[Innockcroff]

I thought I'd start a thread as there didn't appear to be one.

Mclaren are apparently keen to show off their qualifying form which they claim is comparable to Red Bull.

Ferrari are going to use the same engines they used in Sakhir, so lets hope they have made the necessary modifications to restore reliabilty.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=48199

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=48200

[boxcigsnick]

Dunno why but its seem a long time since the last GP so I'm eager to see the next installment of F1 2010.

A nice dry weekend would be nice to see where we stand with the regulations and a normal grid.

[erroxiainsona]

If it is a dry weekend, then the F-Duct will be a major story in China.
The back straight is very loooooong.

[Plaumpholavup]

Yep 2 weeks seems a long time, on the contrary, I would like to see a wet weekend, I guess rain filled race would be awesome!

[gariharlj]

Yep 2 weeks seems a long time, on the contrary, I would like to see a wet weekend, I guess rain filled race would be awesome!

You may get your wish, the forecast is currently for rain on Sunday:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/1713

[dexterljohnthefinanceguy]

I hope for a dry race as I am curious to see the true pecking order of the teams in race trim.

[soonahonsefalh]

Early days for a weather forecast, remember most predicted the last race would be called off midway through and we didn't see a drop.

[Plaumpholavup]

You may get your wish, the forecast is currently for rain on Sunday:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/1713

Early days for a weather forecast, remember most predicted the last race would be called off midway through and we didn't see a drop.

Yep, the so called 4-6pm period when it ALWAYS rained in Malaysia, not a drop in the race, so even knowing there could be rain, its still a 50-50 chance.

[DoctorGordanBens]

As McLaren has halted their new suspension development, what does this mean for the pecking order? So far McLaren has been struggling with qualifying pace - will this trend continue?

[Cucoulkrory]

TBH as to race pace I think the macs are right there if not slightly better than RBR , Merc and Ferrari. If they get back to a good Qualy time, i think that a win is more than in the cards.

But i suspect a Vettel pole again, followed by a surprising 2nd for Schumi, 3rd for Hamilton, 4th for Alonso, 5th Webber, 6 Massa, 7 Rosberg and 8 button.

If it is wet qualy then throw in Kubica and Sutil in the mix

...and yeah, it seems like a long time since the last GP.

[DoctorGordanBens]

Schumacher certainly won't be second in that car (in the dry), even if he was in his prime.

Red Bull front row with Alonso possibly being the biggest threat there seems like a decent bet to me. Sadly Shanghai has traditionally been one of Massa's weaker circuits, so I suspect he may lose the championship lead unless weather springs some surprises to us again.

[Seerseraxlils]

I think this could be the race that Schumi comes "on stream" and finds that firing solution. His fourth race back could be a gem. A podium finish.

Hamilton has to have been stung hard that Button is 2 - 1 in qualifying and 1 - 0 in race wins. Expect him to go all out. I say Jenson beats him again and the red mist can never be ruled out.

[Cucoulkrory]

Schumacher certainly won't be second in that car (in the dry), even if he was in his prime.

Red Bull front row with Alonso possibly being the biggest threat there seems like a decent bet to me. Sadly Shanghai has traditionally been one of Massa's weaker circuits, so I suspect he may lose the championship lead unless weather springs some surprises to us again.

was talking about qualy not the race

[Seerseraxlils]

Yep 2 weeks seems a long time, on the contrary, I would like to see a wet weekend, I guess rain filled race would be awesome!

How about spicing it with an earthquake in the middle of quals - now that would be exciting!

[Cucoulkrory]

How about spicing it with an earthquake in the middle of quals - now that would be exciting!

that is in poor taste valve. what happened in china yesterday was tragic and sad, with school children dead and trapped in the rubble of their collapsed school buildings. Natural disasters that cause human death should not be used against a country hosting a GP or even as a subject to be made light off in a forum to bolster your opinions about holding a GP in China.

[dexterljohnthefinanceguy]

I think that Red Bull-Renault and McLaren-Mercedes seem to be the favorites...

[Innockcroff]

I am hoping Mclaren have made the necessary steps forward and are now on pace with the Red Bulls. They were matching their pace in the last race but out of position due to the qualifying cock up, so that was reassuring.

Ferrari are using an engine which has already completed one of the most grueling races on the calendar, so reliability is going to be a concern and we may see them being conservative in their approach.

I am hoping Lewis keeps up his pattern of outperforming Jenson in the race for the third time this season and hopefully secures his first win. The track is fairly similar to Malaysia with its mix of long straights and slow corners, so qualifying is going to be the most important factor and the base for the end result. Should be a good one..

[boxcigsnick]

Does anyone know if the planned Renault engine upgrades have been completed yet? If not with a suspected 30BHP loss over the best engines the RBR may struggle to maintain their qualifying form against the might of Ferrari and Mercedes ooomph down that yawn inducing mile long straight.

[Innockcroff]

Its also the first race where the side pod positioned mirrors have been banned. Teams using the pillar that these mirrors sit on for aerodynamic effect, will have lost out to some degree.

[boxcigsnick]

Its also the first race where the side pod positioned mirrors have been banned. Teams using the pillar that these mirrors sit on for aerodynamic effect, will have lost out to some degree.

Wasn't that postponed for an extra race? Or have we already had the extra race - I'm confused!