Drivers an Team Standings

In case you had forgotten just where everyone was in the Championship, here is a little reminder.

1. Sebastian Vettel 68
2. Lewis Hamilton 47
3. Jenson Button 38
4. Mark Webber 37
5. Fernando Alonso 26
6. Felipe Massa 24
7. Vitaly Petrov 17
8. Nick Heidfeld 15

And the teams

1. Red Bull 105
2. McLaren 85
3. Ferrari 50
4. Renault 32
5. Mercedes 16

Next Race: Istanbul, Turkey. 8th May 2011

Robert Kubica Recovering Well

Renault driver Robert Kubica says he will be leaving the hospital in Italy where he has been recovering from serious injuries incurred during a major rally crash in February.

Kubica suffered fractures to his right arm and leg and a partially severed right hand following the crash. There were initial fears that he would face amputation and never race again.

"I will leave hospital very soon," says the young Polish driver, "I don't have a precise date but I hope within 10 days. I am starting to feel a lot better. My strength and weight are increasing."

Veteran German diver Nick Heidfeld is currently standing in for Kubica at Renault, but the injuries he is recovering from could still prevent his return to the sport.

Perhaps on of the hardest things that the driver has had to deal with are just how well his team are doing: 32 team points on the table and two podiums in three races. His team mate Vitaly Petrov, the young Russian driver has, despite a few hiccups (including an airborne incident in Malaysia) is doing well in his second year of Formula 1. In Australia, just a few weeks ago, he became the first Russian to ever obtain a podium in the high speed sport.

The Chinese Grand Prix

Race Statistics:

Laps: 56

Length of Circuit: 5.451 km (3.387 miles)

Length of Race: 305.066 km (189.559 miles)

Age: 7 years (first held in 2004)

Most Driver Wins: N/A

Most Constructor Wins: Ferrari (3)

2010 Statistics:

Pole:

Sebastian Vettel (RBR) 1:34:558

Podium:

1, Jenson Button (McLaren) 1h 46m 42.163s

2, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) +1.540s

3, Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) +9.484s

Fastest Lap:

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1:42:071

The race features the longest straight in the calendar, which means that the KERS and DRS will come into play a lot in the 2011 season. It promises to be a good race!

2011:

Pole: Sebastian Vettel

2nd: Jenson Button

3rd: Lewis Hamilton

Read more about qualifying here