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Audi has won the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a stylish 1-2 finish at the Six Hours of Silverstone

The #2 R18 e-tron Quattro shared by Allan McNish, Loic Duval and Tom Kristensen took the lead of the WEC season opener from the #1 Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer car with five minutes remaining in an event characterised by mixed conditions.

The No. 2 Audi at the Six Hours of Silverstone (Photo: Audi)

Despite opening the season in style, the event was not entirely drama free for the reigning champions, with the #1 car suffering from an energy-retrieval system problem during Lotterer's stint and the sister car spinning in the hands of McNish, whilst the Scot tried to avoid a wayward Aston Martin in the race's closing stages.

The Toyotas of Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin and Wurz/LaPierre, despite starting in first and second positions on the grid, finished in third and fourth and a lap down after completing a total of 196 laps.

The Japanese manufacturer was expected to continue where last season ended, with the quickest and most tyre efficient car. However, it seems the decision to start with a 2012 car may have been short sighted, as the two TS030 HYBRID cars could not keep pace with the 2013 Audi, as some ten minutes into the race, the McNish/Duval/Kristensen car had easily taken the lead of the race after they suffered with tyre issues.

The LMP1 category was rounded out with the two Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota B12/60s finishing in fifth and sixth, the Heidfeld/Prost/Jani car heading the sister Belicci/Becchi/Cheng machine home.

Antonio Pizzonia, Tor Graves and James Walker claimed victory in LMP2 for Delta-ADR ORECA-Nissan ahead of the OAK Morgan Nissan of Olivier Pla, Alex Brundle and David Heinemeier Hansson.

Aston Martin claimed victory in the GT Pro class, with the #97 Vantage GTE of Stefan Mucke, Darren Turner and endurance returnee Bruno Senna winning ahead of the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Toni Vilander and series debutante, ex Sauber F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi.

The second Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana, Frederic Makowiecki and Pedro Lamy completed the final step of the podium in third.

It was also a good day for the British marque in the GT Am division, with Cristoffer Nygaard, Kristen Poulsen and Allan Simonsen claiming victory ahead of the Larbre Corvette of Patrick Bornhauser, Julien Canal and Fernando Rees on the company's 100th year of competition.

Fernando Alonso claimed his and Ferrari's first win of the 2013 season ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in a strategy dictated Chinese Grand Prix.

The three former world champions started the race on soft compound tyres which despite their short shelf life, proved a vindicated decision as Sebastian Vettel could only manage fourth, albeit 0.2 second from the back of Hamilton's Mercedes come the race finish.

Lewis Hamilton leads, but not for long (Photo: WRi2)

The race's start was characterized by the difference between the hard and soft compound tyres; the assumption being that those starting on softs would have a pace advantage of around four to six laps, but then would have to drop back in traffic, whilst those starting on mediums would benefit earlier but hit tyre troubles later.

The race began with fast starts made by the Ferraris of Massa and Alonso, which by the first corner, had swamped Raikkonen's slow starting Lotus and were up into second and third. By lap five, the two red cars had overtaken Hamilton's Mercedes on the pit straight.

Alonso's pit stop was perfectly timed (Photo: WRi2)

The difference in strategies became visible when Alonso pitted early and switched to medium tyres to slice through traffic and eventually catch first place Vettel - who had left his pit stop five later than the Ferrari - in the middle stage of the race.

The current world champion saved his soft tyres until the final five laps of the race, which allowed him at one stage to close on Hamilton at three seconds a lap, putting him into contention for the second spot on the podium given the Lotus and the Mercedes were on older medium tyres.

Nico Hulkenberg led prior to his first pit stop (Photo: WRi2)

Jenson Button finished fifth after a strong two-stop race, one place ahead of Felipe Massa, who will no doubt be disappointed with sixth place given his teammate's win and promising pace shown earlier in the weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo confirmed Toro Rosso's progress by finishing seventh ahead of Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean who had yet another quiet but solid weekend. Nico Hulkenberg finished in a 10th behind the wheel of the Sauber after having run the same strategy as Vettel and even leading the race ahead of the Red Bull at one stage.

Mark Webber's troubled weekend continued after he registered his first DNF of the season following a torrid qualifying. The Australian failed to finish following a tangle with Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso which forced him into making an extra pit stop after he had pitted at the end of the first lap to switch to mediums.

