Rate the race: 2017 Chinese Grand Prix

2017 Chinese Grand Prix

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What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Chinese Grand Prix.
Since 2008, F1 Fanatic has held polls on every F1 race to find out which fans thought of each round of the season.

Join in the latest poll and give your verdict on the race: 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

What were the best and worst moments of the race? What was the main thing you’ll remember about it? Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (3%)
  • 9 (15%)
  • 8 (41%)
  • 7 (27%)
  • 6 (9%)
  • 5 (3%)
  • 4 (1%)
  • 3 (1%)
  • 2 (1%)
  • 1 (0%)

Total Voters: 708

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1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

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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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185 comments on “Rate the race: 2017 Chinese Grand Prix”

  1. Mark (@marlarkey)
    9th April 2017, 8:29

    Mostly quite dull… rating would have been worse if it hadn’t been for VER/RIC

    1. @marlarkey Yes. Only Vettel and that Ver/Ric battle that really made this race okay.
      I don’t like DRS but because of the higher drag the DRS train came back, when there’s multiple cars behind the DRS nothing happens, there’s no more speed to gain because the maximum top speed is not compensated by the loss in drag as the overall drag is higher this season.

    2. Were you watching the wrong channel?

    3. Apart from the shuffling at the start, which was really just luck and gambling, and oh, four, good overtakes, this race was extremely dull. I don’t remember races even back in the mid-2000s where it was impossible to overtake being this boring.

    4. ShadesOfWhite
      10th April 2017, 13:50

      Extremely dull, like Formula 1 has been for a while now. I’ve been watching since 1996 and have always loved the sport, hardly missing a race, but these last few years have been incredibly boring to watch. As a huge Lewis fan and an even bigger pure racing fan, I find it increasing difficult to watch a race without it feeling like a waste of a Sunday. Contrast this with MotoGP or World Superbikes, the difference is staggering. The sheer amount of overtakes and tense racing is just on another level.

      I had such high hopes leading up to 2017 after hearing reports of changes to regulations that were supposed to aid in overtaking, yet here we are, two races in and it seems they’ve made it more difficult than ever to make a pass. Is it all down to aero? Are the circuits too small? Built for cars with lower downforce and top speed? I don’t know. I just really hope it improves sooner rather than later.

      Also, whilst I’m making wishes, here’s hoping Fernando get a ride in a more competent team so he can at least be up there again. It’s an absolute travesty that one of the more talented individuals on the grid isn’t racing for race wins.

  2. To be honest the first 20 or so laps were great, but it was normal service after that

    1. @paulipedia 59% of F1 Fanatics did not give it 8/10. As somebody who didn’t, I’m almost offended that you imply not doing so makes one’s opinion “meaningless drivel

      What do I need to do to offend you? ;)

  3. A great race full of surprises… Its all squared on the WDC now, so lets see how the rest of the season pans out

  4. Really enjoyed the race.
    Great moves all around.
    Hamilton didn’t give anyone a chance on the front, grand chelem for him.
    9.

    1. I would NOT say Hamilton did not give anyone a chance.. Vettel was right behind him until that unfortunate pit stop.. It would have been a different outcome had he(his team) got the pit stops right… well I guess out of luck today but definitely nothing impressive from Hamilton..

      1. Vettel was right behind him until that unfortunate pit stop

        Exactly …. I mean he pitted after lap 2 but yeah call it riiiiight behind him

        1. Bias from some people is ridiculous lol

  5. Very solid race! Lots of (non-DRS) overtaking, several exciting battles for position. Much improved over the Australian GP. 8/10 from me.

    1. I rated it a 8 as well. Quite an exciting race with some great Ferrari and Red Bull driver battles. Its a shame that Lewis and Seb never got to fight it out.. that would have made the race a 9 for me.

      1. Fully agree – very solid 8 for me.

        And to all the moaners: have closer look at the race and you see that they drivers are having to push much harder than in in the recent past. And if you cannot see that just look at the smiles on the faces of Hamilton and Vettel after the race; they were pushing.

        1. Exactly and passes will always be hard to come by with drivers pushing and in running order that reflects their pace.

          Just unlucky re Vettel’s pit under the VSC as he seemed to have similar pace to Lewis. Bring on Bahrain!

    2. Yeah, I am with you. Good to see the drivers have to take a bit of risk and then show skill in finishing the moves.

      We saw Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Perez, Grosjean, Magnussen, Ocon and Sainz all doing it. Bottas did show some too, but after his moment early on, he will have to do some soul searching.

      And off course it’s great how it ends up tying the championship like this. Could be in for a tight battle depending on who gets what right in the races.

      1. @bascb Yeah I really agree with you. Grosjean on Massa, Vettel on Ricciardo, Max on Ricciardo and Perez on Massa and Kvyat were my favourites.

    3. Agreed about the non-DRS passes @utbowler0407. I didn’t at all mind that there were fewer passes overall. This race when an overtake was completed, it felt as thought it was really earned. Some of the moves into turn 6 were truly breathtaking, exactly how it should be

    4. Fully agreed with everyone on this. The drivers really have to work for passes now and you know when they pull it off they have shown great skill and risk to complete it. I will take quality over quantity any day.

  6. Absolutely wonderful race. Great racing, great overtaking and some incredible individual performances. Just a shame the Ferrari and Mercedes are so much faster than the rest.

    1. Yes, what we see now is that DRS is a little less effective which forces drivers into showing some REAL racecraft and I think we saw plenty of that up and down the field today. Particularly both Haas’, Sainz, Vettel and Verstappen pulled off real racing moves imho.

      I’m absolutely loving this!

      1. @jeffreyj absolutely this. I’m totally with you. It’ll favour the brave and the talented.

      2. I’m on-board this train. Racing was fantastic today. This race has me checking out ticket availability for Silverstone. Mercedes and Ferrari are neck and neck, cars are faster and more spectacular, and DRS isn’t as effective giving us a better balance/more genuine racing. This is the F1 i want to watch. Excited for the season ahead.

