Rate the race: 2014 Chinese Grand Prix

2014 Chinese Grand Prix

20th April 2014, 9:4125th March 2015, 5:57 | Written by Keith Collantine

What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Chinese Grand Prix.

F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought of every race during the season.

Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix out of ten

10 (1%)
9 (0%)
8 (4%)
7 (19%)
6 (30%)
5 (23%)
4 (11%)
3 (5%)
2 (2%)
1 (4%)

Total Voters: 750

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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2014 Chinese Grand Prix

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Image © McLaren/LAT

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Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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178 comments on “Rate the race: 2014 Chinese Grand Prix”

Sankalp Sharma (@sankalp88)
20th April 2014, 9:42

6/10 I’m afraid. Worst race since the 2008 one. Master class from Alonso though!
1. minnis (@minnis)
  20th April 2014, 9:43
  
  I’m suspecting a really low rating as people will be comparing to Bahrain.
  1. Alfie (@alfie)
    20th April 2014, 9:45
    
    Well it was really boring anyway.
    1. babis1980 (@babis1980)
      20th April 2014, 10:01
      
      I can’t understand how the teams have already solved reliability issues, fuel issues and now we are seeing again the tire formula…… so sad….. I want back my durable tires please. I want to see drivers to push at 100%. Please pirelli produce some black things that these drivers can use all the time….
      1. Clucky (@cluckyblokebird)
        20th April 2014, 12:11
        
        Why are you asking Pirelli for tougher tyres? They make them to fia specs.
2. MagillaGorilla (@magillagorilla)
  20th April 2014, 9:44
  
  Agreed, the radio conversations are what kept it from falling lower than 6/10 for me.
  1. Nick (@nick-uk)
    20th April 2014, 10:06
    
    I voted 4. And that was with the team radio and the result giving it +1 each. Otherwise I think I would have gone with 2/10. Total snooze fest. I’m glad it was an 8am and not a 6am race otherwise I would have simply fallen back asleep.
    
    Great to see Lewis take a hat trick though. Not to jynx it too early, but anyone think he could threaten Vettel/Ascari’s 9 in a row??
    1. Sankalp Sharma (@sankalp88)
      20th April 2014, 10:15
      
      Unlike Webber at RB, Rosberg may have more of a say on the 9-in-a-row theory. But Hamilton does have a great chance of equaling or beating Schumacher/Vettel’s season total of 13.
      1. Sam (@)
        20th April 2014, 11:23
        
        I might be bit bias as I’m a Webber fan but at the moment, I don’t rate Rosberg (2012-2014) higher than Webber (2009-2013). It is this ever lasting idea that HAM/ROS will be SEN/PRO whilst it really is a walk in the park by Hamilton.
        
        In Melbourne Ham had to retire. In Malaysia he was so far behind it was just ridiculous, in Bahrein they had fun but it was a serious slap on the wrist for Rosberg. Today, another flawless race by Ham and Ros pretty average really. Took way to long to pass everyone to even think about fighting with Hamilton.
        
        Webber at least took the fight to Vettel on some occasions. Not many, but some, expecially in 2010, first half of 2012. I don’t see Rosberg threatening Hamilton any time soon. I hope to be wrong though, but I fear I’m not.
        
        @sankalp88
        
        @nick-uk Without a mechanical failure, I think Hamilton will win every race of the season. 9 in a row is possible for sure, 14 this season. Surely!
      2. OOliver
        20th April 2014, 11:25
        
        Unlike Schumacher and Vettel, Hamilton will have to fight for that number of race wins in a season.
      3. DaveD (@daved)
        20th April 2014, 14:03
        
        Agree with Oliver…Lewis will have to fight for his wins at most races, unlike Schumi and Vettel in the past.
  2. MJ (@mjf1)
    20th April 2014, 10:09
    
    Agreed, 6/10. Highlight of the race was Vettel’s “Tough Luck” radio message.
    1. Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
      20th April 2014, 16:19
      
      And the farcical race shortening by the chequered flag mistake.. FIA rule set in disarray, just like with the Safety Car in 2010.. so technically they could flag the race after any time and call it a day there and then….. almost looks like an attempt to see what shorter races could be like!
3. Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
  20th April 2014, 9:55
  
  For a Shanghai GP it was pretty okay. As I’ve been saying for some time the Bahrain GP had an unfair reputation and so had the Shanghai GP, the first was under appreciated and the last over appreciated.
  1. Kingshark (@kingshark)
    20th April 2014, 9:58
    
    @peartree
    
    For a Shanghai GP it was pretty okay.
    
    You clearly never saw the 2010, 2011, or 2012 race did you? Or the legendary 2006 race for that matter?
    1. Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
      20th April 2014, 11:35
      
      @kingshark No, I saw 10 years of Shanghai.
      1. Kingshark (@kingshark)
        20th April 2014, 17:01
        
        2004 = Decent by 2004 standards
        2005 = Decent by 2004 standards
        2006 = Epic
        2007 = Very good
        2008 = Boring
        2009 = Good wet race
        2010 = Brilliant
        2011 = Awesome
        2012 = Even more epic
        2013 = Very solid
        2014 = Boring
        
        Notice how high Shanghai is on this list by circuit;
        https://www.racefans.net/2013/12/08/2013-season-lowest-rated-2009/
  2. Kingshark (@kingshark)
    20th April 2014, 9:58
    
    @peartree
    
    For a Shanghai GP it was pretty okay.
    