The right rear wheel of the shortly Red Bull fell off which forced the Australian to retire.

The other high profile retirements of the race were Nico Rosberg with suspension problems and Esteban Gutierrez after ramming his Sauber into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India.

The race was also not without controversy with many drivers facing possible post-race sanctions due to overtaking under yellow flags; according to Autosport, the misunderstanding was caused by a paddock-wide telemetry issue.

Kimi Raikkonen left some paint on the side of Perez's McLaren trying to pass the Mexican (Photo: WRi2)

Sergio Perez was also the subject of discussion with the young Mexican being accused of weaving whilst rivals attempted to overtake the McLaren. His race was earmarked by contact with Kimi Raikkonen which saw the Lotus lose a section of its nosecone.



Race results* - Chinese Grand Prix
1 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 56 laps 1.36'26"945
2 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 10"168
3 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W04) - 12"322
4 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 12"525
5 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 35"285
6 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 40"827
7 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 42"691
8 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 51"084
9 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 53"423
10 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 56"598
11 - Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'03"860
12 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'12"604
13 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'33"861
14 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'35"453
15 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1 lap
16 - Charles Pic (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1 lap
17 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1 lap
18 - Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1 lap

Fastest lap of the race: 1'36"808 (Sebastian Vettel)

Retirements
Lap 4 - Esteban Gutierrez
Lap 5 - Adrian Sutil
Lap 15 - Mark Webber
Lap 21 - Nico Rosberg

Drivers' championship
1.Vettel 52; 2.Raikkonen 49; 3.Alonso 43; 4.Hamilton 40; 5.Massa 30; 6.Webber 26; 7.Button, Rosberg 12; 9.Grosjean 11; 10.Di Resta 8; 11.Ricciardo, Sutil 6; 13.Hulkenberg 5; 14.Perez 2; 15.Vergne 1.

Constructors' championship
1.Red Bull-Renault 78; 2.Ferrari 73; 3.Lotus-Renault 60; 4.Mercedes 52; 5.Force India-Mercedes, McLaren-Mercedes 14; 7.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7; 8.Sauber-Ferrari 5

*Unofficial

Top three finishers (Photo: WRi2)

Adapted from GMM

Toto Wolff has played down suggestions Ross Brawn is definitely set to leave Mercedes.

Earlier, Wolff - the Brackley based team's new director and shareholder - hinted Brawn's future is clouded, having been informed of Mercedes' interest in securing the services of McLaren's Paddy Lowe.

"Ross responded totally professionally and said 'For three years I have not brought the results that were expected. Therefore it is clear that you would look around for a successor'," Wolff told Die Welt newspaper.

The wind has changed for Mercedes in 2013 (Photo: WRi2)

But that was before Lewis Hamilton secured pole in Shanghai and then subsequently finished third in the race, raising the question that if Mercedes is capable of getting the job done, why would the man at the helm be sacked?

Wolff is quoted by Speed Week: "As Ross always says -- performance is everything.

"It is how success is measured.

"Even if the media has run up and down the paddock saying Paddy Lowe is coming, it is true we wanted to think about the management in a rational way.

"Currently, it's running fine," said Wolff.

"What happens with Lowe does not mean that Ross will be leaving us," he added.

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has hinted moving to Red Bull could be an option for 2014.

Rumours are swirling in the Shanghai paddock that the Finn, who is Sebastian Vettel's closest friend in F1, has been earmarked as the successor to Mark Webber.

"There is so much talk that I've agreed a contract for next season," Raikkonen exclaimed to Germany's Bild am Sonntag.

"First I'm trying my best at Lotus, then I'll think about my future.

"It is of course flattering, what Red Bull have said, but why is there all this talk if there is nothing (signed) on paper?" the 2007 world champion added.

The answer, of course, is that given Red Bull's obvious interest, Raikkonen's move would make sense.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

He would work harmoniously with Vettel, and it would also be a good next move for the 33-year-old, who won 19 grands prix for McLaren and Ferrari before taking a two-year sabbatical in world rallying after the 2009 season.

"About the future, I am clear," Raikkonen said.  "I want to work with a good team and sit in a good car.

"Red Bull is a good team, they have been world champions and won everything in the past years.