      3. I’m not sure this was really real racecraft. Almost all the moves were hope the brakes work / hope the other driver leaves room dive bombs into T6. Not much in the way of carefully setting up and executing an overtaking manoeuvre.

  7. 8. It could have been 9, but DRS spoiled a few battles

    1. Which ones?

      1. Massa with Ocon if I remember correctly.

        A Haas with Hulk (think it was Grosjean, or at least it makes sense if it was him)

        Bottas gained 2/3 places in the DRS long straight as well, no effort whatsoever

        There was also one over Alonso I believe (not with Sainz, a few laps earlier, maybe Bottas, don’t remember atm)

        @paulipedia

        1. Many of the DRS overtakes would have happened without DRS as well; the chasing car was much faster.
          The clearest example was Bottas over Alonso.
          @johnmilk

          1. @f1-liners no doubt about that, but between the midfield cars we could have interesting battles, which were eliminated because DRS gave the right to that position for the following car. That is my issue, I saw a few of them trying to defend, but they were helpless

  8. When a wet race goes wrong. No challenge for the lead. Sky and Crofty can’t sugar coated this one enough.5. Worse than Melbourne, I don’t think this F1 is working out, strung out field, following is even harder and there’s not that much scope for strategy, qualifying has been great though. We were unlucky the race wasn’t wetter and after the SC it was over.

    1. Well I thoroughly disagree. Worse than Melbourne? Really?

      1. He thinks it’s worse than Melbourne because Hamilton/Merc won

      2. @john-h No Martin it’s because we didn’t get a single lead change @rike . @xtwl 5 I said 5 because last time around the race got an avg of 6, following is harder because past Chinese Gp’s were better on this respect. @offdutyrockstar Max and Vettel were outstanding, it’s a shame though that many drivers struggled with understeer like Max on his last stint or Ricciardo on his first, guess not all goes well when there’s no practice. @loen Just putting it in perspective with Melbourne, the australian gp every year ends up being mis rated because it is the first race on the season, at least there was a lead change there.

        1. Justify it however you want but you literally said that was the case in the last Rate the Race

          paeschli: I’m just happy Mercedes didn’t win to be honest. Not that many overtakes but at least the cars are exciting to watch.
          You: Yes, I second that.

          at least there was a lead change there.

          I fail to see the lead changing in the pits as anything to get excited about. There was no battle for the lead at any point.

    2. This time people actually managed to follow, unlike Australia, and non Drs passes, how can it be worse than Australia

    3. @peartree “Following is even harder”

      I think Magnussen, Ocon, Vettel, Raikkonen and Ricciardo from their experience in China alone should disagree with that statement.

      This race is good F1. Not per se brilliant racing, but good F1 nonetheless. The best drivers pushing to the limit every single lap.

    4. Don’t watch then

    5. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
      9th April 2017, 10:19

      Sounds like sour grapes. That was a fantastic race with some inventive overtakes and real racecraft, notably from Max, Grosjean and Vettel.

      Bottas is looking like a real number 2 driver as expected.

      1. @offdutyrockstar Bottas wasn’t slow. Just got caught out trying to warm up his cold tyres and also had a bad pit stop. Would have finished 3rd without that. It’s actually very close between Hamilton, Vettel and Bottas.

        1. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
          9th April 2017, 16:37

          Hence why I didnt say he was slow, I said he looked like a real number 2 driver, champions don’t make those errors.

          1. @offdutyrockstar Strange, I remember Rosberg and Hamilton both making mistakes last year and they had been driving the Merc for years. This was Bottas’ second race in a car new to him, give the guy a chance before you deride him.

          2. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
            9th April 2017, 22:52

            @the-last-pope my opinion is based on his time at Williams and anyone in F1 for more than a few years shouldn’t be binning it behind the safety car on a slightly wet track. That’s my opinion and you have yours but I thought there were far more impressive drivers that Mercedes should have pursued for that seat.

          3. @offdutyrockstar His experience with the Williams car might even have counted against him in this case. It’s quite possible that had he been driving a Williams in that situation he could have done exactly the same aggressive tyre warming maneuvers and wouldn’t have spun.

          4. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
            10th April 2017, 10:51

            @the-last-pope im not sure what your case is here my friend. I saw an F1 driver make what was a very basic mistake in a top running car. It reaffirmed my opinion that there were better drivers for the seat who could challenge for the WDC. I didnt say he was slow, I didnt say he was a terrible driver, just that he looks like a clear number 2.

    6. Sorry (@peartree )….you were clearly watching a different race on another planet
      than most people contributing here. You are just as entitled to your views as the rest
      of us………..but we really were watching a different race to the one you watched.

    7. Did you buy tickets for Friday?

    8. I thought this was much better than Melbourne. There the cars were new and the teams weren’t sure how to set them up to cope with the turbulent air behind a car, this time there seemed to be much more close following the car in front, and it seemed to me we had far more DRS usage, so car set ups were much better.
      This year there was a fair attrition rate, some of which was due to driving error. I didn’t realise that last year’s GP was one of those where all the cars that started the race completed it as well, but both this year and last year all the cars that completed the race were on the same lap or one behind the winner.
      Yes, some of the interest came from the inclement weather, and again strategy was important in the final result. This race shows teams can improve with this racing format, which gives me optimism for the rest of the season.
      Overall I gave this race a 7/10, but I had considered 8/10.

  9. Prashanth (@)
    9th April 2017, 8:33

    It was wet. Nice to see Vettel in second place.

  10. If this is a foretaste of the 2017 season, bring it on! Nice race, lots of exciting overtakes and a reinvigorated championship battle!

  11. 8/10 from me, I really enjoyed that race.

    Some great racing, Some close fights & some great, Genuine overtaking.