    You clearly never saw the 2010, 2011, or 2012 race did you? Or the legendary 2006 race for that matter?
  3. Sankalp Sharma (@sankalp88)
    20th April 2014, 10:00
    
    I don’t think Shanghai is overrated at all. It’s an exciting track. If you’ve seen some of the past races, 06,07,09,10,11,12. Even last year’s race was definitely an 7.5/10 in my book.
4. F1 Noob (@noob)
  20th April 2014, 11:56
  
  @sankalp88 I echo your comment, except the Alonso part
AMR (@aiera-music)
20th April 2014, 9:44

7. Not thrilling, but not bad either :D
1. JCost (@jcost)
  20th April 2014, 9:56
  
  7 for me as well. Maybe because I already had anticipated Lewis to dominate the event.
  1. smokinjoe (@smokinjoe)
    20th April 2014, 10:31
    
    Only thing missing is the wheel to wheel battle between the team mates and there a few second between all top 10 position except hulk and botthas, the race finished up in a procession…..maybe a little rain will spice up things but that did not happen
    1. OOliver
      20th April 2014, 11:27
      
      Rosberg’s poor start and failure to clear the cars ahead fast enough was what reduced the pressure on Hamilton.
  2. Younes (@moumny)
    20th April 2014, 11:13
    
    7 For me as well. The strategy was interesting. Too bad Massa had to retire he would definitely have made the race more enjoyable by having a go at the redbulls. Also RIC was not very far from ALO, a bit faster and it would have been a great end of race
    1. Stuart Brookes (@ztubert)
      21st April 2014, 16:51
      
      RIC didn’t need to be a bit faster. He just needed VET to get out of the way when when asked too.
Aimal (@aimalkhan)
20th April 2014, 9:45

Really happy for Alonso’s podium so that made it a little better. overall a bit of a meh race. 6/10.
1. JCost (@jcost)
  20th April 2014, 9:58
  
  Great job by Fernando. People wil say it’s to soon but it’s perfectly in line with my predictions: ALONSO IS DEMOLISHING RAIKKKONEN.
  1. MJ (@mjf1)
    20th April 2014, 10:12
    
    Little disappointed with Kimi. He is performing about the same as Massa last year.
    1. Sven (@crammond)
      20th April 2014, 10:20
      
      They were already performing roughly the same in 07/08 and the early 09. Kimi is still doing better team-radio and interviews, though.
      1. scratt (@scratt)
        20th April 2014, 11:36
        
        It is increasingly clear that Kimi really needs the perfect setup to shine. Interestingly this also seems to be the case with Vettel.
        
        It’s worth noting that Kimi tends to up his game once we hit Europe.
        
        Also that Alonso seems to have a teleportation device for starts, and a force field that protects his car from flailing attacks by Massa! ;)
  2. Michael
    20th April 2014, 12:28
    
    He is only demolishing Raikkonen because of Raikkonen’s car problems, it’s a shame that people only see the end result.
    1. GB (@bgp001ruled)
      21st April 2014, 3:48
      
      totally disagree! i don´t like alonso at all. in fact, i wish him always the worst! but the guy is really one of the best drivers ever! no matter how which shape his car is in or the team, he always delivers more than what everybody expects. or achieves the maximum that was there to grasp. something you can say about massa or now, sadly, about kimi. and i know, ´cuz i´ve always been wishing him the worst! the guy is really good, and kimi is just another massa. too bad…
  3. spoutnik (@spoutnik)
    20th April 2014, 22:30
    
    @jcost That’s what I thought from the start. But the season is still long :)
Sam (@)
20th April 2014, 9:45

I predicted 9/10 top 10 finishers. My 10th was Massa who had his pitstop error. Of those 10 I have 4 on their correct places and those 5 others only one spot wrong due to Massa. Predictable much.

Saw some overtakes, okay. Hamilton his first hattrick. That is cool. Driver of the race would be Alonso. Of the weekend, Hamilton once more.
1. JCost (@jcost)
  20th April 2014, 14:42
  
  @ardenflo I’d give my DOW award to three fellas (A la Nobel Prize :) ) : Hamilton, Alonso and Ricciardo
PhilEReid (@philereid)
20th April 2014, 9:46

Well, I want 5.5, but voted 5. It was pretty much the most average race. Not bad, not great, just average. It was better than Malaysia, due to there being a few battles out there, and, whilst the battle for the lead was non-existent, there was still a small amount of tension when following Alonso. I think that this track, along with Malaysia, don’t really suit these cars. I have a feeling that the European season may spice things up a bit though, the tracks should be more suiting. Monaco could be immense.
1. Sven (@crammond)
  20th April 2014, 9:54
  
  You said everything I wanted to say. Voted 6 though, but very much the same reasoning.
2. Ted (@tedtonks)
  20th April 2014, 10:02
  
  My words exactly and five for me as well.
3. ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
  20th April 2014, 10:15
  
  Vote 5 too.
  Should be worst but helped by radio transmission
4. Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
  20th April 2014, 14:08
  
  I agree. An average race at best. Unfortunately, that is typical.
  1. GeordiePorker (@geordieporker)
    20th April 2014, 14:33
    
    This makes me giggle…an average race is typical. Yes, yes it is! :D
    
    Reminds me of an old quote from a Football manager: “If we played like that every week we wouldn’t be so inconsistent”
5. PJ (@)
  21st April 2014, 14:46
  
  I voted 5 as well.
  
