Just three races down, and this already has been a wild season in Formula One.
Even with the revamped points system, four drivers are within four points of leader Felipe Massa, and six drivers within nine. Last season, one driver was within 10 points of Jenson Button through three races, and that was with a points system that did not strongly reward race wins and therefore made it difficult for one driver to pull away from the field. Then, a win earned a driver two more points than the runner-up. This year, the second-place driver earns 72 percent of the points compared to the winner, rather than the previous 80.
With that in mind, the winner at China this weekend will really have to earn it. As the inaugural winner Rubens Barrichello said, "Shanghai is a really interesting circuit. It has a good combination of corners and that really long straight at the end of the lap, which is perfect for overtaking. To hook up a quick lap, the car requires more aero strength, rather than mechanical, but an exact blend of the two, which is always quite difficult to achieve. Together with the fact that the lap is also quite long with lots of different variables, setting up the car perfectly is hard work."
The long straights and reliance on strong aerodynamics again will favor Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari. Mercedes, as Nico Rosberg has said, is not quite in that group.
Shanghai is nearly the identical length of Sepang, with one additional turn. Both also have several passing opportunities on the long straights. With each race consisting of 56 laps, tire strategy likely will be similar, as well.
The tracks each carry significant weather concerns with them, as rain marred both events last season and seems to have the ability to strike at any time.
Despite their similarities, having both been designed by Hermann Tilke, the two tracks do not typically yield the same results. Since China joined the F1 calendar in 2004, only once has a driver won at both China and Malaysia in the same season (Fernando Alonso in 2005).
Last year's event was the first time that Shanghai appeared in the beginning of the season rather than the end, so perhaps defending race winner Sebastian Vettel will have better fortunes than past drivers.
Vettel's win over a week ago continued to showcase the youth movement in Formula One. His victory at Malaysia was the sixth win of his career, all before the age of 23. That's the most wins by a driver before turning 23 in F1 history, two more than the previous record set by Lewis Hamilton. Before Hamilton and Vettel, only one driver in Formula One had ever won more than one race before turning 23 (Bruce McLaren).
Most all-time Formula One wins before age 23:
Driver -- Wins -- Span• Sebastian Vettel -- Six -- 2008-2010
• Lewis Hamilton -- Four -- 2007
• Bruce McLaren -- Two -- 1959-1960
Hamilton is of course connected to Bruce McLaren through the squad he drives for, as McLaren founded the team back in the 1960s. Before starting his own team, McLaren stormed into F1 by winning the 1959 season finale at Sebring and the 1960 opener in Buenos Aires, both while just 22 years old.
F1 is set up now more than ever to provide seats for young drivers. In the first four or five decades of the sport, few drivers were afforded the opportunity to compete in F1 before the age of 24. Indeed, former champions Jackie Stewart, Keke Rosberg and Graham Hill are just a few examples of the many drivers who started their F1 careers at or beyond the age of 25.
Sure, there were young drivers who got their chance in F1 in the first few decades of the sport, but nothing like today. This season alone, there are five drivers on the grid who are under the age of 24. Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi are just 20 and 21, respectively.
With the emphasis put on the GP2 series, champions of the prime feeder series have gotten immediate chances to compete in F1. Nico Hulkenberg was last year's GP2 champion and he now finds himself competing for Williams. Timo Glock was signed by Toyota the year after his 2007 title, while Hamilton and Nico Rosberg each joined F1 teams the year after claiming the GP2 crown.
The past few seasons have begun a new era of sorts, and it makes the comeback of 41-year-old Michael Schumacher all the more intriguing.