"Basically, there are not many top teams to think about.  With Lotus, we are not yet where Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are."

Speaking against the move, however, are equally-heard rumours in the paddock that Raikkonen is no longer serious about his trade: that he only returned to F1 for the money.

"Do you really think I would be here if it was just about money?" Raikkonen hit back.  "I do enough fun things in my spare time than to have to listen to this bullshit.

"And I'm not exactly broke," he added.

Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen has blamed McLaren's Sergio Perez for forcing him off the track during the Chinese Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver had been robust in his race-craft to the point of weaving in the race's earlier stages, but until the incident with Raikkonen, the young Mexican had not made any actual contact with any of his rivals.

As Raikkonen finished the first of his three pit-stops, the Lotus came up against the two stopping McLaren in turn five and attempted to make a pass in the following corner.

However, Perez defended the position and sent the Lotus onto the grass, damaging its nosecone.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

"I got a better run out of corner three and thought he would leave me enough space but he pushed me off the circuit," said Raikkonen after the race.

"I tried to avoid him but then was on the grass and kerb. [It] the kerb saved me as I had grip. I couldn't slow down and hit him in the rear," he continued. "I don't know if he could see me or how it happened. [But] there was no way for me to avoid it.”

Raikkonen also admitted after that whilst he suffered increased understeer due to incident, he expected the damage to be heavier considering how hard he hit the McLaren.

"I was surprised there was not much damage as I hit him quite hard," conceded the 2007 world champion.

"I was also a bit surprised that we didn't have more problems, just a bit too much understeer and destroying the front tyres because of that."

From GMM

F1's tire situation will change after this weekend's Bahrain grand prix.

Pirelli's heavily degrading 2013 product is dominating the sport at present, to the point that - according to Mark Webber - it is "a bit WWF".

That is a reference to the American 'fake' professional wrestling federation, with that sport taking a back seat to choreography and elaborate plots.

"At the moment it (F1) is not much to do with racing," reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel was quoted on Sunday by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Like Red Bull, Mercedes has also been pushing Pirelli hard for a change of tack.

"Pirelli has a plan," team chairman and shareholder Niki Lauda said on German RTL television in China.

It is believed new harder compounds that last longer will be brought to May's Spanish grand prix, the first European race of the season.

"I can break the good news that the situation will change from Barcelona.  Then it will get better," said Lauda.

He said the decision has been made for the good of the sport.

"It's just that there is so much confusion," said the triple world champion.  "The tires need to last longer."

Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone reportedly told British Sky television on Sunday that - also from Barcelona - Pirelli will supply more tires to teams for Fridays, to ensure more action than has been seen in practice so far in 2013.

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier has claimed his third consecutive WRC victory by almost a minute on the Rally of Portugal ahead of Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen and teammate Jari-Matti Latvala.

The Frenchman entered the third and final day of the event with a 34.4 second advantage over Latvala, but a slipping clutch on his car and a driveshaft issue on the Finn's Polo R WRC which led to a loss of four wheel drive, almost halted VW's charge on SS12.

Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen looked set to benefit from the problems suffered by the VWs, with the Finn taking 30 seconds out of Ogier on the Silves stage and moving ahead of Latvala by almost four minutes.

However, some roadside fixes by Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia saw the championship leaders extend their advantage to 49.9s at the mid-point service, by finishing second on the mammoth 52.3 kilometre SS13. Despite Ogier being unwell and driving with his “fingers crossed”, he also set the fastest time on the day's final stage. By the end of the event, the Frenchman's lead was 58 seconds.

M-Sport's Mads Ostberg, who made a storming recovery to eighth after re-entering the event, completed a hat-trick of victories on the morning's stages, SS12-14, with the Norwegian underlying what might have been had he not had his rally ending accident on Friday.

The sister M-Sport run car of Evgeny Novikov finished fourth, ahead of teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah and VW rookie Andreas Mikkelsen. Czech privateer Martin Prokop finished seventh, ahead of Ostberg, the works Citroen DS3 WRC of Khalid Al-Qassimi and WRC 2's Esapekka Lappi who rounded out the points scoring positions.

Ogier's latest victory means he has a 58-point advantage over Hirvonen in the championship standings.

