The F1 circus now moves on towards China, where Michael Schumacher is looking to overcome his ''bogey'' track.

The championship starts here, with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso split by just two points, can Bridgestone beat Michelin and Ferrari beat Renault?

In the two practice sessions so far, it's been looking promising for both drivers:

1
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37491

2
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37495



In other news, Ferrari's constructors championship fight has taken a blow with an engine penalty for Massa:
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37496


Albers has been confirmed as a race driver for Midland Spyker for 2007 (http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37493)

And Raikkonen not on the pace, spinning out in the rain in session 1 (http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37500)

All in all, a very busy weekend for F1, and a very important one too.

Thoughts on qualifying and the race, guys?



EDIT: Some pics for China, and some brand new things for Honda and Alonso's face:)

Brand new Honda livery, looks absolutely stunning IMO:

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/3882/d06chn261jr9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

And Alonso the musketeer:)

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4751/d06chn79ea6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Wow...gooo Honda :p..fine 'till they break down :p
yeah, the results are close. My Dad has his money on Alonso...but I'm losing faith and thinking Schumi :s
I don't know!
Aww....come on Alonso :)

Schumi.....Yay!!!

It's the beard isn't it....it's making you lose faith.

I don't reckon Honda will break down, they're looking strong, but the upper hand, I do believe, is with Mr. Schumacher.

Which is a good thing for me.

And a bad thing for you Renault fans.

^^ Yeah...sure is..once he's gone F1 will be soooo much better..in my opinion! :p

More talent to come through I guess, like Albers, Premate, Doornbos and Ammermueller who have all landed testing roles with Spyker and Midland and teams like that, and not to mention the unforgettable Rovert Kubica, he's going to be good, very good, but you gotta admit, you will miss Schumacher, even if it's a little teeny weeny little bit!

Qualifying
2006 China Grand Prix


Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3

1 1 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:44.128 1:43.951 1:44.360

2 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:44.378 1:44.336 1:44.992

3 11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:47.072 1:45.288 1:45.503

4 12 Jenson Button Honda 1:45.809 1:44.662 1:45.503

5 3 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:44.909 1:45.622 1:45.754

6 5 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:47.366 1:45.660 1:45.775

7 4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:44.808 1:45.095 1:45.877

8 16 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:46.249 1:45.055 1:46.053

9 17 Robert Kubica Sauber-BMW 1:46.049 1:45.576 1:46.632

10 15 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari 1:46.387 1:45.747 1:48.021

11 21 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth 1:46.222 1:45.851

12 14 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:45.931 1:45.968

13 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:47.231 1:45.970

14 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth 1:45.564 1:46.172

15 9 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:48.560 1:46.413

16 10 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth 1:47.535 1:47.419

17 7 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:48.894

18 8 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:49.098

19 19 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota 1:49.542

20 18 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota 1:49.903

21 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:50.326

22 23 Sakon Yamamoto Super Aguri-Honda 1:55.560

The Reanults are where they need to be. Schumcher will have to beat some very good drivers to make his way up the field

Thats pretty good, Kimi infront of MS and Alonso up front. This should give Alonso a chance of regaining his lead.
I wish Kimi was higher but at least he could hold off MS for a few laps, possibly even pull ahead.

i hope mclaren mercedes takes a 1-2 finish.don't like those renaults.

No McLaren 1-2 finish for you my friend, Renault are too competitive today, and so are the Hondas, I want Button up on the podium tomorrow.

As for Schumacher, he did pretty well to get 6th place, but I reckon Alonso is gonna hall ahead in the championship tomorrow and Renault will beat Ferrari to the Constructors.

But you never know, if you have a wet race....

damn those renaults!!
i hate them for no reason.that blue color...grrr.
i kinda like the toro rosso team.putting up a decent fight and their cars look awesome.

Yeah, the low down torque of the V10 was really helping them out of the slow corners and hairpins (which China has), and the fact that the Michelins were unbeatable on their intermediates.

Although Liuzzi did spin out about a million times and so did Speed, they put up a good fight, respect to them.

^^ Yeah...sure is..once he's gone F1 will be soooo much better..in my opinion! :p
:eek: :mad: how dare you how very dare you!!!!!!!!! grrrrrrrrrr:mad:

I guarantee everyone will miss Schumacher in some shape or form.

Even if it's missing hating his guts:p

ya..that''s there.he was un-beatable.man we'll all miss him.

it will be interesting if it rains on race day...and the same things happen like they did in hungary......"upset" winner and both top runners fall back........we will just have to see....but those renaults sure look fast with their michelins......and one more thing.....honda's paint is just wonderful and so is MF1's.