  My experience of this race was a little different to before as I listened to it on Radio 5 Live. I was at the WEC in Silverstone and they didn’t have a screen/TV showing the race live. Needed to avoid spoilers so had to radio it in.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
20th April 2014, 9:47

I enjoyed it, Some good racing & a decent amount of overtaking. Kept me entertained.

I gave it 7/10.
TMF (@)
20th April 2014, 9:47

Great efforts by ALO, HAM and RIC. Overall a 5/10, the first stint was interesting but the rest rather predictable.
1. JCost (@jcost)
  20th April 2014, 9:59
  
  It can be hard to compare, but in my book, so far, Daniel Ricciardo is not only doing a better job than Sebastian Vettel but he is also doing a better job than Mark Webber.
  1. TMF (@)
    20th April 2014, 11:02
    
    @jcost hard to judge 4 races in – RIC seems to have a bit of a head-start in terms of preparation but that won’t last long. But RBR was right to pick RIC – that’s for sure.
AlokIn (@)
20th April 2014, 9:47

Hatrick for Lewis !!!
Excellent drive :)
Mashiat (@)
20th April 2014, 9:47

Great Race by Alonso, Hamilton and Ricciardo. All of them annihilated their teammates!
Andre Furtado (@f1andy83)
20th April 2014, 9:48

Do not enjoy watching a race with Team Orders, specially when they outright lie to one driver.

Massa and Williams again dropping the ball.

Amazing Job by Hamilton and Rosberg, no team orders = everyone is doing their best.
runforitscooby (@runforitscooby)
20th April 2014, 9:48

When Vettel is asking if he should back off, something is array . 4/10.
1. Andre Furtado (@f1andy83)
  20th April 2014, 9:49
  
  Team Orders at Red Bull, they are australian after all, just like Ric. I did not enjoy them making it seem like Ric was on a different strategy. I can’t stand team orders. They also botched Vettels timing on all stops and lost track position.
  1. Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
    20th April 2014, 9:51
    
    they are australian after all
    
    Austrian is not Australian
    1. Traverse (@)
      20th April 2014, 15:14
      
      @tifoso1989
      Austrian, Australian…same thing. A bit like Frosties and Corn Flakes…
  2. runforitscooby (@runforitscooby)
    20th April 2014, 9:52
    
    Red Bull IS AUSTRIAN. I hope you’re not one of the people who go to Austria to ask where the kangaroos are?
    1. runforitscooby (@runforitscooby)
      20th April 2014, 9:57
      
      I was actually referring to when Vettel was behind Alonso, he decided not to race him and back-off, yet he found some passion to hold up Ric, his own teammate.
      1. dex022 (@dex022)
        20th April 2014, 10:00
        
        He didn’t DECIDE not to race Alonso.He simply tried but with low top speed of Red Bull he really had no chance to pass him on the start. Btw i am not Vettel fan by any means…
  3. Sam (@)
    20th April 2014, 9:53
    
    @f1andy83 :O
2. md
  20th April 2014, 10:55
  
  (@runforitscooby)
  
  Vettel is showing how utterly mediocre many of us knew him to be all along.
  
  The last four years are being proven to be Newey, and not him. Beautiful.
  1. TMF (@)
    20th April 2014, 11:03
    
    and this year it’s all whoever designs the Mercs and not Hamilton?
    1. Sam (@)
      20th April 2014, 11:12
      
      No because we’re talking about Hamilton. Don’t you see that logic only applies when we’re talking about Vettel. Jeez. Just as in F1, F1 fans never use any form of consistency.
    2. Sam (@)
      20th April 2014, 11:12
      
      @tmf42
    3. Sven (@crammond)
      20th April 2014, 11:27
      
      It has allways been mainly about who builds the cars. However, in earlier years, when the drivers market was more vivid and drivers were changing teams more quickly, the strongest team often had the strongest drivers, too. Or at least I don´t recall anybody questioning Prost/Senna being the two strongest drivers in 88/89. Today, one can only guess which of up to 8 different drivers would be the top driver-pair, and it´s highly questionable it would be the current Merc-drivers.
      That said, 17 of the last 21 world-championships were won by either Ross Brawn or Adrian Newey, and the seasons not won by either of these two mostly had them pausing or having switched to a new team. No pair of drivers has a statistic even close to that.
      1. tezza (@terro55)
        20th April 2014, 12:27
        
        jack brabham, the only driver to become champion in a car of his own make. Now he was a true legend of the sport.
  2. Michael
    20th April 2014, 12:32
    
    You must be joking: did you not see the Vettel vs. Ricciardo fight Mr md? Wow, I guess no matter what Vettel will do, you guys will always hate him cause he had the guts to race Webber and gave him a run for his money too!
  3. Ron (@rcorporon)
    20th April 2014, 14:32
    
    Yup… just like how Ham is mediocre and it’s all the car this year. Sheesh… some people.
    1. Greg-C
      21st April 2014, 11:48
      
      Its totally all about the car !
      Vettel is a crap driver and its newey alone who wins titles . Hamilton is also crap and its only because Brawn left because he wanted to drive but couldnt get his fat ass in the car that he quit ! Other wise brawn would be WDC 2014
      (Sarcasm)
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
20th April 2014, 9:49