  12. So, in Australia, cars couldn’t follow within two seconds of each other, and we hardly saw any overtaking.
    Drivers said that it was because of the circuit, and that it would be better in China.
    In China, even teammates on equal tyres could overtake each other without DRS.

    Why they are still racing in circuits like Albert Park and Monaco? And ditching Malaysia?

    1. Malaysia is ditching them.

    2. Just take each circuit on its merits. They are all different, you’re not going to get amazing racing every time, that’s what makes it special when it does happen.

  13. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    9th April 2017, 8:35

    Dull to be honest. Some good performances but Australia was more exciting.

  14. 7/10. I wish the race could have gone on for about 5 more laps, so we could have got a 4 way battle. But I feel for Alonso to be honest. McLaren really are an embarrassment.

    1. @mashiat – that stupid, stupid car. Alonso puts on a bit of a game with Sainz, and his car goes “I’m not built to race, I give up”.

      1. Funny enough his two retirements are down to McLaren, not Honda.

        I personally find it amusing

        1. @johnmilk – very true :-)

          In fact, I was wondering, if the odds of a typical F1 car failing due to non-engine issues is X%, then what percentage of failures can be attributed to non-engine issues in a car saddled with an unreliable engine. Will the engine unreliability mask the other potential failures? Or might the car be such a dog that even the non-engine failures occur at a higher rate? I’m reminded of Button’s retirement from last year’s Abu Dhabi due to a suspension issue – back then I thought, “Of all the rubbish things in that car, its the front suspension that has to go and fail?!”

          1. @phylyp And Alonso’s issue in Australia was exactly the same as Button’s

            I think they should listen to Arrivabene: “Calm down, put your head down”

            They need to work quite a lot it seems.

            On your question, if you have a troublesome engine and you can’t really put stress on the car, it seems logical that when you do some problems could appear. But I would assume they have testing platforms for all the components, no?!

          2. Good job they have Honda as even that can break McLarens shoddy construction. If they had a Merc engine the power would mean the chassis would fold out on itself on the start grid like an old caravan.

        2. @johnmilk in all fairness not being able to run in pre-season doesn’t help. But funny indeed if not depressing.

  15. DRS didn’t work this year. Most of the overtaking happens in the corner which is good. 8/10

  16. 10/10.

  17. 8/10 excellent race.

  18. I think that the DRS maybe should be increased a bit, not to increase highway passes, but because the driver behind was struggling to even get close unless they were on superior tyres

  19. I think Brundle put it best. Most of the overtaking was done without DRS. I appreciate less overtaking as long as it’s done with skill instead of with the push of a button. 8/10 for me.

  20. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
    9th April 2017, 8:38

    Good race. Good enough to be awake at 2.51am.

  21. Overall a decent race quite exciting.

  22. Maxie!!! you beauty!

  23. It looks to me that rain and degrading tyres made this race. Entertaining, a 7. Have to wait another race to have a clear picture of the shape of f1 this season.

  24. Decent race, partly thanks to the Red Bull battle in the end. Would have loved to see Alonso score some points.

  25. If people are struggling with DRS in China, I can only imagine what Hungary or Singapore would be like.

    1. this is a good thing IMO, they had to go creative and brave on the brakes in other parts of the circuit. Most of the passing today was done without DRS in Turn 6, the best one VET on RIC. If the DRS worked easy, then VET would have probably waited for teh straight to do the job.

      1. @gechichan

        the best one VET on RIC. If the DRS worked easy, then VET would have probably waited for teh straight to do the job.

        This.

        1. Agreed @gechichan @jeffreyj, the DRS helped to keep drivers in touch with each other after losing downforce behind a car in turn 13, but thankfully didn’t really aid the overtakes. Until regs are created the allow following through medium to high speed corners, we kind of need the DRS for that role, but overtaking is sooooo much better without it

  26. 3/10. Incredibly boring most of the time. The race felt slow, dull and there we were robbed of a fight for the win. Thoroughly disappointed.

    1. I do wonder when someone is this critical of a solid race, what about F1 do these people actually enjoy? Especially enough to be on a fan website?

      What does it take for you people to enjoy a race and how to you cope with the vast majority of races that are only about this quality?

      Is it just the result you don’t like or did you not see the racing the rest of us were watching?

      1. +2

      2. @philipgb Is that aimed at me or are you generalizing people who disliked the race?
        @cswilly @spafrancorchamps @rntm @lolzerbob

        For me it’s a typical case of appreciation=reality-expectations. The one thing that has been hyped up, and rightly so, is the battle between Hamilton and Vettel. Yesterdays qualifying set it up to be an exciting race! But yet all that was ruined by some unfortunate pit stops. Personally I felt that was massively disappointing.

        And than there were the fights, or rather trains. It was frustrating to see peoples race go to waste by getting stuck in traffic. To me it wasn’t exciting at all to see the Ferrari’s follow the Red Bulls when realizing they could go 1sec/lap faster. They were plain slow at that stage and nothing was happening.

        Behind them there were some fights, but the gap to the front is so big, it seems irrelevant. We should have the Mclarens and Red Bulls close to the front, but they are not. Instead they are miles off. After 3 years of Mercedes domination, Hamilton was yet again out in the lead all by him self, undisturbed by anyone. I desperately crave to see some competition at the front. Hamilton winning is fine, IF he earns it.

        I’m enough of a fan, and seen enough motorsport to know that racing can be better, closer and more exciting. Although there were some good or even great individual overtakes today, I am simply not satisfied.

        1. My +1 was 100% aimed at your comment and not at you personally.

          I liked the race because of the organic overtakes. The fact that HAN and VET did not race wheel to wheel was VET’s bad luck, but there was so much other real racing I did not mind.

        2. BUt was their not competition at the front 2 weeks ago. This is sport, it chamges week to week. Surely you cant be so critical and trash it when it was a solid race. Sometimes the leader doesn’t get challenged and sometimes he does. Like 2 weeks ago. Today not so much but it might be different next Sunday

        3. I completely agree. The fight we want to see is HAM vs VET. Or at least, two drivers at the front battling it out. Hamilton proved very little of his ability over the last three years, such was the difference between Mercedes and the rest.

