Already we are now three races into the 2016 season, after yet another scintillating race weekend. It seems like only yesterday we were gearing up for the start of pre-season testing, with the teams unveiling their new machines.
After terrific races in Australia and Bahrain, we were treated to yet another fantastic 56-lap race in China, with Nico Rosberg storming to his sixth consecutive race victory, whilst team-mate and reigning champion Lewis Hamilton languished in the midfield after starting from 22nd and last.
With so much action to digest, Grand Prix Times’ Andy Young takes a look at five talking points from the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
1. Rosberg joins the elite after sixth consecutive victory
This time last season Rosberg sat third in the drivers’ championship, without a single victory to his name.
Fast forward 12 months and the German now sits proudly at the top drivers’ championship, with a 34 point lead over team-mate Hamilton.
After victory in China the German has joined the likes of Alberto Ascari, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel with six consecutive victories, dating back to the Mexican Grand Prix last season.
Whilst it is still early days in the 2016 season, there is no denying that Rosberg is by far the favourite to secure championship success after such a dominant start to his campaign.
Admittedly there is still a lot of time for Hamilton to bounce back at his team-mate, however the Briton desperately requires a victory in Russia next time out.
However, even if Hamilton does secure that elusive victory and Rosberg still finishes second, the gap between the two will still be 29 points in Rosberg’s favour.
For Hamilton to really erode Rosberg’s early championship lead, the Briton not only requires several back-to-back victories of his own, but also a poor result for his team-mate in the process.
Interestingly and somewhat forebodingly for Hamilton, each driver who has managed to win the first three races in a season has gone on to become world champion, including Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
Regardless of the amount of races remaining, Hamilton has a monumental mountain to climb if he wishes to win his third consecutive world championship crown.
2. Pressure building at Ferrari
Prior to the start of the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne expressed frustration at his team’s current start to the season.
"What could have been is unfortunate because it didn't happen – we didn't win – so we need to fix this now," explained the ruthless Ferrari boss to Sky Sports F1.
"The team knows that the clock is on and we need to start winning some races and bringing them home.”
So far Ferrari has managed to close the gap to Mercedes at the front, with the Scuderia enjoying a particularly good start to the season opener in Australia, leapfrogging the Mercedes duo and exiting Turn 1 in first and second.
But they are still yet to beat Mercedes in qualifying or the race, with the team only four points ahead of Red Bull after a highly embarrassing Chinese Grand Prix.
With the big boss overseeing proceedings, Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen couldn’t have asked for a more shambolic start to the race.
As Vettel over-compensated to avoid making contact with Daniil Kvyat into Turn 1, the German clouted his team-mate.
This sent Raikkonen limping back to the pits for a new front-wing, and although Vettel managed to finish second, the German proceeded to cause further embarrassment by openly arguing with Kvyat after the race.
The ensuing disagreement was broadcast across the world, with all and sundry able to clearly hear the duo’s discussion.
There’s no denying Vettel had no leg to stand on regarding Kvyat’s driving style into Turn 1 at the start, and if anything it drew to attention just how close Red Bull were behind Ferrari pace-wise in China.
If the Scuderia languish behind Mercedes for any longer, they could find themselves glancing over their shoulders as Red Bull quickly return to their competitiveness of the 2014 season.
3. McLaren remain stuck in the midfield in China
After reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne managed to secure McLaren’s first point of the season in Bahrain, many expected much of the same from the Woking-based outfit in China.
As it transpired both Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button suffered a frustrating weekend around the Shanghai International Circuit, with the duo once again failing to rise McLaren into the top ten shootout during qualifying.
Since Honda’s return to the sport as their engine supplier, McLaren have yet to progress into the top ten shootout in qualifying, resulting in a heavily frustrated Alonso during qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix when a late red flag in Q2 meant he would be unable to have another flying lap.
During the race Alonso and Button could only manage 12th and 13th respectively, with Button ending the race as the last driver on the lead lap.
Afterwards the 2009 champion admitted that the team’s strategy might have been the wrong choice, after they elected to pit him for the option tyres during the latter stages of the race.
Regardless of McLaren’s woes in China, points for both Alonso and Button are imperative in Russia and Spain, particularly due to the slightly embarrassing fact that the team’s only point so far this season has come from a reserve driver during his debut race.
4. Haas brought back down to earth with a bump
Haas started the 2016 season in fine form, with Romain Grosjean scoring points at both the Australian and Bahrain Grands Prix for the new outfit.
Heading into the Chinese Grand Prix weekend the American team sat fifth in the constructors’ championship, ahead of the likes of Toro Rosso, Force India and McLaren.
However Haas endured an uncompetitive race weekend in China, with no points scored by their drivers.
Grosjean in particular suffered a highly frustrating weeked, qualifying 14th and eventually finishing in 19th position, behind his team-mate and even the Manor of Pascal Wehrlein.
At the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix Grosjean was full of admiration for his team, calling his result “unbelievable”, whereas during the Chinese Grand Prix he pleaded with the team to retire his car after a race to forget.
Whilst Grosjean struggled greatly, team-mate Esteban Gutierrez finally reached the chequered flag for the first time this season in 14th position, ahead of both Renaults and Saubers.
Haas will naturally be aiming to bounce back in Russia with another competitive race weekend, however there’s no denying that the Chinese Grand Prix was a case of the rookie outfit returning back down to earth with a bump after their fairytale start to the season in Australia and Bahrain.
5. Fears for Sauber and Renault amid strong pace from Manor
So far this season Renault, Sauber and Manor are the only three teams yet to score a point, and therefore the trio sit at the bottom of the constructors’ championship.
Despite this there is no denying that Manor has been the most impressive of the three teams so far, with their drivers once again displaying a strong raw pace towards the back of the pack.
During the Chinese Grand Prix Wehrlein in particular managed to finish ahead of both Grosjean, Nasr, team-mate Haryanto and Palmer, whilst Haryanto somewhat surprisingly managed to keep ahead of Palmer in the Renault.
Whilst Renault are remaining cool despite their lack of points so far this season and lack of pace in Shanghai, there’s no denying that the pressure is well and truly on Sauber to bag some vital points in the next few races.
It’s no secret that Sauber are struggling financially, and if Manor or Renault were to score points before them it would certainly make their chances of finishing above them in the constructors’ championship that little bit more difficult.
With rumours regarding Sauber and a potential takeover by Alfa Romeo, the next few races could prove pivotal in the future of the Swiss outfit.
However, team boss Monisha Kaltenborn has insisted that Sauber will not miss any races this season due to financial strife and has confirmed that the outfit are currently in talks with a potential partner.
Admittedly we are still in the early stages of the season and none of the aforementioned teams have any points just yet, but whoever manages to score points first will certainly gain the initial advantage.
On paper you would think Renault would be first to score points, but after the Chinese Grand Prix weekend Manor could well spring a surprise, especially at somewhere like Monaco where the rate of attrition is high.
For Sauber, points are an absolute must if they wish to alleviate their financial woes.
