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Chinese Grand Prix Preview

October 19, 2008
Shanghai International Circuit 
Shanghai, China

Race 16 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 56 
Track length: 3.27 miles 
Race length: 183.15 miles

Lap Record: Michael Schumacher, 1:32.238 (2004)


DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 48 (7th)

Two-time champion has struggled in return to Renault, but won 
the past two races at Singapore and Japan; prior to winning 
streak, had just three top fives all season - fourth places at 
the season opener at Australia, Hungary and Italy prior to 
win; retired in Spain and Canada and has a pair of sixth and 
eighth place finishes; had a tumultuous 2007 season with 
McLaren, but still managed to finish third overall; had the 
same points as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the 
tiebreaker for second place; won four times last season, but 
relationship with team and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari 
spy scandal affair and returned to Renault for 2008 season; 
won consecutive titles in 2005-06 with Renault; won six races 
in 2006 and seven in 2005; ran second at this race last 
season.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 84 (1st)

Ran 12th at Japan and leads Felipe Massa by five points atop the 
standings; finished second at the Grand Prix of Europe and won 
the British and German Grands Prix; was involved in a pit road 
incident with Kimi Raikkonen and retired from the Canadian Grand 
Prix; opened the season with a dominant win at Australia then 
ran fifth at Malaysia and 13th in Bahrain; bounced back to 
finish second at Turkey; had a stunning rookie season, scoring 
podiums in his first nine races; won four times and captured six 
poles to outperform more heralded former teammate Fernando 
Alonso; was the favorite to win the championship last year until 
errors in final two rounds dropped him to second place behind 
Raikkonen; retired from the race at China to give his teammate 
and Raikkonen the chance to steal the crown; won at Japan to 
open a 12-point lead over Alonso with two races left; made 
history at Canada where he became the first black driver to win 
a Formula One race; followed that victory in Canada by winning 
the United States Grand Prix. 


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 56 (5th)

Ran second to teammate Robert Kubica at Canada; finished 5.4 
seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at Australia and was 
runner-up to Hamilton in Britain; was sixth at Malaysia, fourth 
in Bahrain and Germany, and fifth in Turkey; finished ninth at 
Japan and remained fifth in the standings; was the best of the 
rest behind the Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after an 
impressively consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth overall; 
did not win last season as best race of the season was at Canada 
where he finished second; had consecutive fourth-place finishes 
at Italy and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened the year 
with three consecutive fourth place finishes at Australia, 
Malaysia and Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and the United 
States Grand Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 starts last 
year; finished seventh here last year.


Robert Kubica (Poland)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 72 (3rd)

Won his first race at Canada and took over the top spot in the
standings; win at Canada was made more impressive after he was 
injured in a scary crash at the same track a year ago; followed
win by running fifth in France; finished second at Japan and 
currently sits third in the standings, 12 points behind Lewis
Hamilton; finished sixth overall last year in his first full 
Formula One season; opened the season by retiring at Australia, 
but has finished in the top five in every race since, except 
for an 11th at Singapore; ran second at both Malaysia and 
Monaco; was third at Bahrain and fourth at both Spain and 
Turkey; retired from this race last year.


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 79 (2nd)

Picked up his fourth win of the season at the Grand Prix of 
Europe then ran sixth at Italy to move within a point of leader 
Lewis Hamilton; followed that up with a pit road mishap at
Singapore and finished 13th; after finishing seventh at Japan,
sits five points behind Hamilton with two races left; rebounded 
from an awful start to the season by winning at Bahrain and 
Turkey; completed only 29 laps before retiring at Australia with 
engine issues; also retired at Malaysia by spinning out early; 
posted three wins and six poles last season, but reliability 
issues and a disqualification in Canada put him out of title 
contention and he wound up fourth; contract with Ferrari runs 
until 2010; retired from the Italian Grand Prix with suspension 
problems, dropping to fourth place in the standings; last year 
bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary by winning in 
Turkey; had 11 top five finishes in 17 starts last season; ran
third here last year.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 63 (4th)

Retired from the Grand Prix of Europe with engine issues and ran
ninth at Italy, falling to fourth in the standings; remained 
there after running third at Japan; retired at Canada after a 
pit road incident with Lewis Hamilton, then finished second at 
France, fourth in Great Britain and sixth at Germany; opened 
defense of his title by running eighth at Australia, completing 
just 53 laps before having engine problems; bounced back to win 
at Malaysia, ran second at Bahrain and third in Turkey; won 
first appearance for Ferrari in Australia last season then went 
on to win five more times; biggest win came at the season-ending 
event at Brazil, which gave him his first drivers title by a 
single point over Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points 
entering final race; had 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts last 
season; joined Ferrari after spending five years with McLaren 
where he went winless in 2006; won this race last season.

2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari 
 2. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes 
 3. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari
 4. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, STR-Ferrari 
 5. Jenson Button, Great Britain, BAR-Honda 
 6. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italy, STR-Ferrari  
 7. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-BMW 
 8. David Coulthard, Great Britain, Red Bull-Renault  
 9. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault 
10. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull-Renault

Past Champions
--------------
2007  Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 
2006  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2005  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004  Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari