Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Chinese Grand Prix In Pictures

The Shanghai International Circuit hosted round three of the 2015 Formula 1 season, with Lewis Hamilton winning the Chinese Grand Prix for the fourth time.

It was another Mercedes one-two, with Nico Rosberg in second. Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari. Here is the race weekend in pictures.

Friday

Lewis Hamilton got his weekend off to a strong start by setting the fastest time in first practice.

Jolyon Palmer made his F1 race weekend debut for Lotus in FP1, completing 25 laps and finishing 15th fastest.

Williams showed improved form on Friday, but remained some way off the top two teams.

Ferrari once again looked a close match for Mercedes, particularly in race trim.

Hamilton remained fastest in second practice, as drivers sampled the soft compound tyre for the first time.

Both Manor Marussia drivers completed some positive running on Friday, as the team continued to make progress.

A spectator managed to climb the catch-fencing and ran across the track in FP2, with reports saying he wanted to drive a Ferrari F1 car.

Saturday

Hamilton made it a hat-trick in China by also setting the pace in third practice. Meanwhile, sparks were a common occurrence at the track, creating spectacular images.

Despite feeling progress had been made, both McLaren drivers were eliminated from the first segment of qualifying. Nico Hulkenberg was 16th, with Jenson Button 17th, Fernando Alonso 18th, Will Stevens 19th and Roberto Merhi 20th.

Daniil Kvyat was one of the five drivers to finish in the Q2 drop-zone. Pastor Maldonado was 11th, with Kvyat 12th, Max Verstappen 13th, Carlos Sainz Jr 14th and Sergio Perez 15th.

Despite failing to improve on his final lap, Hamilton took pole position from Rosberg and Vettel.

Felipe Massa was fourth for Williams, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson.

Sunday

A strong start saw Hamilton retain his lead into Turn 1, with Rosberg and Vettel following close behind.

Sainz Jr's race got off to a difficult start. A spin at Turn 1 on the second lap dropped him to the back.

Meanwhile Sainz Jr's team-mate Verstappen was making quite an impression, completing several stunning overtakes.

Hulkenberg was the first retirement from the race, pulling off track on the run to Turn 7 with a gearbox problem.

Vettel was the first of the leaders to pit, switching to a fresh set of soft tyres on lap 13.

Hamilton and Rosberg remained close throughout the second stint, with the former even being given a hurry-up from Mercedes after a complaint from his team-mate.

Mercedes reacted to Ferrari pitting Vettel at both stops, with Rosberg and Hamilton moving onto the prime tyre on laps 31 and 33.

Maldonado enjoyed a positive start to the race, but it soon went downhill, with an off-track excursion at the pit lane entry, a spin and a crash with Button.

Button was found to be at fault for the crash and was given a five-second time penalty and two penalty points. The collision did, however, move Alonso up to 12th place.

A late Safety Car meant the order was set. Hamilton won the race by seven tenths of a second from Rosberg.

Vettel was in third place, meaning the same drivers had completed the podium in the opening three races.

Raikkonen was fourth, with Massa and Bottas in fifth and sixth for Williams, after a slightly more positive race.

Grosjean scored his first points in almost a year with seventh, ahead of Nasr, Ricciardo and Ericsson.

13 April 2015

2015 Chinese Grand Prix In Pictures

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