The first Chinese Grand Prix was widely trumpeted as the most significant event for F1 in recent times, the dawn of a new era, which would introduce the business to this rapidly expanding economic powerhouse; the next world superpower and its 1.3billion consumers. On the Chinese side, Shanghai wanted a world-class sporting event for prestige and to promote the city, its rival Beijing having the Olympics in 2008.

Yet in the week before the event Ford, battered and bruised by their failure in F1 and continuing losses in their Premier Automotive Group (Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo) announced the cessation of car making at Jaguar’s Browns Lane plant (as a Ghost Town boy I weep) and that they were withdrawing from F1, having decided it “can no longer make a compelling business case for any of its brands to compete in Formula One”.

You have to feel sorry for the team members, but the presence of the Jaguar brand in F1 was never anything more than corporate egotism and a base marketing exercise - the marque has no F1 heritage whatsoever and there's no evidence of any interaction between it and F1 . Big companies just cannot run F1 teams hands-on, the closer the team was controlled by its parent, the worse it got. The irony is that Ford have been through this and had the best bloke running the team to start with when it was Stewart Grand Prix.

The involvement of the major manufacturers has done nothing other than push up costs to an unbelievable level, which has done the sport no good at all but it has made a small number of people incredibly wealthy. This brings us back to why China and the rest of the developing world are so important to F1 - it’s a huge new market but one in which to sell fags not Jags. Let us hope that Ford’s withdrawal acts a wake-up call to the other car makers and they greatly reduce their involvement and investment. If they do, hunger, ingenuity and raw talent might come to the fore again and we might see more variety and racing in F1 as in Cosworth’s glory days with the DFV, but I suspect that's just a hopeless dream.

In Shanghai we returned to another Hermann Tilke "masterpiece" after the traditional venues of Spa and Monza where there was some good racing. My heart sank when I saw it was yet another highly artificial circuit, all straights and corners that are too fast, or too slow, or go on too long, or not long enough. Also it’s flat - an inevitable consequence of building new circuits in deserts or reclaimed swamps I suppose. A friend who is a casual viewer, rather than a fan, summarised it as a “Giant Scalextric Track”. The first corner seemed deliberately designed to show up the shortcomings of the modern F1 car. It went on until all the cars’ aero grip had gone, and then on until all the mechanical grip had gone, then on until they were virtually stopped and unable to get the throttle open and accelerate away, and then it went into a hairpin! Where does Tilke get it from.....?

It occurred to me then that the best circuits weren’t designed at all. They were roads first and race tracks second, their layout fits in with the terrain, which means an element of variability which can never be achieved with a CAD package, no matter how sophisticated. This is true even of poor old Silverstone, which I once thought of as sterile, but which now seems positively charismatic! Coulthard at least had the honesty to acknowledge this, when asked about the circuit; he said it was “a great facility”, nothing about it being a great race track, others condemned it with faint praise.

Schuey looked out of sorts all weekend. He had a software problem in practice, fended off a photographer’s camera when walking back in and spun in the first corner in qualifying. With his seventh world title secured, maybe he just couldn’t be bothered with it, although interestingly, he did say that the spin “was not his fault”. Fortunately for Ferrari fans, Rubens was on form and secured pole for the Scuderia from Raikkonen and Button, with Massa showing Sauber’s continuing form with 4th place – his best to date. Schuey qualified 18th, but the team elected to change an engine and to start him from the pit lane, which gave the opportunity for a change of strategy and also avoided the ignominy of having a Ferrari driven by the World Champion on the back of the grid in this Brave New World.

Rubens led from the start from Raikkonen, with Alonso making the normal brilliant Renault start and moving up to third. Button took Massa, who got him back. Rubens established himself in the lead from Raikkonen, who closed up as the Bridgestones went through a difficult phase, which also allowed Button to pass Massa. Ruben’s kept his lead until lap 12, when he and Raikkonen came into the pits along with most of the field, who were three-stopping. Having earlier disposed of Alonso, which moved him up to third, Button stayed out for another two laps, but failed to gain track position as his BAR seemed reluctant to get away after his stop. Meanwhile Schuey was struggling through the field in his fuel-heavy car, banging wheels with Christian Klien and having a quick spin on lap 15.

Raikkonen stopped at the end of lap 27, but got held up by a Minardi going into the pits; Rubens set a race fastest lap and stopped a couple of laps later, coming out in front of Raikkonen, but behind leader Button, who had yet to stop. Button stayed out and it became clear he was two-stopping, his second stop taking place on lap 35. This gave Rubens the lead and he pushed hard to gain a 28 second advantage before his last stop on lap 42. This was enough and he ran out the winner, ahead of Button whose BAR, as at Monza, did not have sufficient pace to get the better of the Ferrari, but which had enough for him to leap-frog Raikkonen on pit-stop strategy - the Finn taking the last podium spot.

Alonso came home 4th for Renault ahead of a lack-lustre Montoya. Sato once again stormed through the field, an engine change meant that he had to start from the back of the grid. BAR consolidated their second place in the Constructor’s Championship, extending their lead over Renault, who made the strange decision to replace Trulli with Jacques Villeneuve, who has almost no experience of this year’s cars – he finished 11th, just ahead of MS, who suffered a puncture on lap 35 and must have been mightily glad to get the weekend over. At least he persevered, unlike his bother, who tangled with Coulthard, got a puncture and decided to retire, despite the Williams team’s protestations. Both Saubers finished in the points, Fisichella 7th and Massa 8th. The team’s form has improved steadily throughout the year, aided by an 84% finishing record, second only to Ferrari’s astonishing 97%. They are now 6th in the Constructors’ Championship - well clear of Jaguar.

Ironically, in a country where bicycles are the most common form of transport, Ferrari is one team likely to translate their race success in China into road car sales. It only takes a few new entrepreneurs to fall under the spell of La Passione to make a significant difference to the marque – unlike Ford or Jaguar. Meanwhile, the cyclists can at least buy 10 Marlboro, walk the extra mile, and dream.....

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China goes F1

Ford F1 - the beginning...

...and the end

A great facility - but a race track?

In Italian "merda", in French, "merde", dunno about Japanese...

... and in German it'll sound even worse

Fortunately there was one Fazza at the sharp end

Schuey's nightmare continues with a puncture

Both Saubers finished in the points

Raikkonen qualified and raced 2nd, but lost out..

...to Button, but the BAR still couldn't match Rubens...

...making it consecutive wins for the popular Brazilian

pics by Ferrari Media, BAR f1, Sauber, Schlegelmilch, Sutton & Pitpass