**Results**

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points

1 5 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Winner

2 1 Fernando Alonso Renault +3.1 secs

3 2 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault +44.1 secs

4 12 Jenson Button Honda +72.0 secs

5 4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes +77.1 secs

6 11 Rubens Barrichello Honda +79.1 secs

7 16 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW +91.9 secs

8 9 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth + secs

9 14 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari + secs

10 20 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth +1 Lap

11 10 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth +1 Lap

12 15 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari +1 Lap

13 17 Robert Kubica Sauber-BMW +1 Lap

14 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda +1 Lap

15 21 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth +1 Lap

16 19 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota +3 Lap

17 23 Sakon Yamamoto Super Aguri-Honda +4 Lap

Ret 7 Ralf Schumacher Toyota +7 Lap

Ret 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari +12 Lap

Ret 8 Jarno Trulli Toyota +18 Lap

Ret 18 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota +19 Lap

Ret 3 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes +38 Laps

Fastest Lap:

* Provisional Results

Stupid wheelnuts :(
Alonso was doing so well before that, he really was flying at the end though, just so determined!
Poor Heidfeld, 4th all the way then blocked by Jensen right at the end.
The whole Kubica thing was a joke too, they knew that it was too early for slicks!
Some really good racing though...lots of over-taking.

Fantastic GP....Kudos to Schumi hehe.Whatever it is a win is a win.Alonso was very good though.If it wasn't because of the tacticians hehe.Very dramatic last lap for pos 4 to pos 7.Pity Heidfeld....Go Red Baron.Retire with style.

What is the championship gap now if Schumi won?

it's 116 plays 116...

it's 116 plays 116...
and r*****t leading ferrari by 1 point its sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo close the last time i was like this was the schumacher hakkian battle that was just like this this is what racing should be like battle to the finish

it's 116 plays 116...

Yep, but Schumacher is officially leading the championship because he has won more races than Alonso.

I just watched the race, and it was an absolute cracker.

I thought Alonso had it in the bag, but then he stopped, and then...??????/ Why the f*ck didn't they change the scrubbed rears? To be honest, it's their own fault they lost the race. If they changed the rears when Alonso pitted first, he would have won the race. Stupid Renault, first f*ck up. And then the wheel nut got jammed. Second f*ck up.

It was simple logic, change the rears and you win the race. And they ignored that. He was so slow, I bet a Super Aguri WITH Yuji Ide could have overtook him. Very bad decision. That just handed the race to Sxchumacher, because he ate up all of that 25 second lead and drove a fantastic race with good tactics from the Ferrari team. It could have been so much more for renault, but the difference between the two teams was that Ferrari didn't act like r*tards at the pit stops.

At the end, when it was raining, Jenson sped up, took de la Rosa, took Barrichello, then at the end, he took Heidfeld aswell!!!!!! What a fantastic race, Jenson drove like he should have done and he deserved his fourth place.

I think Schumacher deserves to win the title. he's acted maturely, doesn't have a f*ck up for a team, and gets on with the racing and doesn't b*tch about on the drivers.

Bring on Suzuka.

That was the best F1 race I've seen in the past several years.

MS was amazing. The lead changes actually were the result of passing on the track, rather than pit lane timing.

Awesome race. Very exciting. That is what Formula 1 should be like.

Looking forward to Japan and Brazil.

^Exactly, it was a fantastic race and I agree with what you said.

Takuma Sato has been disqualified from the Vhinese GP standings and Christijan Albers has been penalised 25 second for the hairpin melee on the very last lap, but ironically, Albers get promoted from 16th to 15th due to Sato's disqualification.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=37548

First off I am really happy that he won....now I hope that he can get the championship and go out in style.........Fisichella needs to get smacked upside the head....that moron tried running scumi off.....and FIA did nothing to penalize.....so all you people that think they side with ferrari....look at this weekend....they let it slide. Way to go Schumi...and it was disappointing to see Massa and Kimi not finish up front.....with two rounds left.....this.....will.....be.....crazy. :)

As if it's not crazy enough. It's going to be f*cking awesome!!

I don't think Fisichella really wanted to squeeze Schumacher out, he gave him just about enough room, even though he did squeeze him so he got two wheels on the grass, but it was pretty clean between the two.

I want Schumacher to win, go out in style and show everyone that anyone can win a World Championship at 37 years young!

