Ferrari were the team to beat in the pits just as they were in Australia.
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa made five visits to the pits and they all ranked among the six quickest of the race – a terrific display of speed and consistency from the Maranello squad.
McLaren’s pit stops were generally good and they won a battle in the pits with Lotus when Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen came in together on lap ten.
But a mistake during Jenson Button’s final pit stop proved very costly. A slow left-rear tyre change cost him around six seconds to Nico Rosberg.
Still, at least McLaren kept him in the pits and got the tyre on – Michael Schumacher’s race ended when he was sent out of the pits with the front-right wheel insufficiently tightened. Mercedes were fined ?óÔÇÜ?¼5,000 for the misdemeanour.
Button wasn’t the only driver to lose time with a slow pit stop. Romain Grosjean lost around five seconds with his stop on lap 38.
He continued to finish sixth, but as he ended the race a second behind Vettel there might have been more on offer.
Chinese Grand Prix pit stop times
Driver | Team | Pit stop time | Gap | On lap | |
1 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 20.024 | 38 | |
2 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 20.051 | 0.027 | 41 |
3 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 20.136 | 0.112 | 27 |
4 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 20.177 | 0.153 | 38 |
5 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 20.250 | 0.226 | 18 |
6 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 20.296 | 0.272 | 12 |
7 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 20.377 | 0.353 | 21 |
8 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 20.387 | 0.363 | 11 |
9 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 20.471 | 0.447 | 34 |
10 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 20.474 | 0.450 | 6 |
11 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 20.474 | 0.450 | 24 |
12 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 20.563 | 0.539 | 11 |
13 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 20.645 | 0.621 | 34 |
14 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 20.691 | 0.667 | 22 |
15 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 20.903 | 0.879 | 10 |
16 | Paul di Resta | Force India | 21.006 | 0.982 | 32 |
17 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 21.012 | 0.988 | 25 |
18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 21.027 | 1.003 | 30 |
19 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 21.113 | 1.089 | 13 |
20 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 21.146 | 1.122 | 31 |
21 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 21.184 | 1.160 | 11 |
22 | Bruno Senna | Williams | 21.184 | 1.160 | 12 |
23 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 21.229 | 1.205 | 33 |
24 | Bruno Senna | Williams | 21.323 | 1.299 | 29 |
25 | Timo Glock | Marussia | 21.327 | 1.303 | 18 |
26 | Kimi Raikkonen | Lotus | 21.433 | 1.409 | 10 |
27 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 21.449 | 1.425 | 9 |
28 | Kimi Raikkonen | Lotus | 21.494 | 1.470 | 28 |
29 | Timo Glock | Marussia | 21.515 | 1.491 | 36 |
30 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 21.551 | 1.527 | 9 |
31 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | 21.569 | 1.545 | 11 |
32 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 21.746 | 1.722 | 12 |
33 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 21.795 | 1.771 | 38 |
34 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham | 21.851 | 1.827 | 10 |
35 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 21.884 | 1.860 | 17 |
36 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham | 22.007 | 1.983 | 29 |
37 | Charles Pic | Marussia | 22.306 | 2.282 | 19 |
38 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 22.318 | 2.294 | 33 |
39 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 22.531 | 2.507 | 41 |
40 | Sergio Perez | Sauber | 22.565 | 2.541 | 35 |
41 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | 22.606 | 2.582 | 28 |
42 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | 22.713 | 2.689 | 12 |
43 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 22.835 | 2.811 | 11 |
44 | Sergio Perez | Sauber | 23.009 | 2.985 | 16 |
45 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT | 23.151 | 3.127 | 32 |
46 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT | 23.488 | 3.464 | 31 |
47 | Charles Pic | Marussia | 23.579 | 3.555 | 37 |
48 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso | 23.623 | 3.599 | 28 |
49 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT | 23.634 | 3.610 | 17 |
50 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT | 24.937 | 4.913 | 16 |
51 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | 25.835 | 5.811 | 32 |
52 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 26.618 | 6.594 | 39 |
53 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 32.407 | 12.383 | 9 |
54 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | 37.748 | 17.724 | 29 |
55 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | 85.796 | 65.772 | 47 |
2012 Chinese Grand Prix
Image ?é?® Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo
Wallbreaker
15th April 2012, 20:08
If they were just as fast on track as they are in the pits *sigh* One doesn´t win a race or a championship like this…
Eggry (@eggry)
16th April 2012, 2:25
Indeed
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
16th April 2012, 11:40
I’m not convinced that Button could have put a fight up to Rosberg without his delay. Rosberg was still putting consistently good and often quicker laps away. Kovalainen had it rough. Spent more time in the pits than on track almost!
It’s encouraging from Ferrari and there will be times this season where their pit stop efficiency bags them points they wouldn’t otherwise score.
Hydro (@hydrouk)
16th April 2012, 13:29
I think we’ll never really know, just because when Button got onto his fresh set, he was behind traffic which he wouldn’t have been in if his pit stop had gone to plan.
French Steve (@french-steve)
16th April 2012, 17:19
Ferrari is brilliant in pit stops times. A good point for them.