Scirocco Central

The 2010 Chinese Grand Prix (formally the VII Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix) will be the fourth round in the 2010 Formula One season. It will be held in Shanghai, China on April 18, 2010.

Felipe Massa leads the Drivers' Championship, with Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica within 10 points of the Brazilian Ferrari driver. Ferrari lead the Constructors Championship by 10 points from McLaren and 15 from Red Bull.

The Chinese Grand Prix has yet to be won by a single driver twice, with Rubens Barrichello, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel winning one race each. All but WRC driver Kimi Räikkönen will start this years race.

The vision of a Chinese Grand Prix started in the early 1990s. The Chinese government had originally planned for an F1 circuit to be located in the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province, southern China. The Zhuhai International Circuit was designed and built and was provisionally added to the 1999 F1 World Championship calendar, but the track failed to meet certain standards set by the FIA. However, the Chinese government did not give up and eventually, with assistance from the organizers of the Macau Grand Prix, held the first ever Formula One race in China in 2004.

In 2002, it was announced that the management of the Shanghai International Circuit had signed a 7 year contract with the Formula One Management to host the Chinese Grand Prix starting from the 2004 season until the 2011 season. The Chinese Grand Prix debuted on September 26, 2004, and was won by Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello. The following year, it hosted the final round of the Formula One championship, in which the newly crowned world champion Fernando Alonso won and claimed the constructor's title for Renault F1. In 2006, the Chinese Grand Prix was won by Michael Schumacher - his last victory in Formula One before his initial retirement at the end of the season.

In November 2008 the BBC reported a senior race official, Qiu Weichang, as suggesting that the loss-making race might be cancelled. Following a similar announcement about the French Grand Prix, Qui Weichang said that the race's future was under consideration, and a decision would be made in 2009

2009 : Sebastian Vettel 
2008 : Lewis Hamilton
2007 : Kimi Raikkonen
2006 : Michael Schumacher
2005 : Fernando Alonso
2004 : Rubens Barrichello

All times local (GMT + 8)

Fri 16 April 2010
Practice 1 	10:00 - 11:30
Practice 2 	14:00 - 15:30
Sat 17 April 2010
Practice 3 	11:00 - 12:00
Qualifying 	14:00
Sun 18 April 2010
Race 	15:00

Kev wrote:Go go gadget wheels!