          The overtaking today was almost all dive bomb desperation. I much preferred the ‘off the cliff’ tyres of a few years ago. Risk of a tyre blowing up because it’s been driven on for too long? Great! In fact, I’d like to see a spread of 1, 2, 3, and even 4 stops in the same race. I think some of the best racing in the last couple of decades has come from alternate strategies, where one driver might be prepared to take a gamble preserving tyres, but another is storming on the softest compound and stopping two more times.

          The overtaking situation is problematic. It looks like right now you need a good 1.5 seconds/lap difference to make a clean pass – possibly even more. This would be semi-OK if the tyres allowed for a wide range of alternate strategies, but they don’t seem to – it seems there is one clear-best option that isn’t all that different from the next best option in terms of strategy.

          So to me, at least one of the two needs to be addressed, ideally both. I’d almost go as far as to say try mandating that the softest tyre at a race is at least two compounds softer than the next tyre to spice it up a bit.

          I have no problem at all with Pirelli manufacturing tyres to suit the purpose of a spectacle, especially if there are ultra-ultrasoft tyres that allow for quite a substantial difference in pace, where drivers can push in 10-12 lap bursts and gain a pit stop per burst.

          Another thing I think should be considered is to try reworking a track or two so that the pit lane isn’t partnered with a straight, and is instead partnered with a twisty bit, so that the ‘net loss’ of a pitstop is less than the 22 seconds it currently is.

          1. The overtaking today was almost all dive bomb desperation

            No, just instinct, dividing the real drivers form the mechanical drivers; who needs rounds and rounds of preparing and fail most of the times. Just waiting for a mistake of the other driver does not means it’s real racing.

  27. Sviatoslav (@)
    9th April 2017, 8:41

    I give the race 10 out of 10 because Ferrari didn’t win. When Ferrari wins, this damages sport a lot. So it’s great that they lost the race. And they also lost points to Mercedes, which is even better.

    PS: McLaren is officially Manor, a terrible team. They don’t deserve Alonso.
    So, Vettel, Hamilton and Verstappen are officially first numbers in their teams, while Ricciardo, Raikkonen, and Bottas are old grannies desperately trying not to lose to everyone.
    I’m disappointed with Ricciardo, and especially with Hulk — so many stupid mistakes, that’s too much for a great driver. It seems that Hulk lost his craft completely.

    1. I give the race 10 out of 10 because Ferrari didn’t win

      Terrible attitude to have.

      1. You see quite a few disappointing comments here; rating the race based on who did(n’t) win :(

        1. @f1-liners this is the guy that voted 1 because Ferrari won in Australia. Just ignore, wave and smile, waaaave and smiiiile

          1. I see, @johnmilk.
            This guy is even more annoying than the one with the camera ;)

          2. Sviatoslav (@)
            9th April 2017, 12:14

            @johnmilk – No, you’re completely wrong. I voted 1 in Australia because that was a very dull race with no action. China produced a decent race and I liked it (I gave it 7, actually, not 10).

            I simply mock those people who voted 10 last time just because Mercedes didn’t win.

            What’s the point of voting if people vote not for or against the race but because “my favorite driver/my favorite team won?”

    2. At least Ric followed actually closely, not getting team orders, even pushing Max into a mistake and all without complaining over dirty air

      1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
        9th April 2017, 9:13

        @rike – Agreed. Ricciardo was better than he’s being given credit for. He reeled Max in at the end and probably would’ve passed him if he had another lap or two.

      2. Yeah Friederike, ..clutching on straws

        1. Don’t need straws, I’m no Ric fangirl trying to find excuses, I’m just fed up with all the hailing of Max, he is great yeah we get it, but he did a major mistake against vettel and someone actually wrote something like “wow, great save by Max”, like seriously…. Biased much?

          1. It was a great save, he let of the brakes and didnt cook his tyres. You are very colored in your judgement of Max.

          2. @rethla I know, but I’m already trying to better myself, it’s less about verstappen more the pink glasses everyone seems to wear with him. The constant praising like he was the one and only God is annoying, I want to comment on so many comments but stop myself most of the times…. But not always….

          3. Sviatoslav (@)
            9th April 2017, 12:17

            @rike – I don’t like Max at all. The fact is Max has made a much, much better job today than Ricciardo. So, yeah, it looks like you’re trying to find excuses.
            BTW, Ric failed two races in a row. Something is happening to the Aussie guy, isn’t it?

          4. @sviat again no Daniel fan girl here, I just don’t like the driver bashing, acting like one bad performance equals total domination by the team mate. First part of Ric was not good, second part towards the end really good, and Australia was failing? The car stopping on the way to grid and then again in the race is his mistake? How?

      3. Ric followed actually closely….? No he did not!

        He got beaten in a rather brute way, Verstappen started from P16…. P16 that is!!
        To start from P5 and getting passed by your teammate within 12-13 laps or so isn’t named ‘followed closely’ it’s named getting your butt kicked.

        In the closing stages of the race Ric closed in again thanks to Grosjean, but merely thanks to the difference in set-up and tyres. Verstappen didn’t have a change of setting his car up properly as he dropped out in q1, in the post-race interview he explained the balance of the car was still way off.

        1. Riccardo and Verstappen were equally matched today. A few laps longer and Daniel would have got past Max. Grosjean didn’t hold up Verstappen, he was faster than him and Max didn’t even get close, you can’t expect blue flags in that situation. Max might have come though the whole field of drivers but then most of the drivers are sensible enough to not fight him too hard as the Red Bull is so much better than mid field cars, especially in those conditions.

          I do feel that it is only a matter of time until Verstappen rams someone in one of those braking lunges. Everyone is so wary of him, but one day someone won’t see him coming from so far back, take their normal line, and just get clobbered by Max. Ricciardo has already saved Red Bull embarrassment by avoiding a number of Kamikaze Max attacks.