-2500-

Wow...gooo Honda :p..fine 'till they break down :p
yeah, the results are close. My Dad has his money on Alonso...but I'm losing faith and thinking Schumi :s
I don't know!
Aww....come on Alonso :)
Both you and your father do not know the value of good money! The bank of schumacher is the best, and only place to put your money. aww, come on alonso,?:eek: so you like cheering for little kids who cry when they don't get their way all the time:( . Everyone knows that the title is branded with the livery of the PRANCING HORSE:twisted:
P.S: ALONSO SUCKS A*******:driving :smt014 :smt021 :smt073 :smt075 :smt076 :smt084 :smt119

Yep, but Schumacher is officially leading the championship because he has won more races than Alonso.

I just watched the race, and it was an absolute cracker.

I thought Alonso had it in the bag, but then he stopped, and then...??????/ Why the f*ck didn't they change the scrubbed rears? To be honest, it's their own fault they lost the race. If they changed the rears when Alonso pitted first, he would have won the race. Stupid Renault, first f*ck up. And then the wheel nut got jammed. Second f*ck up.

It was simple logic, change the rears and you win the race. And they ignored that. He was so slow, I bet a Super Aguri WITH Yuji Ide could have overtook him. Very bad decision. That just handed the race to Sxchumacher, because he ate up all of that 25 second lead and drove a fantastic race with good tactics from the Ferrari team. It could have been so much more for renault, but the difference between the two teams was that Ferrari didn't act like r*tards at the pit stops.

At the end, when it was raining, Jenson sped up, took de la Rosa, took Barrichello, then at the end, he took Heidfeld aswell!!!!!! What a fantastic race, Jenson drove like he should have done and he deserved his fourth place.

I think Schumacher deserves to win the title. he's acted maturely, doesn't have a f*ck up for a team, and gets on with the racing and doesn't b*tch about on the drivers.

Bring on Suzuka.
Since when have you known schumi to ***** about anyone? if you have an answer, e-mail it to: helldrakenightshade@hotmail.co.uk:evil: :x :driving :smt035 :smt066 :smt084 :smt093 :smt109 :smt098 :smt076 :smt036

please do not double post and flame...use the multi quote button..and do not flame...

Both you and your father do not know the value of good money! The bank of schumacher is the best, and only place to put your money. aww, come on alonso,?:eek: so you like cheering for little kids who cry when they don't get their way all the time:( . Everyone knows that the title is branded with the livery of the PRANCING HORSE:twisted:
P.S: ALONSO SUCKS A*******:driving :smt014 :smt021 :smt073 :smt075 :smt076 :smt084 :smt119

Since when have you known schumi to ***** about anyone? if you have an answer, e-mail it to: helldrakenightshade@hotmail.co.uk:evil: :x :driving :smt035 :smt066 :smt084 :smt093 :smt109 :smt098 :smt076 :smt036

If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't sya anything at all.

It's obvious that you're not very knowledgable or experienced in the field of F1.

Oh and smileys don't make you big and clever.

Both you and your father do not know the value of good money! The bank of schumacher is the best, and only place to put your money. aww, come on alonso,?:eek: so you like cheering for little kids who cry when they don't get their way all the time:( . Everyone knows that the title is branded with the livery of the PRANCING HORSE:twisted:
P.S: ALONSO SUCKS A*******:driving :smt014 :smt021 :smt073 :smt075 :smt076 :smt084 :smt119

Don't even think you can tell me who to support, my father and I can support whoever we want. Thank you very much.

Alonso is a good driver, he's proved it time and time again. What he said was totally true.

Don't even think you can tell me who to support, my father and I can support whoever we want. Thank you very much.

Alonso is a good driver, he's proved it time and time again. What he said was totally true.
michael is not a cheat but look even though i am totally biast towards michael i am prepared to level alonso is good but michael is better but at least we wont have these arguments soon

I think Michael copes under pressure a lot better than Alonso.

Sometimes Alonso gets mad and flips off other drivers.

In China, 6th on the grid when his tyres wasn't working was perfect.

To win, against the odds was fantastic.

^^ Really. I believe Alonso is a very cool customer, espcially under pressure. Look at the 12{ish} laps he kept ahead of Schumi, he just stayed cool.

When Schumacher can't overtake someone/gets annoyed, he knocks them off!

Well you have to have that little bit of ruthlessness to stay at the top, and I think Alonso is lacking that a little bit.

And, anyway, JV deserved to be punted off in Jerez 97 because he was a bit of a one hit wonder and he did take the p*ss out of Schumacher which was a little uncalled for.

No one deserves to be knocked off any race track, everyone has the right to win as much as the next person.

But I mean it was quite funny, seeing Schumacher getting angry and barging him off....

^^ Yeah..but it's just stupid 8-)

But sometimes funny, but also sometimes annoying.

Respect:)