I told you not to get too exited last race, it was a drama fixed by Mercedes so they cannot lose their advantage by the rule change 6/10 just for Alonso’s podium the rest was extremely boring
1. matt90 (@matt90)
  20th April 2014, 10:06
  
  it was a drama fixed by Mercedes
  
  That’s one of the sillier conspiracy theories I’ve seen recently. And that really is saying something.
2. Mayank (@mjf1fan)
  20th April 2014, 10:34
  
  So was PM hitting EG also the grand part of the Mercedes drama as it brought safety car out and really spiced up last 10 laps of the race? @tifoso1989
  1. Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
    20th April 2014, 10:37
    
    The drama consists of letting the drivers race each other during the whole race
    1. Mayank (@mjf1fan)
      20th April 2014, 10:44
      
      @tifoso1989
      So is it wrong to let your drivers race till the end?
    2. Vincent Ouwehand (@bazzek)
      20th April 2014, 11:15
      
      Typical ferrari fan. Everyone hates team orders and the way ferrari handles 2 good drivers, except for tifosi i guess.
3. Chris (@tophercheese21)
  21st April 2014, 1:39
  
  it was a drama fixed by Mercedes so they cannot lose their advantage by the rule change
  
  Please tell me you’re joking, because that’s one of the most tin-foiled nut-job theories I’ve ever heard.
Retired (@jeff1s)
20th April 2014, 9:50

Where is the 0 ? I picked up 3/10. Didn’t see any proper wheel to wheel battles, poor strategies, even when my fav team and driver wins. This season is dull if you remove Bahrain
1. Mackeine Loveine (@cocaine-mackeine)
  20th April 2014, 15:37
  
  I switched off on lap 20. I looked the results and the race didn’t looked “terribly exciting”. I’m really worrying on the current state on F1.
2. Rooney (@rojov123)
  21st April 2014, 9:00
  
  You couldn’t pick 0 so you picked 3? What kind of silliness is that. You have simply picked 1 instead.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
20th April 2014, 9:53

6/10. A normal race.
David Margono (@woshidavid95)
20th April 2014, 9:54

What in the world happened for Vettel to finish 20+ seconds behind Ricciardo? All I know was that Alonso undercut him for 2nd place, Vettel backed off and then what happened?
1. TMF (@)
  20th April 2014, 9:57
  
  @woshidavid95 my guess they switched him late to a 2 stopper and then he either had car troubles or turned down the engine. he lost 1s per lap in the last stint.
2. TMF (@)
  20th April 2014, 10:27
  
  @woshidavid95 just saw an interview with Vettel – he said it was just down to him and his struggles with the primes he just couldn’t make them last .
dragoll (@dragoll)
20th April 2014, 9:54

I selected 4/10, nothing really unexpected. ALO and Ferrari were probably the only surprise, however, it was for 3rd place….
1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
  20th April 2014, 17:40
  
  I’m the same. Though I may be slightly biased because Vettel’s performance was a tad depressing.
  1. spoutnik (@spoutnik)
    20th April 2014, 22:41
    
    @vettel1 Indeed, I felt sorry for the fans.
    1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      20th April 2014, 23:31
      
      I try to be as impartial as possible of course, but even then it still wasn’t a particularly good race. It wasn’t like Valencia 2012 where there were other perks @spoutnik!
AbeyG (@1abe)
20th April 2014, 9:56

Decent but not as interesting. But ran away with the race but pretty much everyone behind him had a good race. Nico is really dissatisfied with his result. Hope this rivalry lasts throughout the season.
1. AbeyG (@1abe)
  20th April 2014, 10:38
  
  *Hamilton ran away with the race.
Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
20th April 2014, 9:56

Was quite an interesting race. Driver quote of the year goes to Vettel “What tyres is he on?” Then “Bad Luck”
sushant008 (@sushant008)
20th April 2014, 9:57

5/10 for a really forgettable race. Absolutely no excitement :(
Big congrats to HAM,ALO,RIC and Force India as well. Still the best Merc powered customer team!
Rigi (@rigi)
20th April 2014, 9:58

not a very good race. just simply predictable and boring. 4/10
Ricardo Ferreira (@yes-master)
20th April 2014, 9:59

Well, well…because there were no safety car in this Chinese GP, we had a 5 point race. Everyone voted 9 and 10 for the last race, putting aside the safety car factor, and now they have to put the feet back on the ground, because this is the reality. So, no surprise in a suffering 5 point race.

Congrats to Alonso, Ricciardo, Hulk and Kvyat. Frustrating race for Nico, Vettel, the Maclaren and the Williams. I’m probably going to watch a good game of curling now and hope to have some fun this morning…
1. LosD (@losd)
  20th April 2014, 10:29
  
  Last race was incredible, also before the SC.
  1. Ricardo Ferreira (@yes-master)
    20th April 2014, 15:25
    
    @losd Wouldn’t say incredible. It was good, but not spectacular. More competition by far and by comparison with this race, but nothing incredible happened before the sc. However, the sc was a brilliant game changer, and show time happened in the last 15 laps.
Lotus49 (@lotus49)
20th April 2014, 10:00

Really dreary procession. Massa’s pit stop was the highlight for me. Almost fell asleep toward the end. Awful.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
20th April 2014, 10:04

There’s really nothing much more to say about this race apart from this: 5/10.
Slava (@)
20th April 2014, 10:05