Sébastien Ogier, Portugal (Photo: VW Motorsport)

Results - Rally of Portugal
1. Ogier-Ingrassia (VW Polo Wrc) in 4.07'38”7
2. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) - 58”2
3. Latvala-Anttila (VW Polo Wrc) - 4'04”5
4. Novikov-Minor (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 5'27”7
5. Al Attiyah-Bernacchini (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 7'43”5
6. Mikkelsen-Markkula (VW Polo Wrc) - 9'39”8
7. Prokop-Ernst (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 15'04”2
8. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 15'04”2
9. Al Qassimi-Martin (Citroen DS3 Wrc) - 15'56”9
10. Lappi-Ferm (Skoda Fabia S2000) - 16'21"0

Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez has taken full responsibility for the accident which saw him and Adrian Sutil retire from the Chinese Grand Prix.

The young Mexican ploughed into the back of Sutil's Force India on lap five after outbraking himself and not anticipating the lack of downforce that followed. Whilst the Force India retired in the pits a handful of corners later due to an excessively damaged rear wing, the Sauber retired on the spot.

"It was definitely my fault, and I apologize to Adrian and to his team," said Gutierrez after the race.

"I had Checo [Perez] fighting behind me, and I approached the corner too fast," he continued.

"I was braking at the same place where I usually brake, however, I didn't anticipate the loss of downforce and the amount of speed I had."

The incident will see Gutierrez take a five-place grid penalty in next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

You'd think that after seven weekend NASCAR sweeps Kyle Busch wouldn't be very excited and you'd be wrong.

After leading much of the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Busch - who won the Nationwide race on Friday - fell behind a determined Martin Truex Jr. then came a final caution, for debris, on lap 315.

As pole sitter, Busch's team had picked the first pit stall and also performed a blazing fast pit stop. The result? He came out of the pits three car lengths ahead of Truex Jr.'s Toyota. Busch beat Truex on the final restart and held him off for the final 20 laps. It was his second win of the year and 26th in Sprint Cup.

That seventh sweep is a NASCAR record.

Kyle Busch put on a real show in Texas (Photo: Kyle Busch@Facebook)

“It's just an amazing feeling,” Busch said adding “I'm jacked up. We're in Victory Lane, in Texas, finally in the Cup Series. Man, if it wasn't for my pit crew.”

As Truex, who was in a 209 race winless slump said “the race was over when we came out of the pits.” Later he added “second is a great accomplishment, but it's not what we're here for.”

Carl Edwards finished third in a Ford said “the tail pipe, something broke or cracked in the tail pipes and I thought the engine was blowing up, the whole race, that got worse.  On one of the restarts I tightened my belts and I unhooked my whole seat belt system coming to green.”

“Unfortunately, we came home third, but that's a gift for us.  I know Martin's not happy with second, but I'm real happy with third.” Greg Biffle finished fourth.

Kurt Busch who started second finished 37th and well off the pace.

NASCAR's Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski was furious about the way his team was treated this weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Both Penske cars failed a pre-race inspection for improper rear end settings. Both Keselowski's No. 2 and Joey Logano No. 22 had to replace the rear axle causing them to get to the starting grid late.

Even though Logano finished fifth and Keselowski finished ninth, Keselowski the reigning Cup champion was fuming:

“I have one good thing to thing to say and that was my team and the effort they put in today in fighting back with the absolute (expletive) that's been the last seven days in this garage area,” Keselowski said.

“The things I've seen over the last seven days have me questioning everything I believe in. I'm not happy about it. I don't have anything positive to say and I probably should just leave it at that.

“There's so much stuff going on you guys have no idea, you have no (expletive) idea what's going on. That's not your fault. I can tell you there's no team in this garage with the integrity of the No. 2 team. And the way we've been treated over the last seven days is absolutely shameful.

“I feel like we've been targeted over the last seven days more than I've seen a team targeted in my life.”

After the race, won by Kyle Busch, NASCAR announced that Truex's car failed inspection - too low. And that Keselowski's Ford was being taken back to its' Concord, N.C. R&D Center as the “random” car for inspection.

India's annual car sales fell for the first time in a decade in the financial year just ended and are expected to post subdued growth this year, calling into question bullish expectations that fueled billion-dollar bets from global manufacturers.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: The 2013 Santa Fe Sport 2.0T is an attractive value with enticing design and a comfortable interior.

