unfortunately, Lewis faces a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change.
1 month ago
Especially for you, we're offering this weekend's PITWALL commentary in Chinese. Click on the let to access it.
1 month ago
Fans here in China are some of the most fanatical in the world - seems like there are Vodafone McLaren Mercedes fans on every street corner.
1 month ago
As ever, we're here to bring you all the news, info, access, pics, radio conversation and data from the Friday practice sessions.
1 month ago
Good morning from China! We're coming to you from a cold, damp and grey Shanghai International Circuit! www.mclaren.com/formula1
1 month ago
Make sure to join us right here for commentary & data LIVE from the track - P1 starts at 3am UK TIME on Friday.
1 month ago
Just hours 'til P1 of the Chinese GP kicks off at the Shanghai International Circuit!
1 month ago
Technical Director, Paddy Lowe chats about the upcoming race weekend in China
Earlier this week we caught up with Paddy to have a chat about the International Shanghai Circuit and the enthusiasm of Chinese fans!
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