          1. @the-last-pope people have been saying that about Verstappen and crashing into someone since his second race. Still hasn’t happened. Update your narrative.

            Also, what? What point has Ricciardo ever had to evade a recklesss Verstappen move? This is getting a little sad.

          2. Let me put it this way. If Lance Stroll was in Ricciado’s car, there would be angry faces at Red Bull (double dnf). Max relies on other drivers seeing him and not wanting a crash. Currently Ricciardo carries the whole responsibility of avoiding a double dnf when battling with Max.

          3. Come on…., defending for a podium. Really?

  28. 10/10, this was I think a 100% of what these regulations can produce.

    Even my girlfriend watched it, despite not watching F1 for over 10 years.

    Vettel bolting one on Riciardo, stomping pressure on Verstappen..

    At no point did I get a feeling this could be a better race. Best part? DRS seemed to be not working.

    Also RBR and Ferrari seem to be good at following a car infront.

  29. 8/10, great race, feisty overtaking

  30. Alex McFarlane
    9th April 2017, 8:45

    7. First half was good but the action faded a bit towards the end.

    Some good overtaking moves show that on the right circuits it can be done in these cars.

    Gutted for Alonso, despite his two retirements he’s shown he’s still got it as a top driver.

  31. A solid 8 for me. I think people voting dead low seem to never be satisfied but you are of course entitled to your opinion. Good non DRS overtakes, drivers are having to size up how to do their move, Vettel was the perfect example of this vs Kimi and Ricciardo. A few variants to make things exciting such as Bottas being removed from the equation and a damp track. Another McLaren disaster though but great to see 3 different teams on the podium.

  32. 8/10. Great beginning, exciting end between Verstappen and Daniel. But mid-race it became quite dull.

    Best moment of the race: Vettel overtaking Daniel
    Best driver of the weekend: Fernando Alonso. Amazing performance in that horrible car.

  33. Things were pretty busy from start to finish, we got some quality passing and DRS was fairly neutered and 3 teams on the podium 7/10

  34. I was surprised that I found the race enjoyable…so its a 8….
    Not sure why Max was complaining so much about the Haas not getting the blue flags even though he was not even in its DRS range….although Ricciardo was right behind Max and seeming to manage ok?? …come on Max your better than that

    1. Ricciardo being right behind Max and managing ok is exactly why Max was complaining.

    2. it’s a pity when MAX starts “”vetteling””.
      I understand his frustration with a car that hardly had any setup time, but still.. vetteling does not makes you better..

  35. Great race. 9/10 Uncertain outcome, sloppy drivers being punished, nice overtakes and theres two cars in front of a Mercedes car in the championship standings. Looking good for 2017.

  36. MG421982 (@)
    9th April 2017, 8:55

    6.

    Thumbs down to VER for complaining about a car (GRO) 2-3 seconds ahead.
    Ferrari… kinda unlucky… but they showed mediocre strategy again for RAI too. It kinda looks like they don’t care much about the 2nd car. First, because of the driver hired to ocupy the 2nd car, then because of the strategy penned for the 2nd car. They were unlucky with the poor start and these SC periods, but they cancelled RAI any chances to finish ahead of the RBRs by not pitting him 5-10 laps earlier OR by not pitting him on the same lap with VER. If Ferrari would have pitted RAI in the same lap with VER, at least they had some chances to finish ahead of RIC. I guess now it’s too late tho… but they still have time to get rid of RAI.

    1. Kimi was testing different setups during the entire qualification. It wouldnt surprise me if hes just an glorified testmule.

      1. MG421982 (@)
        9th April 2017, 9:11

        Wouldn’t be surprised, but there’s a strong feeling that he’s underperforming too. He didn’t have 1 single race since his Ferrari return where to shine for the entire race, something the way VER did today. I think age doesn’t help either, although ALO could say otherwise.

  37. Calum Menzies
    9th April 2017, 8:55

    Shanghai Circuit looks so drab and grey but the racing there is fine.

    I liked the overtakes we got. Turn 6 hairpin produced a decent amount of excitement, mainly thanks to Vettel, Grosjean!

    Perez was helpful for entertainment too.

  38. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    9th April 2017, 8:57

    Gave it an 8. I thought it was pretty enthralling. The number of overtakes is not a barometer of the quality of the racing. Those last few laps between Verstappen and Ricciardo were mesmerising. Great racing!

  39. On overtaking. I think we’ve actually hit quite a nice sweet spot. Overtaking is quite doable if you’re a top driver. DRS is less strong. Who thought this race was better if Ricciardo could easily have passed Verstappen at the end there? Or earlier with Kimi behind Ricciardo? They needed something special to get past, but it was definitely possible and doable. That’s what you want. Not easy, challenging, but doable. Look at the midfield too. They did the same. Not too many DRS overtakes, plenty of other overtakes. I think the formula is working.

    1. The only non-DRS passes were in turn 6. This probably has more to do with the approach of the corner, with a quick turn over the crest of an hill, than the tech spec of the cars. In a race with mixed conditions, an extra round of pitstops and some fast cars out of position at times, there wasn’t that much overtaking. Of course the field is more spread out than last year, but I still seriously doubt this fomula is working.

      1. It’s not true for one. Verstappen on Raikkonen was in the long turns 7 and 8 and others overtook there as well.

        1. They are right though. If this race didn’t have a wet start then the tyre strategies would all be the same. Nobody would have tyres more worn than others. Cars would be more spread out, driving round in the order they were after the first lap. Braking distances would have been mostly identical so no out braking overtakes. The only cars being overtaking would be Honda powered.

          1. It’s not Honda that’s the problem at the moment.
            It’s purely Mclaren that does not deliver.

  40. Race was OK 6.5/10

    Verstappen voted to cryboy of the day.