What is it?

Daimler's effort to reclaim the crown of world's largest luxury carmaker is looking a lot like the 1980s with the Mercedes CLA compact that harkens back to the 190 'Baby Benz' sedan.

Daimler's effort to reclaim the crown of world's largest luxury-car maker is looking a lot like the 1980s with the Mercedes CLA compact that harkens back to the 190 'Baby Benz' sedan.

2013 Fiat 500e First Drive

By Decree, an EV

The 2013 Fiat 500e is what’s called a compliance car—meaning that California requires any volume automaker doing business in the state to offer an electric model. This is Chrysler’s, and it will be sold only in California, although other states may be added later.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Fiat 500e First Drive - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Fiat 500e First Drive - Automobile Magazine

2013 Fiat 500e First Drive | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Price Range: $68,800 and up

Description: Taking the lid off Audi's popular touring-ready performance coupe, the S5, dials up driving pleasure significantly for 2013. This sleek two-door sets itself apart on the road with a chiseled, accented and wind-swept look that's accented by a prominent, chrome-slat grille, LED running lights and a tapered rear-end that terminates in a set of quad-pipe exhausts.

Photo: Audi

When drivers and up to three additional occupants wish to get a better listen to the exotic howl from those tailpipes, the S5 Cabriolet's roof can be dispatched into its storage hold in a matter of seconds, and at the touch of a button.

On board, look for aluminum and leather touches, as well as a dynamic and engaging atmosphere, to set the scene for drop-top thrills.

Drivetrain: All 2013 Audi S5 Cabriolet models get a 3.0L all-aluminum V6 engine that delivers 333 horsepower thanks to an integrated “mechanical charger,” which us North Americans call a supercharger. This compressor is integrated with the engine's intake manifold and driven by an accessory belt. Like a turbocharger, it blasts the engine full of compressed air and additional fuel at full throttle for a performance increase. Unlike a turbocharger, a supercharger acts with no lag, meaning performance is seamless.

An S-Tronic 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is fitted to all models, as is Quattro AWD technology. Drivers can expect 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds.

Consider it if: a multifunction performance touring convertible is a priority. The 2013 Audi S5 is well suited for year-round use, with its drop-top increasing warm-weather enjoyment, and its extensive cold-weather testing and Quattro making quick work of winter driving. Family-ready cruising comes by way of the four-seat interior and decent-size trunk.

Skip it if: you want a manual transmission, as one isn't available here. Additionally, with a starting price approaching $70,000, the 2013 Audi S5 Cabriolet is in the same pricing territory as a number of other performance machines that offer more all-out firepower for the money.

Photo: Audi

Other Notes: Feature content includes climate-controlled seats, including a solar-heat reflecting Milano leather that ensures occupants are treated to a cool seat when they board the 2013 Audi S5. The Audi Quattro Sport Differential is also available to dial up performance and at-the-limit precision handling. Navigation, HD Radio and a Bang & Olufsen stereo system are available, too. Other must-haves include push-button start, automatic climate control, and adaptive xenon headlamps.

Don't Miss: the array of fuel-saving technologies and engineering efforts that seek to deliver top-of-class mileage. Working with the supercharger's on-demand power boost, direct injection technology helps extract the most energy possible from every molecule of fuel meaning the engine requires less of it to get the job done.

An aluminum frame and all-aluminum engine help keep the 2013 Audi S5's weight down, while the 7-speed transmission enables lower cruising revs for better highway range.

Red Bull's Mark Webber will start from the back of the grid following the fuel pump issue which eliminated him from Q2.

Despite seeming to have had a clear speed advantage over teammate Vettel during the free practice and Q1 sessions, the issue forced the Australian to park his Red Bull during Q2 and saw him originally line up 14th for tomorrow's race.

However, the team conceded in a statement from the stewards that the car did not have enough fuel on board to provide the mandatory post-qualifying fuel sample and saw Webber have his qualifying times deleted.

“Only 150ml of fuel was on board which was insufficient to provide the one-litre sample and drive the car back to the pits under its own power."

The same problem also befell teammate Vettel in the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner conceded that the situation was ‘disappointing' following the steward's decision, but remained confident in Webber's ability to fight his way back through the field.

