Only one grid slot has scored in every Chinese Grand Prix to date, while no wins have been taken from further back than sixth on the grid. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at the Shanghai International Circuit!
CHINESE GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- Polesitter has not retired since 2007
- 3rd has never failed to score
- 15th and 20th have never scored
- 15th has had the most DNFs
CHINESE GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
| Position | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 | 2019 | 2019 | 2007 | 1st |
| 2 | 2019 | 2019 | 2019 | 2012 | 1st |
| 3 | 2013 | 2019 | 2019 | - | 1st |
| 4 | - | 2016 | 2019 | 2013 | 2nd |
| 5 | 2010 | 2014 | 2019 | 2008 | 1st |
| 6 | 2018 | 2018 | 2019 | 2009 | 1st |
| 7 | - | 2012 | 2019 | 2011 | 3rd |
| 8 | - | - | 2017 | 2019 | 5th |
| 9 | - | 2005 | 2018 | 2017 | 3rd |
| 10 | - | - | 2016 | 2017 | 5th |
| 11 | - | - | 2018 | 2019 | 5th |
| 12 | - | - | 2019 | 2015 | 5th |
| 13 | - | - | 2019 | 2017 | 7th |
| 14 | - | - | 2012 | 2014 | 5th |
| 15 | - | - | - | 2019 | 10th |
| 16 | - | 2017 | 2017 | 2015 | 3rd |
| 17 | - | - | 2017 | 2013 | 4th |
| 18 | - | 2011 | 2011 | 2017 | 3rd |
| 19 | - | - | 2009 | 2010 (DNS) | 7th |
| 20 | - | - | - | 2010 | 12th |
- 9 of 16 races won from pole
- No wins since 2017
- Only retirement in 2007
Nine of the 16 Chinese Grands Prix held since 2004 have been won from pole. Four of the last six races here have been won from pole, but neither of the last two Shanghai races have been won by the polesitter.
Lewis Hamilton’s infamous pit-entry disaster in 2007 is the only time that a polesitter has failed to finish here, while 2010 and 2018 are the only other occasions that the polesitter has not finished in the top two.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
- Only 2 wins from 2nd
- 2012 is only DNF
- Only two failures to score
A win from the front row is highly likely, with 11 of the 16 wins coming from there; though only two wins have come from second on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen was first to win from second on the grid, in 2007, and Lewis Hamilton was the second driver to win from second on the grid in 2019.
Michael Schumacher’s retirement in 2012 is the only time that the driver starting second has failed to finish, while Fernando Alonso’s ninth place in 2009 is the only other time that the driver lining up second has failed to score.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 8 | 4 | DNF | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
- Scored in every race so far
- 10 podiums in total
- Only one finish outside of the top 6
Third is the only grid slot to have scored in every Chinese Grand Prix so far, and is the only one to have never recorded a DNF. Drivers starting here have finished on the podium on ten occasions – more than the tally of podium finishes from second on the grid.
Kamui Kobayashi is the only driver to have started from third and finished outside the top six in the race, having finished tenth from here in 2012.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
- Only grid slot in top 6 to have not won
- Two non-top 8 finishes
- 4 podium finishes
Fourth is the only grid slot in the top six to have never won a Chinese Grand Prix. The driver starting from fourth has finished on the podium four times, including finishing as runner-up three times in 2007, 2014 and 2016.
Nico Rosberg’s DNF in 2013 and Kimi Raikkonen’s 14th place in 2012 are the only times that the driver starting fourth has failed to finish in the top eight.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 3 | 5 | 14 | DNF | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
- No retirements since 2008
- Points in every race since 2009
- Four podium finishes
While fifth on the grid has recorded the third-most DNFs of any grid slot at the Chinese Grand Prix, with four retirements from the first five Grands Prix at the Shanghai track, no driver has retired from this grid position since Heikki Kovalainen in 2008.
In every Chinese Grand Prix since 2009, the driver starting fifth has gone on to score points and the position has supplied four podium finishes, most recently for Fernando Alonso in 2014.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 1 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
- Won twice – furthest back wins at track
- Only two failures to score
Sixth on the grid holds the record for the furthest back win at the Shanghai International Circuit, and the position has won the race twice. Michael Schumacher was the first driver to win from this slot in 2006, securing his 91st and final F1 victory, while Daniel Ricciardo won the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix from this grid position.
There have been just two occasions in the past ten Shanghai races on which the driver starting from sixth has failed to score.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 2 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 6 |
- No retirements since 2011
- Points in 6 of the last 8 races
No driver has retired from seventh since Jaime Alguersuari in 2011. That’s one of only two times that the driver starting seventh has retired, the other time being Jarno Trulli in 2008. In the last eight races at the track, the driver starting here has scored six times, including a podium finish for Lewis Hamilton in 2012.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 9 | DNF | 3 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 7 |
- No retirements until 2019
- 5th is best result
- Only top 9 grid slot with no podiums
Until 2019, the driver starting eighth had never failed to finish the Chinese Grand Prix. Nico Hulkenberg ended that in 2019 as he retired. The driver starting here never failed to score between 2013 and 2017, but there have been no points scored from eighth in the last two races at the track.
The best finish for a driver starting from eighth is fifth, which happened for Robert Kubica in 2010 and Jenson Button in 2013. It’s also the only grid slot from the top nine where a podium finish has not come from.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 5 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 12 | DNF |
- One podium, in 2005
- 3 top 5 finishes
- Points in 3 of the last 5 races
There has been a single podium finish from ninth on the grid. That was for Ralf Schumacher, who finished third in 2005. A further two top five finished have followed, in 2008 and 2013.