  41. Solid 7. Hamilton did a great job of controlling the race and managing his pace. Good enough recovery from Vettel with a brilliant overtake on Ricciardo. Really good drive from Verstappen and Sainz, Ocon and Magnussen did well. Onto Bahrain

  42. Good race overall, it could have been fantastic if it could have been a battle between Lewis and Seb for the vicory. The SC that came after the VSC was unfortunate for Vettel who lost 10s to Lewis in the following lap and there the race was decided.

  43. 10/10

    Probably a bit generous, but extra points for hyping up a strong 3-way-battle ahead!

  44. 7/10

    Could have been higher as we have seen some great overtakings but the race for the win was already decided after the SC. Still an enjoyable race!

  45. AntoineDeParis (@antoine-de-paris)
    9th April 2017, 9:09

    so no overtakes in F1? lmao
    some great moves and the monster one by Seb.
    Enjoyed a lot.

  46. I gave it a 8, I love how DRS isn’t making fake passes, absolutely love it. Too bad Vettel pitted during the Virtual, I think he had a chance to dog Hamilton. The main grandstand is the most amazing in the series in my opinion as well.

  47. 8/10.
    Very good race.

  48. What really upsets me is how people are getting off by putting other drivers down und being absolutely biased by doing so, in such an absolute fanboy manner, it’s really annoying, can you guys really only feel good about yourself when you say your driver is the absolute best and everything he does is gold and yet being absolutely unable to acknowledge other drivers, I don’t particularly like max, but I do admit his first round was great, that Brazil was brilliant,, I don’t like Hamilton but how he pulls the needed times out of the hat everytime they are need is remarkable, why is it so difficult to be happy for your driver without pretending like he is the only one capable of doing a good job and without bashing other drivers,…. OK…. Just wanted to get this of my chest

    1. Agreed.

    2. You know you are one of those people? Right?
      Look at you very biased comments on VER..

  49. 8/10 Great race! Have to wonder about Verstappen (P3) not capable of catching Grosjean (P11) at the end. Says something about his driving or the dirty air 2/3 seconds behind a car.

    1. In a Dutch post-race interview Verstappen said that they’d changed his setup between FP3 and qualy quite a bit but then, because he didn’t run much in qualy, he hadn’t noticed his balance was now messed up a little with not enough front grip (i.e. his car was understeery) until he was in the race. So this was Verstappen specific and not a detriment to Ricciardo.

      The understear then got worse as the race went on and his tyres got older (especially in the long T1 and T13 onto the back straight). This was then costing him time to Ricciardo and then got worse ever so slightly behind Grosjean.

      With his teammate on his gearbox he got a bit antsy on the radio, although I personally think he still was just ‘talking’ not really ‘whinging’ like Vettel did last year (“BLUE FLAGS! BLUE FLAGS!! Honestly, what are we doing here! This is rediculous!”). But I guess people who already don’t like Verstappen will latch on to this to talk him down.

      Whatever the case though,

  50. I may be easily entertained but I have enjoyed both races so far this season. Today’s highlights were definitely the non DRS assisted overtakes – particularly Sebastian Vettel on Daniel Ricciardo. I was (am?) one of those Vettel detractors the Sky commentators were talking about so I’d really like to see more of this sort of thing. It was very interesting to see Verstappen make a mistake when pressured by Vettel.

    1. I thought that his move on Raikkonen was excellent too @arki19, but doesn’t get mentioned because the one on Ricciardo was so fab

  51. Anyone can help me understand if Vettel grid position was regular at the start? Otherwise good race, it gives us enough hope for more spectacle and also given today’s podium sportsmanship, it is promising. By the time we get to Europe we can have a better feel of this championship will work out.

    1. There is a sensor that shows if the car is in the right place or not. Visibly the car was out of place, but obviously triggered the sensor so it was legal.

      1. thanks Caroline.

  52. Not so bad, got quite interesting at the beginning. No rewatch potential though. Solid 4/10.

    1. MG421982 (@)
      9th April 2017, 11:30

      Solid 4… Ahahahahaaaaaaa, you made my day!

  53. ILuvSoundtracks (@)
    9th April 2017, 10:09

    8/10.

    The most entertaining moments were Vettel and Ricciardo going wheel-to-wheel and Verstappen defending his team-mate.

  54. I don’t post around here often anymore and looking at the comments vs. the actual voting, I guess I’m not the only one.

    Really enjoyed the race and gave it a solid 8. It had enough drama to keep me going throughout the race and sets up an interesting precedent for the rest of the season, championship-wise. Drivers were making mistakes, teams couldn’t run a completely safe strategy (Kimi calling on the team that he wasn’t going to finish the race on his softs) and there was plenty of overtaking at the hairpin and turn 6.

  55. 5/10. Not very spectacular race but it wasn’t too bad either. We saw some interesting battles and overtakes here and there, but most of the race was just driving carefully on the single dry line.

  56. Gave it a 7/10. A pretty solid race, would have rated it an 8 if the battle for the lead was closer. I reckon the VSC period was too long. Am hoping they don’t make changes to DRS – it is working how it should be now with extra downforce, with the cars able to get a little closer instead of creating slam-dunk and artificial overtakes. Vettel on Ricciardo was breathtaking! DOTD Max for his charge, with Sainz, Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel all very tidy.

    1. + 1. Yes I would have given an 8 I think it it had been closer at the front.

  57. As some others have said some of the very low scores are confusing. If I found so many races so poor that they were consistently less than a 5 for me, I would choose something else to do with my time. I am a fan of F1 and watch it because it gives me pleasure to see and hear these cars being driven at speed, so my starting point is always gonna be a 6. I add points for my preferred driver winning, quality of overtaking, and any outstanding things that add to the spectacle. I reduce points for lack of overtaking, bad (in my opinion) stewarding decisions, stupid driving (eg blocking clumsily) and long periods of nothing much going on. I never reduce points because my preferred driver didn’t win, I think all these guys are talented and love to see any of them get success. How do others approach rating the race?

