Exciting Chinese weekend

The Renault F1 Team and McLaren go head to head in the constructors’ title… while Montoya and Schumacher will fight it out for P3 in the drivers’ race this weekend.Renault is only 2 points ahead in the Constructors' Championship, so the last race will determine wich team gets the honours.

The 2005 F1 season comes to a close this weekend in Shanghai. The Chinese GP, coming just one week after Japan, marks the curtain call for the longest season in the sport’s history, at 19 races.

In spite of the extended season, there is still plenty to play for as the season goes into the home straight. The manufacturers’ battle is going down to the wire, with Renault and McLaren still fighting hard. After Fisico and Fernando finished on the podium in Japan, Renault re-took the title lead by 2 points… The aim for both teams will be identical: to get both cars to the finish, and run an aggressive race. The Renault F1 Team has given itself what it needs to take the fight to its rivals, with an ‘E’ spec evolution of the RS25 for both drivers. At McLaren, only Montoya will have a new V10, while Raikkonen will be using his engine from last weekend.

The fight for P3 in the constructors’ battle, though, is over. Even if Toyota scored a one-two and Ferrari failed to score, both teams would be level with 100 points. They would have both won a race, but the Scuderia would have scored more second places (five against a potential three for the Japanese team). That guarantees the Scuderia will finish third.

For the drivers, there is a big prize at stake – third in the title race. Michael Schumacher is leading with 62 points, while Montoya has 60 after his first-lap retirement in Japan. Both men will be hoping for a podium finish, while Giancarlo Fisichella could also make up some places. He is in fifth position with 53 points, and could still make up a place or two… if his two rivals run into problems.

6th in the championship is also up for grabs. Jarno Trulli (43 points), Ralf Schumacher (39 points), Rubens Barrichello (38 points), Jenson Button (36) and Mark Webber (34) are all jostling for position. Any of them could gain or lose positions in the final race.

So there’s no other answer: set your alarm and prepare for a scintillating final race!