[Griever20]

Chinese GP GP: Race Ticker
motorsport-live.com

April 23rd, 2017

Welcome to the grid for the Chinese GP here in Bejing on the Bejing International Circuit. This has all ingredients for a cracker and a surprise result. Weather reports are all over the place, via BBC's pit lane reporter Lee McKenzie, and tyre choice could be the key. It is raining 15 miles west of the track and there are dark clouds on the horizon... and we have a interesting grid.

Steinmann, Rossini, Van Dort, Rossini and a Lotus on top of the grid...

Lap 1:
The tyre blankets come off... AND LOOK AT THAT. Margate, Oliveira AND Woodford on the intermediate compound... it is drizzling a bit, but that much... most front runners on the soft compound...

The red lights are on... one.. two... three... four... five...

AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO!

CHAPMAN WITH A GOOD START, BUT HE HAS TO MOVE TO BLOCK THE RED CAR OF RODRIGUES... SAARINEN GETS SQUEEZED ON THE OUTSIDE AND HOLTZ GOES PAST WEXLER... AND VIDAL GOES DOWN THE INSIDE AND IS UP INTO P2.

And the Lotus has the best run out of turn three and is side by side with Chapman into four... AND HE IS AHEAD... BUT CHAPMAN HAS THE INSIDE LINE INTO THE NEXT CORNER... AND STAYS IN THE LEAD! WHAT A FIRST LAP!

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +2.3 3. Rodrigues +4.0
Woodford P20 +7.7

Lap 2:
It starts to rain a bit more, but not yet wet enough as the intermediate runners are on the last places...

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +0.7 3. Rodrigues +1.5
Woodford P20 +16.1

Lap 3:
"Push like an animal, burn through the tyres, it is intermediates soon," shouts Lotus race engineer Stuart Yarnham. His driver is in P2 and doing well.

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +4.1 3. Rodrigues +6.5
Woodford P18 +22.6

Lap 4:
The first runners come in for inters, but the leaders don't blink yet... Holtz and Rodrigues fighting for 3rd place... and Holtz makes an nearly impossible braking move into turn 10... and is through!

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +8.5 3. Holtz +12.1
Woodford P15 +33.5

Lap 5:
More pit stops...

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +9.7 3. Wexler +13.4
Woodford P11 +30.8

Lap 6:
VIDAL BLINKS FIRST AS THE INTERMEDIATE TYRES ARE THE ONES TO DRIVE... but the Steinmann and Rossini stay out, Panthers already in...

1. Chapman 2. Wexler +12.7 3. Holtz +16.1
Woodford P10 +27.7
Vidal P1 +28.0 PIT

Lap 7:
Chapman stays out again...

1. Chapman 2. Wexler +11.6 3. Holtz +17.8
Vidal P10 +26.9
Woodford P11 +27.2

Lap 8:
In they come... Wexler, Holtz and Chapman on the HARD TYRE, NOT THE INTERS!

1. Margate 2. Oliveira +1.9 3. Chapman +3.5
Vidal P4 +10.6
Woodford P7 +12.7

Lap 9:
"We expect dry conditions around lap 10," via Steinmann team radio! Margate leads on the intermediate tyre he started on!

1. Margate 2. Oliveira +2.5 3. Chapman +7.6
Vidal P4 +10.2
Woodford P15 +32.6 PIT

Lap 10:
And it is drying a bit, but still damp... will it rain again.

1. Margate 2. Chapman +4.4 3. Vidal +10.3
Woodford P16 +36.0

Lap 11:
"BOX, BOX, BOX," Margate comes in at the end of the lap as his inters took alot of pain in the first laps.
Chapman(hard tyre) 1:19.165
Vidal(intermediate tyre) 1:22.381

1. Margate 2. Chapman +2.4 3. Vidal +9.2
Woodford P17 +38.6

Lap 12:
"We expect heavy rain in two laps, conserve your tyres, Chapman is going to come towards us," via Vidal's team radio.
Vidal and De Graaf P2 and P3 on inters...

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +8.5 3. De Graaf +8.8
Woodford P17 +36.9

Lap 13:
"Tyres are marginal, I want inters," says Wexler in the Rossini.

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +10.8 3. De Graaf +11.5
Woodford P17 +37.8

Lap 14:
AND IT DOES START TO RAIN AGAIN!
Chapman(hard tyre) 1:21.473
Vidal(intermediate tyre) 1:20.643

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +10.0 3. De Graaf +13.7
Woodford P15 +41.5

Lap 15:
Vidal in the Lotus and De Graaf could be in for a podium if they continue to get their strategy right...
Chapman(hard tyre) 1:25.812
Vidal(intermediate tyre) 1:21.281

1. Chapman 2. Vidal +5.4 3. De Graaf +12.3
Woodford P12 +40.1

Lap 16:
AND THERE IT IS! VIDAL ON THE OUTSIDE OF A HELPLESS CHAPMAN... AND THE LOTUS DRIVER LEADS THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX!!!