    1. I think some of the other voters need to go watch some of the races that we had at Valencia @lass321, there was only one decent race there in about 8 years.

      For me Bahrain 2014 was a 10/10 with fights all the way down the field, and an amazing to and fro battle for the lead, with some quite brilliant race craft, I now base my ratings compared to that as the benchmark

  58. 7/10
    The start was exciting. It was interesting to see how Vettel positioned his car at the grid and how the tricky it was for the rookies to manage the car. The second safety car did not help Ferrari. But on the positive it seems they have the pace to take the battle to Mercs in normal circumstances. Max in the first half did a fine job including a pass on Daniel which was rewarded with a podium although he came under pressure in the closing stages. Red Bull have a decent car. It now remains to be seen what Renault can bring in terms of engine upgrade.
    There were disappointments. I am really sad for Alonso. The first couple of races he has done exceptionally well and both performances deserved points and not DNFs. But he has to live with the choices already made and choices to be made for next year. I will say it straight: the McLaren Honda is a classic case of Good,Bad and Ugly – a good driver in a bad car with an ugly engine (the bad and ugly part are interchangeable). I also feel for Stoffel. He is older than the likes of talented drivers Carlos Sainz Jr, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and there are so many good drivers waiting for their turn. There is little for him to show in a crap car like the current McLH and unless he puts himself on the radar of top teams in the next couple of years, he may be in a difficult position.
    Then there is Kimi. Clearly Ferrari has a car capable of podium and his on/off performance will not help as the constructors championship tightens. It seems he is so upset in the cockpit at not finding the correct set-up, his performance is taking a hit. Bottas also not running well in the wet. Mistakes in a midfield car is one aspect but in a car battling for the constructors championship is a different aspect altogether.
    Performances from Perez and Magnussen were also noteworthy.

  59. 7 for the race, 1 for TV coverage.

    One of the worst camera / director jobs ever.
    Zoomed in too close all the time, you get no feeling for the speed or the circuit whatsoever.
    Hardly any coverage on the midfield battles or the pit stops.
    The odd overtake we were shown was as replays, no tension building up as when you would see a car edging closer lap after lap.
    That’s what i enjoy most watching a race, and i’m glad these kind of battles are back for 2017.
    Now just show all of them!

    Would also have been a better race without DRS.
    It either didn’t work at all (rbr vs Ferrari) or too much (mcl vs merc).

    1. There was a move at turn 6 (I think Grosjean on Palmer?) that showed the amazing speed and brace overtakes, but have to agree that the camera angles and type of cameras have to be reviewed to give us a better sense of our heroes’ feats @jon-thereyougo

    2. I totaly agree 7 race 1 coverage. They managed to miss 2 major overtakes plus the camera shots on the corners are so tight you can’t see whats happening! Why were they showing a rear facing shot from vettel when he was battling ricciardo??? total incompetance. There are allot of occasions when you are trying to watch 2 sets of cars battling at the same time and all we get to see is a meaningless close up of one car. It’s absolutely infuriating!!!

  60. I really enjoyed that race. Not knowing who would have the pace to finish where, the tyre quandary at the beginning, the classic strategy choice of whether or not to pit for fresh tyres and go faster or to stay out, and then at the end not knowing who was going to manage to catchup and overtake who. Oh, and proper overtaking being done! And the happy drivers at the end, saying how much they enjoyed it and being friendly with each other (we’ll see how long that lasts). A very good start to a Sunday.

    1. I gave it a 9 because like @hey it was the possiblities that could occur that had me looking at my timing screen and the TV with constant anticipation! Was LH going to drop several places after SV and others pitted at VSC only to have it work in his favour when the SC was employed. Was MV going to pass LH – the times he was doing said yes but the reality was no. Was Alonzo going to hold onto 7th the timing screen said no and the reality was no. Was SV ever going to pass KR. What is Massa doing – a disappointing nothing.
      VB is going purple in various sectors – will he catch and pass KR.
      Will LH be the first to hit an unseen damp patch and spin off.
      There were the possibilities of some many different outcomes that kept me wide awake from 2am on and maintained my interest and anticipation to the end.
      So all the passing and mistakes just seem to add to it – I do feel sorry for all those that did not see it through my and @hey‘s eyes and rated it less than an 8

  61. Neil (@neilosjames)
    9th April 2017, 15:37

    I gave it an 8, perhaps because it was so much better than Australia was. Some extremely good overtaking (Verstappen, Grosjean and Vettel to name a few who did them), a nice dose of suspense and some good battles that weren’t ruined by excessively effective DRS.

    Just wish we’d got to see more midfield stuff, because I got the impression there was some decent racing going on back there while the cameras were following the Ferraris/Red Bulls. Obviously that was an exciting battle, but it made me wish I could do a split-screen or something.

  62. Very happy with the show today ~ I gave the race an 8.

    Loved how the cars could get as close as they could during the race, combined with a non-powerful DRS feature, combined to create some top racing ~ look at Verstappen going around Kimi at T7 or Vettel on the RB at T6. That’s the racing I tune in to watch.

  63. Split screen? Now there’s a suggestion for Liberty Media @neilosjames

  64. I give it an 8/10—solid race in wet-dry conditions, and some absolutely brilliant wheel-to-wheel scraps.

    But I am wary so far of deciding F1 has got it right, because this race had everything going for it. Changeable conditions, mixed-up grid, safety cars, dearth of data due to lack of practice, dearth of data due to new tyres. All of those bred pace differentials, which gave us the overtaking we saw.

    And it was great! I really liked the race—hell, I was there. But there would be something terribly wrong with F1 if it weren’t at least a solid 8/10 race.

    I don’t think there’s something terribly wrong with F1, but the real test of the new formula will be later in the season, when the teams understand the tyres, when reliability is improved, when there’s no rain, fog, or smog in sight. Will we still see the action we saw today?

