Jack Leslie F1: 2016 Chinese Grand Prix In Pictures

Nico Rosberg's run of success continued at the Chinese Grand Prix, taking a controlled third victory of the 2016 season.

The Shanghai International Circuit is an unusual track and produces some brilliant photos. Here is the third round of the season in pictures.

Friday

Rosberg got his weekend off to a good start by setting the pace for Mercedes in first practice.

It was a strange session, with several red flags due to punctures - two for Felipe Massa and one for Kevin Magnussen.

It was a tough day for Esteban Gutierrez. He failed to set a timed lap in FP1 due to a problem and then suffered brake issues in the second session.

Fernando Alonso was officially granted permission to race in China after medical checks following FP1, having previously been provisionally deemed fit enough.

Kimi Raikkonen was fastest for Ferrari in the second session, leading team-mate Sebastian Vettel by one tenth.

Saturday

Vettel set the fastest time in the rain-hit third and final practice session. Running started on the wet tyre before teams switched to intermediates.

There were some drivers who failed to set lap times in FP3, with teams completing very limited running in the conditions.

Q1 got off to a dramatic start when Pascal Wehrlein lost control over a bump and a puddle, crashing on the pit straight and bringing out the red flag.

Hamilton suffered an ERS issue in the first segment of qualifying and failed to set a time, starting last. Magnussen, Gutierrez, Palmer and Rio Haryanto were the first in the drop-zone, before Wehrlein and the triple world champion.

The two Sauber drivers improved late in Q1, making it through to the second session. Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr qualified 15th and 16th.

Massa was the first in the Q2 drop-zone at the end of the session and was joined by Alonso, Jenson Button and Romain Grosjean.

Daniil Kvyat performed well in qualifying, finishing Q3 in sixth. Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz Jr and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.

Rosberg stormed to pole position, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Raikkonen. Vettel and Valtteri Bottas were next up. The 2015 qualifying format returned, with great success.

Sunday

There was a mix of tyre compounds for the race start, with some going for the super-softs and others opting for the softs, including pole position man Rosberg.

The main grandstand was packed for the race, with the enthusiastic Chinese fans out in force for F1's yearly visit.

Ricciardo had a great start, while Rosberg suffered a rather underwhelming one and lost the lead to the Red Bull driver.

But it all got a bit chaotic at Turn 1, with Vettel, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Nasr, Grosjean and Hamilton all getting caught up in incidents.

It was no surprise the safety car was called, with so much debris on the track - something that caught out Ricciardo, with his RB12 picking up a puncture.

When the safety car returned to the pits, we were treated to some brilliant racing and on-track action.

Ricciardo started his fight back after his earlier puncture with some fiesty overtakes and passes.

McLaren ran high up the order early on, but Alonso and Button soon slipped down the order as faster cars progressed.

There were plenty of different strategy options during the race, with the new tyre rules working well.

Raikkonen and Hamilton dropped to the back of the field after their early issues. The two spent most of the race in close proximity as they bounced back.

Ricciardo and Hamilton battled late in the race but the former's tyres were in better shape and he was able to drive off into the distance.

All 22 drivers were classified in China, with Palmer being the last of them, finishing just behind Haryanto's Manor.

Rosberg crossed the line almost 40 seconds clear of his nearest challenger to take his third win of 2016.

Vettel recovered to second, with Kvyat third to claim his second F1 podium. Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Massa and Hamilton were next up.

19 April 2016

2016 Chinese Grand Prix In Pictures

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