Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix from pole position, a result that kept him leading the Drivers' Championship ahead of the season finale in Brazil.
Key Facts
- Race date
- 19 October 2008
- Championship round
- 17th of 18 (penultimate race)
- Race winner
- Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
- Race length
- 56 laps laps
- Constructors' gap after race
- Ferrari led McLaren by 11 points
- Last points for
- Nelson Piquet Jr. scored final career F1 points
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Heading into the penultimate round of the 2008 Formula One World Championship, Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship standings, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa second and Kimi Räikkönen third. Both Ferrari drivers needed strong results to keep their title hopes alive before the final race in Brazil.
Hamilton started from pole position at the Shanghai International Circuit and led the 56-lap race throughout, building a substantial gap over the two Ferraris. Massa overtook Räikkönen with seven laps to go to take second place. Fernando Alonso briefly lost and then regained fourth place in the early laps, while Robert Kubica finished sixth.
Hamilton's victory reinforced his lead in the Drivers' Championship going into the Brazilian finale. Ferrari extended their advantage over McLaren in the Constructors' Championship from seven to 11 points. Kubica's sixth place ended his mathematical chance of winning the title, and Nelson Piquet Jr. scored the last Formula One championship points of his career.