    1. One more thing. From my seat in the main grandstand, the Chinese crowd—full of Ferrari gear and women screaming at Kimi’s every move—was very invested in the action and vocally appreciative of all of the great battles on track.

      Racing like what we saw today—heroes doing battle wheel-to-wheel—is how F1 wins new fans in new markets.

  65. A solid 7/10 for me. I was away when the Australian GP was on so didn’t see the race or highlights. So nothing to compare this against this year.

    I think the cars look really good this year and I’m loving the fatter tyres. Still not sold on the fins but you cannot have everything it seems.

    Race was definitely helped by the damp/overcast conditions. There was some close racing which was quite suspenseful and some non-DRS overtakes. Overall I was pretty pleased but there’s room for improvement.

    I also have this sneaking suspicion that things may be not quite as close as they currently appear, given a few more races. I still think it’s advantage Mercedes with Ferrari not quite there.

  66. On a different topic I do hope Fernando is able to get a drive in a decent competitive car next year. It’s one of F1’s most irritating issues that a driver who would surely be challenging for the WDC in a top car is trailing around in a car which is far from reliable and clearly way too slow to be competitive.

    I hope Ferrari, Mercedes or RBR give a place next year although I think this is still quite unlikely.

  67. Gave it an 8, kept me glued to the screen until the end, MV is a whiner but gets my driver vote.
    Great drive by Lewis and kudos to him and Seb for doing some excellent good humored ‘PR’ to set up their ensuing battle.

    1. Jimmie in LA (@)
      9th April 2017, 18:02

      I agree about Max. His complaint about Grosjean was very petty. Just because your teammate is all over your ass, is no reason to complain about a back marker far enough ahead of you that you can’t even engage your DRS.

  68. Much more entertaining than Melbourne, but as a Scuderia fan I think they blew it strategy today.

  69. I gave it an 8. Kept me awake till the end of the race. That’s a hard thing to do on the west coast. It had wet and dry racing. The front of the pack, continually matching each other’s times. The Red Bull battle. Bottas trying his hardest to overcome his mistake. And the mid field doing their best to look competitive. With the limited ability to overtake, what more could you want.

  70. I might have to reduce my expectations with the current spec of cars, but for now I’ve given it a 7. Some very exciting moments but once order was restored it was pretty processional. Good to see the cars could at least follow each other within DRS range.

  71. I give it a 8 Absolutely enjoyed it!

  72. Antoon van Gemert
    9th April 2017, 20:15

    The Chinese Grand Prix was a great and exciting race! Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel where the true stars of the race today with some masterly executed overtaking manoeuvres.The one from Vettel on Ricciardo was the best, with some old-fashioned wheel-banging! The very impressive surge through the field by Max Verstappen was another masterclass of overtaking, as he already gave in Brazil and Abu Dhabi last year. Shame it didn’t rain during the race, because in that case Max would have won this one for sure! His fight for the podium with his teammate at the end was nerve-braking! By the way; every topdriver would have tried to get rid of the Haas (which means ‘hare’ in Dutch!) in that stage of the race and so close to the end! A very strong race again at the front by Lewis Hamilton, having always a direct answer to any fastest lap of his opponents. Carlos Sainz took a huge gamble (and almost threw it away!) to start on slicks, but what a great result! Good results too for Magnussen and the two Pink Panthers! Poor Valterri Bottas knocked himself of the podium trying to get the heat in his tyres, but instead spun of the track, while poor Lance Stroll was knocked of the track by Sergio Perez. Very disapointing race for Williams, McLaren, Sauber and Renault. And while Lewis is watching the masterclass of Max, this guy is ending his view of the race….

  73. Good race but the TV coverage was terrible.
    They managed to miss 2 major overtakes and only showed them as re-plays. Plus the camera shots on the corners are so tight you can’t see whats happening! Why were they showing a rear facing shot from vettel when he was battling ricciardo in front??? total incompetance.
    There are allot of occasions when you are trying to watch 2 sets of cars battling at the same time and all we get to see is a meaningless close up of one car. It’s absolutely infuriating!!!

    REPLY

  74. If we had this formula in previous years, we would not have seen the few on track battles between the Merc. teammates.

    They would’ve arrived in the dirty air of the car in front and stayed there the whole race..

  75. 8 -Spot on!

  76. 7 from me.

    Loving the ‘new’ F1. Racing is racing again. Overtaking is an art rather than a right. The cars can seem to follow eachother due to the harder tyres. DRS is working as a slipstream (as it was originally intended).

    Anyone with a short attention span complaining about a ‘boring’ race worries me. I sincerely hope the FIA doesn’t make a snap decision and extend the DRS zones for the remainder of the season. It’s absolutely unnecessary. The drivers are actually trying moves in the non-DRS zones!

    Wasn’t a classic, but the overall feel of F1 2017 is such a huge improvement on the past few years. It feels positive, it feels racey!

  77. Great race – enthralled from start to finish. Number of overtakes is meaningless to me – it’s the VALUE of them that’s important. I get as much enjoyment watching a driver fighting to build enough of a gap for a pit stop as I get seeing them pass wheel to wheel.

  78. I rated the race a 7.5

    The Chinese GP was a definite improvement on the opening race of the season in Australia, historically this circuit has shown to be more overtaking friendly and the wet conditions at the start also helped.

    Sadly there wasn’t a fight for the race win, after Hamilton retained the lead at the start and after the field changed to slick tyres he was never troubled and it appeared that he was just managing his pace later on and was only going as fast as he needed to.

    With the way the pack was shuffled early on after the stops to change to dry tyres and the safety cars periods Vettel was never in a position to challenge Hamilton during the race as by the time he regained second the gap to Hamilton was too big, so we didn’t get to see the two of them racing together during the Grand Prix.

    Although the winner never seemed in doubt there was action behind and whether it was due to the track or the conditions, we did get to see some overtakes under the new regulations this weekend, and while the quantity may still have been down on recent years I thought the quality of the moves was up on recent seasons.

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