Alonso-2012 version. He almost tried to figt with Mercedes. It was great to see.
Kimi is good too: without any settings for a race he was able to finish in top 10.
Hulk is definitely incredible.
Daniil is better then Vergne.
Willims should think more about its pilots. They are terrible. So many points were thrown away. Feel sorry for this team.
1. juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
  20th April 2014, 10:31
  
  Alonso drove into Massa and Rosberg drove into Bottas. Not sure how terrible the Williams drivers are, but they have terrible luck.
  1. Corrado (@)
    20th April 2014, 10:55
    
    Massa is more WHOOOOHOOOO(= some sort of crazy) than ALO, obviously. Massa had a fantastic start indeed, but he moved to the sides so much, like there was a 1-1 fight. Massa simply forgot there he is surrounded by cars, so he must pay attention too, although faster. Alonso barely moved to the left.
    1. Adam Hardwick (@fluxsource)
      20th April 2014, 13:37
      
      @corrado-dub To fair, I saw that large move as trying to avoid a collision with a slow RIC – that gap was vanishing at a rapid rate. There was enough room between ALO and RIC, but once ALO starting squeezing the space there was nowhere to go. It’s lucky he wasn’t pushed into RIC as well.
      
      Anyone know what was likely to have happened if he had been sandwiched between two cars?
  2. Slava (@)
    20th April 2014, 11:10
    
    to juan fanger: It was a racing incident and not Alonso’s or Rosberg’s fault. And two – Williams drivers are terrible.
2. Ricardo Ferreira (@yes-master)
  20th April 2014, 15:40
  
  @slava, How can you say that Kvyat is better than Vergne? He has just raced 4 Gps at this level. Is not fair to compared the two at this point. And it’s not fair to say that williams pilots are terrible. However, you may start by the car. Is the Williams car so competitive as was said in the beginning on this championship?
Hamilfan (@hamilfan)
20th April 2014, 10:05

6/10 . Could have been better had Alonso not nudged Massa in the start .
A.D. (@aks-das)
20th April 2014, 10:05

hated RBR for the team orders. wanted to vote 5, but cause i am a hamilton fan so 6 it is.
Illusive (@illusive)
20th April 2014, 10:06

Average race, its like 2013 all again only this time HAM dominating.
Chris (@tophercheese21)
20th April 2014, 10:09

Gave it 4.

Wasn’t a terribly exciting race. However, it wasn’t completely boring considering this Shanghai circuit just isn’t conducive to on the limit wheel-to-wheel racing.

The mid-field was a lot more spread out than I expected it to be which meant we got hardly any battles from them.

The most exciting parts were the brief Alonso-Vettel battle, and the scrap between the two red bulls. Other than that, not a whole heap happene.

Kudos to:
– Ricciardo for putting another thorough beating on Vettel yet again.
– Rosberg for getting P2 despite a pretty poor race overall.
– Alonso for snagging a podium despite the car being pretty poor.
– Hamilton for just dominating with ease. Yeaaaaaaahhhh!!
1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
  20th April 2014, 10:10
  
  Sorry typo, gave it a 6. Not a 4. Whoops!
Aqib (@aqibqadeer)
20th April 2014, 10:12

Frustratingly bad race for vettel fans 5/10 from me
bukester (@bukester)
20th April 2014, 10:13

The first lap was great, the rest….meh
Shimks (@shimks)
20th April 2014, 10:13

Who knows what the race was like if we were watching it at home. The broadcast direction was pitiful.
Mayank (@mjf1fan)
20th April 2014, 10:15

5/10

Quite boring race with not much action on track. I was happy when vettel ignored team orders but my happiness lasted only 1 lap when RBR lied him that Ricciardo is on different strategy. Williams again messed it up for Massa. Also don’t know what FOM was doing today, majority of the passes were seen on replays.

Great drive from Alonso and Hamilton.
Abuelo Paul (@abuello-paul)
20th April 2014, 10:19

Well, after an intetresting start, mainly due to technical issues with the new format, this race really disappointed. A whole lap between winner and 10th position, with very little in the way of racing and on track overtaking. Rosberg was brilliant after a difficult start and technical problems, Alonso had a very good race for a change and the Red Bulls managed to keep up. Other than that a very bland uneventyful parade. So its back to the last few seasons format, front row get podiums and everyone follows in a strung out line.
Kim Philby (@philby)
20th April 2014, 10:20

6/10 for me. Objectively it should be a 4. +1 for Fernando great drive and Ferrari resurrection and ultimately +1 for Ricciardo exposing Vettel again justifying my yesterday comments about how average in essence Vettel is.
And one other thing that RBR straight line speed is pathetic I know that they were never top notch in that respect but with their engine’s obvious deficiencies what was a calculated risk is now a chasm.
I mean when Rosberg overtook Ricciardo he was 0.896 behind when they got on the straight and managed to take him… amazing…
RBR probably should send a thank you note to Ecclestone axing Korea and India…
1. Palle (@palle)
  20th April 2014, 10:35
  
  @philby: 4 times World champion, two of them decided in the last race of the year = average driver, riiiight.
  1. Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
    20th April 2014, 10:37
    
    @palle +1
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
20th April 2014, 10:37

6/10

Average race but not one I will be remembering for long though, bring on the European season I say!
Andrei (@crandreico)
20th April 2014, 10:43

3. Pretty dull. If I have to compare it to Bahrain, I would score it a 0.
andae23 (@andae23)
20th April 2014, 10:48

7/10 – Perhaps not very exciting, but the strategic battle was very interesting: Vettel dropping back, Alonso moving up. It has to be said that it’s very difficult to follow the strategies with a lack of proper live timing (seriously FOM, get your act together).