1. Vidal 2. Chapman +1.8 3. De Graaf +8.4
Woodford P11 +34.7

Lap 17:
But he has to pit for fresh inters and so does De Graaf! Surikov, who went to change for inters after five laps leads, takes Chapman EASY on track and ... and Chapman stays out for another lap!

1. Surikov 2. Chapman +0.1 3. Vidal +4.9
Woodford P11 +23.6

Lap 18:
And he finally pits but will fall a long way back... Margate slithers into P2 and past Vidal, but his tyres are older...

1. Surikov 2. Margate +6.1 3. Vidal +10.0
Woodford P7 +24.9

Lap 19:
Vidal on fresher tyres is already 10 seconds ahead of Oliveira... this could become a CRAZY result... Surikov gets fresh inters...

1. Margate 2. Vidal +4.1 3. Oliveira +14.3
Woodford P5 +21.6

Lap 20:
1. Margate 2. Vidal +4.6 3. Oliveira +15.9
Woodford P5 +22.8

Lap 21:
1. Margate 2. Vidal +5.2 3. Oliveira +17.8
Woodford P16 +46.4 PIT

Lap 22:
Rain intensifies... but not wet enough for the full wets...

1. Margate 2. Vidal +3.7 3. De Graaf +19.7
Woodford P16 +49.4

Lap 23:
1. Margate 2. Vidal +3.2 3. De Graaf +20.3
Woodford P16 +51.0

Lap 24:
1. Margate 2. Vidal +2.4 3. De Graaf +20.1
Woodford P15 +50.8

Lap 25:
"Look after those tyres Iker, we expect slick conditions around lap 30," says Lotus boss Dan Martinson... that could work... and alot of runners would have to put in an extra pit stop before that...

1. Margate 2. Vidal +1.9 3. De Graaf +19.5
Woodford P15 +50.5

Lap 26:
Margate pits... and comes out in P8 ON THE HARD TYRE! THAT IT BOLD BY Panther... or stupid...

1. Vidal 2. De Graaf +18.2 3. Surikov +18.9
Woodford P15 +48.0

Lap 27:
1. Vidal 2. De Graaf +19.4 3. Surikov +20.2
Woodford P14 +48.5

Lap 28:
Surikov with the better car takes P2... it will between him and Vidal for the race win if things don't go horribly wrong for them.

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +19.1 3. De Graaf +22.3
Woodford P11 +47.8

Lap 29:
De Graaf in and out on the hard compound and into P5, but is on pace for P3.

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +18.5 3. Schmidt +23.5
Woodford P10 +48.4

Lap 30:
It is slick territory now... and Vidal pits for the hard compound... AND STAYS AHEAD OF SCHMIDT AND DE GRAAF.

1. Surikov 2. Vidal +4.0 3. Schmidt +5.8
Woodford P7 +31.8

Lap 31:
1. Surikov 2. Vidal +3.2 3. Oliveira +22.4
Woodford P7 +32.5

Lap 32:
The gap is becoming smaller and smaller...

1. Surikov 2. Vidal +2.6 3. Oliveira +22.9
Woodford P15 +55.5 PIT

Lap 33:
The Panther pits... and with NINE LAPS TO GO, VIDAL HAS A 16.7 SECOND LEAD ON HIS FINAL SET OF TYRES!

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +16.7 3. Oliveira +22.6
Woodford P15 +57.1

Lap 34:
1. Vidal 2. Surikov +18.9 3. De Graaf +28.7
Woodford P14 +60.2

Lap 35:
Vidal with a mistake in turn eight... and Surikov is flying towards him...

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +15.1 3. De Graaf +29.1
Woodford P14 +58.9

Lap 36:
Nina Holtz goes past De Graaf for P3, but can she make the tyres last?

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +13.6 3. Holtz +29.3
Woodford P14 +60.3

Lap 37:
1. Vidal 2. Surikov +12.3 3. Holtz +29.2
Woodford P14 +61.7

Lap 38:
"What is the gap," asks Vidal... Answer: "Gap is fine, just keep doing what you are doing."

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +12.0 3. Holtz +29.5
Woodford P14 +63.9

Lap 39:
"Nikolai, we must save fuel, default mode 0-3."

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +15.6 3. Holtz +30.4
Woodford P15 +67.8

Lap 40:
Holtz in for a fresh set of soft tyres, that will cost her alot. De Graaf in the Espirit in for a sensational podium... but he has a angry Dieter Wexler homing in on his ***

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +16.0 3. De Graaf +39.7
Woodford P15 +68.4

Lap 41:
The Rossini is all over his gearbox...

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +15.1 3. De Graaf +39.2
Woodford P15 +69.9

Final Lap:
AND IT IS DONE! IT HAS HAPPENED! IKER VIDAL IN THE BLACK AND GOLD JOHN PLAYER REMINISCENT LOTUS RACING CAR WINS THE CHINESE GP WITH A SENSATIONAL DRIVE AND SENSATIONAL STRATEGY!

Surikov tried to catch him on the medium tyre, but failed, and Rick De Graaf fought like a lion and kept third place! WHAT A RACE!

1. Vidal 2. Surikov +13.8 3. De Graaf +40.6
Woodford P15 +71.7