BEN EDWARDS @benedwardstv
SHANGHAI TENDS TO BE FULL OF SURPRISES
20 years ago the first-ever Chinese Grand Prix was also notable since it brought a dip for the driver who had dominated the season to that point. Shanghai’s first race was in September, by which time Michael Schumacher had wrapped up the championship after a blistering season with Ferrari in which he won all the races he finished until the Belgian GP, where he settled for second to confirm his seventh title.
Schumacher’s first experience of the 3.3-mile track in the Jiading district was promising, despite Anthony Davidson (now Sky Sports F1’s resident expert) setting the pace in both the opening practice sessions as test and third driver for BAR. In final practice Michael was fastest and, in the days of one-lap qualifying, topped the list in what was called pre-qualifying to set the running order for the final stage. Yet when it came down to the single lap that mattered, Schumacher lost it going into the first corner and had to start from the back.
Raceday was no better for Schumacher, despite his recently etched status as the most successful driver in F1 history. A collision, a spin and a puncture left him lapped in 12th place, while Barrichello went on to take a second consecutive win. It was an early sign that the Chinese GP can be very unpredictable for those at the top of the game.
When future seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was contesting his maiden season with McLaren in 2007, he went into the event with a 12-point lead in the standings with two races to go. He took pole from Ferrari rival Kimi Räikkönen while the other title contender, Lewis’s team-mate Fernando Alonso, lined up fourth. Hamilton led in wet conditions and controlled the pace until half distance but his rear tyres were wearing out; Räikkönen closed in yet McLaren didn’t call Lewis in for another three laps, by which time Kimi had taken the lead. By then the minimal grip contributed to a mistake in which Lewis slid out of the tight pit-entry corner and into the gravel trap, where there was no way out. Kimi went on to win, a key moment contributing to his title success two weeks later.
Within a few years Max Verstappen may well be following in the wheeltracks of Schumacher and Hamilton and seeking a seventh world championship (or beyond). He too has made key errors in China. The 2018 event was held in mid-April, af