The circuit seems to be a bit of a culprit here. The first sector encourages drivers to run side-by-side for a long time, but apart from that there is no way drivers could run closely. The reason I dislike the ‘long straight followed by a hairpin’ philosophy is twofold: the battle is over after one corner and drivers will wait for the easier overtaking spot. I guess that’s the reason why it looked dreadfully boring today.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, even though the last fifteen laps were 100% superfluous.
1. bosyber (@bosyber)
  20th April 2014, 11:23
  
  yes @andae23, I agree, they should have shown that flag a bit more than 1 lap early!
2. Adam Hardwick (@fluxsource)
  20th April 2014, 13:40
  
  Not as superfluous as the last two…
3. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  20th April 2014, 20:35
  
  the last fifteen laps were 100% superfluous.
  
  That is literally true in the case of the last two laps.
4. spoutnik (@spoutnik)
  20th April 2014, 22:49
  
  @andae23
  
  a lack of proper live timing
  
  Ah, indeed, this thing drives me nuts!
DaveF1 (@davef1)
20th April 2014, 10:49

6/10 Mercedes too OP, pls nerf.
elbasque
20th April 2014, 10:54

Meh/10

Was always going to be a tough ask after Bahrain.
Darren Danga
20th April 2014, 11:00

It seems like NR is just bitter LH qualified better raced and managed the race better. Those are the facts I don’t see NR giving LH good competition he will buckle up! Remember FA at Mclaren and JB and LW played better! He is the best wheel to wheel driver on that grid simple straight forward!
1. bosyber (@bosyber)
  20th April 2014, 11:22
  
  Probably helps that both of those guys already were F1 champions when they teamed up with Hamilton, NR still feels like he needs to prove it; they knew they could do it, that is quite a big difference I think. Still, not like FA really handled it great. I thought Nico had begun to recover himself during the podium, and hope he is back for more in Spain.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
20th April 2014, 11:04

I voted 4/10. The most boring race this season. As I thought, Bahrain GP was just a one-off and we must be ready to witness one of the most boring seasons in F1 history. I’d like to be wrong and eat my words later in the year, but I don’t think we’re about to see something like in Bahrain. First of all, because one team is dominating by a huge margin and it doesn’t seem like others are catching them. The whole grid is not very close to each other, so we are not seeing many battles there. I hope when the season progresses, we’ll see far smaller margins between the teams, but I’m not betting on that.

Another reason (but probably the smallest one) is I’m a Vettel and Raikkonen fan and their team mates are just crushing them. Raikkonen seems to be content with his salary and aims just collect valuable constructor points for Ferrari. Meanwhile, I predict Vettel to bounce back later in the season, because it’s not like he has lost his skills just because his car is not as fast as last year. If he cannot overcome his problems this season, I’ll be very disapointed with him.

Another thing. I’m not a Mclaren fan, but it’s quite painful to watch them becoming another Williams – once great, but they are living with memories about their greatest years. Hope Honda will help to revive this legendary team.
1. OOliver
  20th April 2014, 13:41
  
  Rosberg’s slow getaway and he being trapped behind even the Williams for a while, denied us of a battle between the championship leaders.
  Mclaren are paying the price of having to design two new cars from scratch in 2 seasons, something they need not have done, had they evolved their 2012 car. They have lost their reference point, and Magnussen isn’t yet strong enough to help Button with car development.
bosyber (@bosyber)
20th April 2014, 11:19

Well, not a great race, especially after that great Bahrain race. Still, quite okay (only the 1st HAM gone with the wind after two laps I see, having missed Malaysia), thought the Alonso/Ricciardo/Vettel fight for podium+ positions was quite nice, though I wonder where Red Bull got expectations and/or strategy wrong with Vettel. Quite a bit of curious things happening to keep attention like the surprise early flag, and Vettels ‘tough luck’.
Jules Winfield (@jules-winfield)
20th April 2014, 11:24

The team radio and the bumper cars at the start were entertaining, but otherwise, rather dull.
Howard (@howard)
20th April 2014, 11:25

What a big difference rain makes for this circuit/race !!

4/10 this year.
zippyone (@zippyone)
20th April 2014, 11:34

Race was ok – a 5
george1066 (@george1066)
20th April 2014, 11:42

Obviously the worst race so far this season and can only be compared to watching a football match without a ball.ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Mike Dee (@mike-dee)
20th April 2014, 11:47

The main problem of the race was that it feels more exciting when I overtake someone on a motorway than the overtake we had during this race.
Abuelo Paul (@abuello-paul)
20th April 2014, 11:58

BTCC Donington, now thats racing.
Sharon H (@sharoncom)
20th April 2014, 12:32

Gave it 3/10 I’m afraid. Not much happening and 3 potential last-lap battles would have been nullified by a chequered flag-waving novice anyway.
Mcquiz (@mcquiz)
20th April 2014, 12:46

You say it was boring or average and you give it 6 or 7. Where’s the logic in that?
dkpioe
20th April 2014, 12:55