“It's disappointing to have an issue but these things happen - we've seen it with other teams as well.” he said. “[But] the most important thing is to understand what has happened.”

“The good thing about the race here is that, particularly with the strategies, it is open and Mark's demonstrated the year before last he can come from a lowly grid position and still be right up there by the end of the race."

Lewis Hamilton has made history by claiming an ‘incredible' first pole position as a Mercedes driver at the Chinese Grand Prix by 0.277 seconds from Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

The top 3 men in qualifying (Photo: WRi2)

Despite finishing behind the Ferraris in free practice three, Hamilton became the first British driver since Sterling Moss in 1955 to claim pole for the Silver Arrows in a qualifying session that was characterised by tactics.

Many drivers elected not to take to the circuit - or not set a time/fastest lap at all - until there were just three minutes of the session remaining in order to be able to start the race on medium tires; those who set a fastest lap will have to start on the softer Pirelli compound which has an expected life of around four laps.

Fernando Alonso will have to start on the soft compound (Photo: WRi2)

Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel fell into the tyre conservation category, with the world champion not setting a competitive lap and the McLaren driver coming across the line some 31 seconds slower than Hamilton's time.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB9 (Photo: WRi2)

They will line up in eighth and ninth, with Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg - another driver who failed to set a time - in tenth, and behind Daniel Ricciardo's much improved Toro Rosso in seventh. The group in front of the Australian will be headed by Nico Rosberg in fourth, Felipe Massa in fifth and Romain Grosjean in sixth.

Mark Webber, who was enjoying a clear speed advantage over his teammate in the practice and first qualifying sessions, ended the session in 14th after a fuel pump issue saw him step out of the car in Q2.

Other high profile scalps included the second McLaren of Sergio Perez in Q2 who lines up 12th between the Force Indias. Q3 saw Valtteri Bottas' Williams and Esteban Gutierrez's Sauber line up with the Marussias and Caterhams in 17th and 18th.

At the bottom of the grid, Marussia's Jules Bianchi once again leads that group in 19th, clearly ahead of teammate Chilton and the two Caterhams of Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde in 21st and 22nd.

Unfortunately, that track marshall missed some of the action (Photo: WRi2)

Qualifying results* - Chinese Grand Prix
1.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W04) - 1'34"484 - Q3
2.Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'34"761 - Q3
3.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 1'34"788 - Q3
4.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W04) - 1'34"861 - Q3
5.Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 1'34"933 - Q3
6.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'35"364 - Q3
7.Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'35"998 - Q3
8.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 2'05"673 - Q3
9.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - no time - Q3
10.Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - no time - Q3
11.Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'36"287 - Q2
12.Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'36"314 - Q2
13.Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'36"405 - Q2
14.Mark Webber (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'36"679 - Q2
15.Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'37"139 - Q2
16.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'37"199 - Q2
17.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'37"769 - Q1
18.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'37"990 - Q1
19.Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'38"780 - Q1
20.Max Chilton (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'39"537 - Q1
21.Charles Pic (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'39"614 - Q1
22.Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'39"660 - Q1

*Unofficial

Kimi Räikkönen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Niki Lauda has backed Sebastian Vettel, after the reigning world champion laid bare his ruthlessness in the wake of the 'Multi-21' team orders affair.

Initially apologetic and sheepish, the Red Bull driver had almost three weeks to consider the matter and let rip in the days before the Chinese grand prix.

Vettel said he didn't obey the team order because teammate Mark Webber didn't deserve to win, also insisting that if he could live the fateful moment again, he would probably do just the same.

He even hinted the move was indirect payback for Webber's past indiscretions.

Mercedes team official Lauda, the plain speaking F1 legend and like Vettel a triple world champion, backed the 25-year-old's stance. Asked about Vettel's verbal attack in Shanghai, Lauda told RTL: "There is not much to say.

"Sebastian just said the thing he needs to do to be a world champion, and well.  Now everyone knows exactly what it is."

Sebastian Vettel pulled a fast one on Mark Webber in Malaysia (Photo: WRi2)

Lauda insisted Vettel's tattered relationship with Webber is not even a side-issue.

"It doesn't matter," he said.  "Sebastian made a clear statement, and I would do the same."

Told, however, that harmony within a F1 team must be a crucial issue, Lauda persisted: "Who cares about peace?  You have to win.