In racing news, tomorrow will mark the final race of the record-long F1 season in Shanghai, China.  Although Fernando Alonso has already captured the coveted F1 crown, the team championship is still up for grabs, with the McLaren Mercedes team trailing Renault by only two points. 

To capture the constructor's title, Mercedes will need to finish at least two points ahead of Renault; however, in the even that the two teams tie, Mercedes' will still take the championship, due to the fact they hold a greater number of wins this season.

In qualifying, McLaren Mercedes' two top drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, both performed well, taking the third and fifth place starting positions, respectively.  Renault's drivers, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella, performed even better, capturing the top two spots.

All in all, it should shape up to be a pretty exciting race. You can check out McLaren Mercedes' team interviews in the press release below, or you can view the full Shanghai race preview over at the Mercedes Motorsports site.


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


F1 Shanghai, Qualifying: Räikkönen Third, Montoya Fifth


Shanghai, Oct 15, 2005

Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya will start tomorrow's 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix from third and fifth after setting times of 1:34.488 and 1:35.188 in today's qualifying session. In order to claim the 2005 Constructors' World Championship Team McLaren Mercedes needs to finish two points ahead of Renault. If both teams finish with the same number of points, Team McLaren Mercedes will take the title, as the Championship is awarded to the holder of the greatest number of wins.


Kimi Räikkönen: MP4-20 04
Total: 1:34.488 (3rd)
Sector 1: 25.052 (2nd)
Sector 2: 28.528 (3rd)
Sector 3: 40.908 (3rd)

Juan Pablo Montoya: MP4-20 07
Total: 1:35.188 (5th)
Sector 1: 25.301 (6th)
Sector 2: 28.677 (5th)
Sector 3: 41.210 (8th)

T-Car (Kimi): MP4-20 06

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN
“We knew before qualifying that we would struggle to get pole position today but I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Our strategy should be strong and whilst the car was not perfect on the qualifying lap I’m confident that it will be as good as it has been throughout practice. Both Juan Pablo and myself are in strong positions to get the results that we need to help the team win the World Championship.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
“As a result of what happened in Japan last weekend I had to go out for my qualifying lap as number two which was really frustrating. The lap was OK but there was just no grip. The circuit conditions continued to improve so of course I’m disappointed as I know I could have probably been on the front row. However all is not lost and we will see what happens tomorrow. My car is working well and if everything comes together I should be able to get the result we need.”

RON DENNIS
“We came here to win the race and that is what we intend to do. As always it’s strategy that counts. Both drivers did a great job but a small mistake by Kimi possibly cost him a front row position. Juan Pablo’s lap was exceptional considering the circuit conditions. The whole team is looking forward to tomorrow.”

NORBERT HAUG
“Our positions to the start the race from could be a little bit better. However they are quite different from last weekend’s. We believe that we have the right strategy and there have been a lot of races in the past where we have won from lesser grid positions.”

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