4 out of 10. whats worse then a vettel domination, a Hamilton domination. no but seriously, it was a dull race – no fault of hamiltons, and shows Mercedes have it easier this year then Redbull had it in the past 3 years… I would rather see a team have an aero advantage then this ridiculous engine advantage because of homologation which means no matter how good Ferrari or Renault powered cars are, they will still finish behind Mercedes. with aero – at least they can work on the car throughout the year, with engine homologation – and advantage is locked in forever…. I hope Red Bull switches to Honda next year, as Renault are out of the race until a new engine formula comes around, and we are in for more boring races. I think we have to wait for Monaco for a chance to see anyone besides Mercedes win, or a wet race, or Merc drivers crashing. Alonso and Ricciardo should be in cars fighting the Mercs….
Pingguest
20th April 2014, 12:56

5/10 – It was quite boring.
Egorov (@egorov)
20th April 2014, 13:12

I gave it a 1… What’s the need of a race, when one driver/team has more than 3s a lap advantage, qualify at the top, and then vanish after the start… Its surprising that nobody is crying now that Lewis is not fighting for the win…
1. Theo Parkinson (@theo-hrp)
  21st April 2014, 5:22
  
  As a Hamilton fan I loved his domination in Malaysia, his scrap in Bahrain and his ultra fast pole lap on Saturday, but it is starting to get old now. It’s weird that I actually find myself rooting for rival drivers, just so they can push Hamilton more.
usukpam
20th April 2014, 13:15

Can someone please confirm if this is another Grand Slam for Lewis in China : Pole+Win+Fastest race lap+leading all race laps.
1. curmudgeon (@curmudgeon)
  20th April 2014, 13:18
  
  Rosberg had fastest lap, so no Grand Slam. Lewis had the other three.
RV (@zenren)
20th April 2014, 14:08

4/10.
Simple fact that my predictions for pole and 1-5 positions became spot on suggests how boring and predictable the race was. Rosberg fell down the order but still managed to get back to P2 without any outstanding driving which suggests Mercedes can probably sleep off on Saturdays this year and still get a 1-2. The only thing that didn’t go as expected was probably the chequered flag a lap early. May be that guy fell sleepy due to the uneventful race and made that mistake. Even with results being determined 2 laps earlier, there were absolutely no changes to any positions till P17 and that confirms how boring the last laps were.
Dave
20th April 2014, 14:18

4/10. Dull. A few good moments but few and far between. What are the chances of Mercedes winning every race this season! Quite likely I fear.
Ron (@rcorporon)
20th April 2014, 14:34

3/10 for me… terrible race. Very little real overtaking and not a lot of drama otherwise.

Quote of the day for me was Vet: “Tough luck.”
Howard (@howard)
20th April 2014, 14:57

Shows last race which was branded best ever a big political statement.
Toxic (@)
20th April 2014, 15:08

Very poor race. 4/10 for me. Never liked the track and after Bahrain it looked even worse than normal.
Hated the team orders at Red Bull. I am more of a Ricciardo fan but still want him to fight for position. Afterwards there are always all those comments. I am actually quite discussed with people criticizing Vettel for his response and all this negativity across fans.
Nick (@npf1)
20th April 2014, 15:25

I gave it a 6, a run of the mill post 2010 race, I guess. It was interesting to keep an eye on developing battles, but as per usual, they never really happened.

The only reason it didn’t get a 5 or lower was because I felt engaged still. Unlike some 2011 or late 2013 races, I didn’t feel the need to check my smartphone or noodle something on guitar.
AJ (@)
20th April 2014, 15:43

wait…what…there was a race today? yawn.
Irejag (@irejag)
20th April 2014, 15:45

Get this boring track off the Calender, please. It seems like all of the tracks that take over 01:30.000 to complete a lap tend to be on the more boring side of things. I gave this race a 1. Never before have I rated a race that low but this was the perfect example of a parade. The ONLY exciting thing that happened was Massa’s pit blunder.
1. Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
  20th April 2014, 17:30
  
  @irejag Yeah, like Spa. Spa is always boring…
  1. Eric (@)
    20th April 2014, 21:19
    
    @craig-o
    
    Don’t forget Bahrein, worst race of the season for quite a few years now.
    1. Irejag (@irejag)
      20th April 2014, 21:42
      
      I can’t tell if you are being serious or sarcastic lol
Harry (@hazzwright)
20th April 2014, 16:34

7/10
I knew it wasn’t going to be edge of seat stuff like Bahrain but I think the race was still enjoyable, with the Red Bull battle and Rosberg hunting down 2nd place keeping me entertained
hobbsy009 (@hobbsy009)
20th April 2014, 16:41

As a sequel to my comment about Herman Tilke making the race in Bahrain with such as great track, it must be said Shanghai does not led itself to great racing. Other elements, such as the extreme tyre wear does help, but the actual track layout doesnt. That back straight is just ridiculous- the corner leading up to it isnt that great either and the last turn is just awful for drivers to overtake into turn 1. Drivers need to be able to pick more than 1 line the corner before a turn to set up a move and they just cant do that in China.
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
20th April 2014, 17:02

I chose 5/10, a pretty average race that was amusing due to a few scraps, chats, and a slightly different strategies. The point deduction is due to the track, the DRS, and the lack of amusing battles that played out over a few laps. So much for safety-car Bahrain proving that everything is just ‘PERFECT’ with F1, eh?
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
20th April 2014, 17:29

Dull. 4. Only surprise was Rosberg being so poor and Grosjean finding speed in the Lotus. Farcical at the end with arguably the best overtake in the race being nullified.
Roland Deschain (@f12014sucks)
20th April 2014, 18:08

Yawnfest without rain or the SC like in Bahrain.

