Chinese Grand Prix 2018 — Weekend Preview

Round 3 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Shanghai, China. Chinese Grand Prix — The Circuit of Sustained Battles. Sebastian Vettel leads the championship with 50 points, 17 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Driver Championship (entering R3):
P1: Sebastian Vettel — 50 pts (2W, 2P)
P2: Lewis Hamilton — 33 pts (0W, 2P)
P3: Valtteri Bottas — 22 pts (0W, 1P)
P4: Fernando Alonso — 16 pts (0W, 0P)
P5: Kimi Räikkönen — 15 pts (0W, 1P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Ferrari — 65 pts
P2: Mercedes — 55 pts
P3: McLaren — 22 pts
P4: Red Bull Racing — 20 pts
P5: Renault — 15 pts

Shanghai is a balanced challenge.

Recent winners at Shanghai:
- 2026: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- 2025: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 2024: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2019: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2018: Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)

5 different winners in the last 5 years — no driver has dominated this circuit recently.

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Sebastian Vettel vs Lewis Hamilton — 17 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Valtteri Bottas (22) vs Fernando Alonso (16) — just 6 points apart.
P4 vs P5: Fernando Alonso (16) vs Kimi Räikkönen (15) — just 1 points apart.
P5 vs P6: Kimi Räikkönen (15) vs Nico Hulkenberg (14) — just 1 points apart.