The driver starting here has scored three times in the last five races at the circuit. During that time, Daniil Kvyat recoded the second retirement from this grid position in 2017 – the first since Robert Kubica ten years previously.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 10 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 8 | DNF | 9 | 13 |
- No points since 2016
- Best result of 5th
- Only two retirements
No driver starting tenth has scored a point since 2016. The best finish from tenth on the grid at the Shanghai International Circuit is fifth, recorded by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2004 and Jenson Button in 2007. The grid slot has a high finish rate, with Romain Grosjean and Lance Stroll in 2014 and 2017 being the only retirees.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 11 | 9 | 6 | 10 | DNF | 10 | 6 | DNF | 17 | 11 |
- Only two DNFs
- Points on 5 occasions
- Best result of 5th
The 11th grid position in Shanghai has a relatively low DNF rate, with Daniil Kvyat recording only the second retirement from here in 2019. In the last eight races at the Shanghai International Circuit, the driver starting here has scored points on five occasions, including Sebastian Vettel’s best finish from this position in 2012, when he finished fifth.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 12 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 8 | DNF | 12 | 7 | 10 | DNF |
- 2 points finishes in last 3 races
- 4 points results in total
- Only one DNF
The driver starting 12th is likely to make it to the end of the Chinese Grand Prix, with only one DNF having been recorded from this grid slot. That unlucky driver was Daniil Kvyat, who was out in 2015.
In the last three Shanghai races, the driver starting 12th has finished eighth twice, in 2017 and 2019. Timo Glock’s seventh place in 2008 and Heikki Kovalainen’s fifth place in 2009 are the only other times that the 12th grid slot has scored here.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 13 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 11 | DNF | 13 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
- Six retirements in total
- Points in the last two races
- Best result of 7th
13th on the grid has supplied six non-finishes, though Antonio Pizzonia was classified in the final result of the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, as he completed all but one lap of the race, in what would turn out to be his final F1 race.
In the last two races here, the driver starting 13th has scored both times, including Fernando Alonso recording the best result for this grid slot in 2018 by finishing seventh.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| DNF | 10 | 8 | DNF | 10 | 17 | 15 | DNF | 7 | 9 |
- No points since 2012
- Best result of 5th
- Finished all of the last 5 races
No driver has scored from 14th on the grid at the Chinese Grand Prix since 2012. The best result for 14th is fifth, for Christian Klien in 2005. The driver starting here has finished in all of the last five Chinese Grands Prix, but has not finished in a position above 13th.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 7 | 8 | 7 | 14 | DNF | 13 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
- Retirements in all of the last 3 races
- No points but one top 10 finish
It looks set to be a bad afternoon for the driver starting 15th. In all of the last three races at the track, the driver who lined up 15th on the grid has retired. With seven DNFs in total, 15th has had more retirements than any other grid slot at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Furthermore, the driver starting from 15th on the grid at the Chinese Grand Prix has never gone on to score a point. The best finish for a driver starting from here is tenth, which David Coulthard achieved for Red Bull in 2008, before the position offered points.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| DNF | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 16 | DNF | DNF | DNF |
- Last points in 2017
- Recorded a podium finish that year
The most recent points scoring race for the driver starting 16th was in 2017, when Max Verstappen finished in third position – one of only two podium finishes to have come from below ninth on the grid at the Chinese Grand Prix. Sergio Perez is the only other driver to have scored from 16th. He finished ninth in 2014.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 15 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 9 | DNF | 20 | 3 | 15 | 12 |
- Single point scored in last 12 races
- Only one DNF in last 11 races
- Best result is 4th
In the last 12 races in Shanghai, the driver starting 17th has scored only one point. Esteban Ocon’s tenth place in 2017 is the only top ten finish in those 12 races, while there has been just one DNF from this position since 2011.
All of the first three Chinese Grands Prix resulted in retirements for the driver starting 17th. That streak was ended in 2007, when Sebastian Vettel scored the best result for the grid slot with fourth place for Toro Rosso.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| DNF | 18 | 17 | DNF | 16 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 18 | 16 |
- Furthest back podium at track
- Only two points finishes
18th on the grid in China holds the record for the furthest back podium finish at the event. The driver starting 18th has scored only twice. Takuma Sato finished sixth in the very first race in 2004, while Mark Webber scored a podium finish with third place in 2011.
In the 16 races here, Antonio Giovinazzi’s DNF in 2017 is the only time that the driver lining up 18th has failed to finish.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| DNF | 3 | 23 | 15 | 18 | 12 | 14 | DNF | 14 | 17 |
- 11th is best result in last 9 races
- Scored only once – 7th in 2009
In the last nine races at Shanghai International Circuit, the driver starting 19th has never failed to finish, but has only finished above 15th once. That was Romain Grosjean in 2017, who finished 11th .
19th has only scored once in the 16 races at this track, with a seventh place finish for Timo Glock in 2009. Just two non-finishes have come from this grid slot, including a DNS for Glock back in 2010.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| DNS | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 22 | 11 | 19 | 15 |
- No points scored
- No top ten finishes
The driver starting from 20th on the grid has never scored a point at the Chinese Grand Prix. It’s also the only grid slot in the top 20 to have never finished in the top ten. While the driver starting from here has finished all of the last eight races, the best finish from here during that time is a rather lowly 13th, by Jolyon Palmer in 2017.
That finishing position has been bettered by a driver starting from 20th once, when Michael Schumacher finished 12th in the inaugural Chinese race. 2019 was the first time that this grid slot has been left vacant, as Alex Albon started from the pit-lane.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| DNF | 19 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 13 | 16 | – |
Alex Albon is the only driver to have started the Chinese Grand Prix from the pit lane. He did so in 2019 after crashing in Free Practice 3 and being unable to take part in qualifying. He finished tenth in the race.