Nice to see Alonso and RBR start to perform but where is Mclaren? They are shamed again this year and Dennis nor Boullier can do a thing about it. Meanwhile it’s the same as the Vettel years, just with Hamilton instead.

The V8s made for better racing and better audio plus faster cars, regardless!
XaviPerez
20th April 2014, 18:46

Mercedes have become the only team in F1 history to score pole + win + fastest lap + lead every lap of the opening 4 GP’s of a season
geekracer2000 (@geekracer2000)
20th April 2014, 19:00

Booooring, gave it 3/10 because there were some overtaking moves . But over all incredibly dull race. They can cut last 15 laps on forthcoming races without any problems, no thing gonna happen anyway except Kobayashi overtaking someone perhaps.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
20th April 2014, 19:25

Not a bad race, but aside from the antics from the Red Bulls, not much to get excited about. If there was one good thing about this race, it was that there was nothing that frustrated me with modern F1. Tyres weren’t a dominant factor, neither was fuel saving, and DRS passes were nowhere near as easy as they’ve been in the past. It was just an regular processional race. 5/10
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
20th April 2014, 19:32

7. Hamilton was perfect again and we saw a great race from Alonso and Ricciardo.
Few good battles on the track and on the strategy side.
Matt Clark (@mattc888)
20th April 2014, 19:43

Was going to give it a 5 but had to dock another point for the flag debacle. Seriously disappointed with how many poor decisions, errors and stupid mistakes I’ve seen in the running of this sport recently, especially in the context that this is supposed to be at the pinnacle of world sporting/entertainment. Even the website is an absolute joke that is outdated and of poor quality. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore this sport, I’d never miss a GP, and I always approach every race weekend optimistic of a thrilling contest, but I can’t fathom how there is such an abundance of fail embedded in the organization.
Piotr Koteryl (@stigrennfahrer)
20th April 2014, 20:04

I never fall asleep when watching F1, but I did today…it was pretty dull overall, although it had some impressive moments. I gave it 5/10.
Deej92 (@deej92)
20th April 2014, 20:40

4/10. It was a pretty dull race. I don’t mind seeing Hamilton winning races, but there wasn’t much going on behind him on this occasion.

I also have to mention McLaren’s decline in form. It’s quite remarkable how far off they are with the Mercedes PU. Imagine if a Renault engine was in the back of that thing? They were top after Melbourne and everything looked rosy. But now the car somehow looks to be no improvement on the MP4-28, relatively. Hopefully some updates in Barcelona will give them something to shout about. And where is this title sponsor you spoke of, Ron?
Adam Last
20th April 2014, 20:41

6/10

Please don’t argue with me
Irejag (@irejag)
20th April 2014, 21:46

It is the type of track that makes a lot races boring. It seems that after the first few laps the drivers need to have telescopes attached to their visors to be able to see the next car. If we had more tracks like Montreal and Brazil it would not be so bad because at least those tracks are shorter and keep the cars bunched up a little bit closer together. I don’t care if Hamilton or Vettel wins every race, as long as they have the second place driver right behind them.
SauberS1 (@saubers1)
20th April 2014, 23:33

It was boring.
Canderous (@yoshif8tures)
21st April 2014, 2:56

Boring race for me. hardly saw any battles for position. I think it was Brundle who summed it up by saying “this is certainly no Bahrain”. I watched Bahrain three times, I doubt I’ll watch this race again.
5/10 for me.
GB (@bgp001ruled)
21st April 2014, 3:50

i gave it a 7! i was entertained. but it could have been that my prediction for this race was looking good and that´s why i liked the race…
1. Palle (@palle)
  21st April 2014, 7:45
  
  @bgp001ruled: Because of these last races being morning races my local time, I was too late to make predictions – wanted to await the results of FP3. This has actually caused me to watch the races in another light, because I don’t have an interest in who finished where in the top 5. Its kind of liberating, both before and during the race and I don’t think I’ll bother to participate in the predictions again.
  And of course its not fair to rate the race based on the fact that Your prediction went home well, shame on You;-)
Jonathan Sarginson
21st April 2014, 6:01

The Silverstone 6 Hrs was far more exciting, with some pretty daring overtakes for Endurance Racing!…Hearty Congratulations to Toyota for a One-Two!
Adney Goncalves (@adney)
21st April 2014, 7:17

It was a Snoozefest!!! i was Bored to death, dozed off in the middle…!!! Pathetic Race , Gave it a 4!!!
Rick Lopez (@viscountviktor)
21st April 2014, 11:23

boring race….
Gazzaguru (@garygushbiz-com)
21st April 2014, 15:25

This wasn’t a great race by any account, however you do have to wonder about those people who gave it a 7,8 or 9 and those that gave it a 1 or a 2.
atta
21st April 2014, 19:01

Big bore – 4 at best
Fixy (@)
22nd April 2014, 16:16

Overall quite boring, but not dramatically. 5/10
PJA (@pja)
22nd April 2014, 17:48

I gave it a 6.

It was decent race, Hamilton was never troubled for the victory but there was some action elsewhere.

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2014 Chinese Grand Prix

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