2014 Chinese Grand Prix Driver Reaction

Lewis Hamilton dominated the 2014 Chinese Grand Prix to take his third consecutive race victory.

© Red Bull/Getty Images

The Brit finished 18 seconds clear of Nico Rosberg, with Fernando Alonso taking Ferrari's first podium of the year in third. Here are some post-race thoughts from the 2014 grid.

For a detailed look at the race weekend and a track guide, see my preview. You can also look back at previous races with my blog's F1 Flashback, Richland F1's One Year Rewind and my Formula 1 Blog 'Remember When' feature.

See what the teams and drivers got up to before the driving started with my Thursday Snap Shot and catch up with all the on-track action from the Shanghai International Circuit with my weekend report. Check out driver reaction below:

Strong race for Ricciardo in China:

"I started on the dirty side of the grid and had quite a poor getaway; I was spinning up on the line a bit too long and lost the two places. From then on however, I thought the race was good! With Seb, we were racing and you always want to hold on to your position, but the team radioed and he let me through.

"I did what I could after each stop and we improved the car; at the end I was doing all I could to catch Alonso and I think we got to within a couple of seconds of him as we went over the line. It’s going well with the team, I feel comfortable here and I did the best I could today. I really want that podium and we’re getting close."

© Mercedes AMG Petronas

Mercedes W05 just "unbelievable" - Hamilton:

"The team have done an amazing job and all the hard work both here and at the factory is really paying off at the moment. This car is just unbelievable; in the final laps, I was pushing a little bit more to keep up the tyre temperatures and it just felt great to drive. I'm so, so happy today.

"We had to make a lot of changes after P2 in terms of the set-up of the car but after it rained on Saturday, we didn't know exactly how it would go today. There was a lot of hard work done, sitting down with the engineers so that we didn't guess anything and just made the right steps in anticipation for today. We are definitely on a roll right now; I'm working hard, the team is working hard and we just want to improve even further when we get back to Europe."

Alonso dedicates podium to Domenicali:

"After a difficult start to the season, this podium is a confidence boost for the whole team, providing extra motivation for all those who are doing their best to close the gap to the front. And I think this podium should be dedicated to Stefano, as everything we do up to July will also be the result of his efforts. We have definitely made a step forward, because compared to two weeks ago, we have partly closed the gap to the leaders, but we are well aware there’s still a long way to go and we have to keep our feet on the ground. 

"In general, this has been a good weekend for me, as everything went well right from Friday, although the rain made qualifying more complicated than expected. I was on the limit all race long and I really don’t think I could have done any more. This is quite a unique track of its kind and now we must make the most of the long break before the next race to prepare as well as possible for whatever situation arises."

Gearbox problem led to Grosjean DNF:

"We started by losing fourth gear but it got worse and essentially we lost all gears. It’s the first time we’ve had a problem like this so we’ll have to understand what happened. It had been quite nice in the race as we’d been fighting for ninth position so we were in the points, which is a good improvement from before. We didn’t make it to the end of the race today but let’s hope we finish in the points in Barcelona."

Magnussen struggled with lack of downforce:

© McLaren Mercedes

"It felt like a long race, because there wasn’t much I could do out there. Our car lacks downforce – that’s its main problem. The way it’s set up, and how it feels, has always been positive; it’s just low on grip, that’s all.

So, clearly, we need to work as hard as we can to create that missing downforce. "I know the guys back in Woking are doing their best, and I have faith that they’ll deliver that downforce before too long."

Strong recovery from Perez after poor qualifying:

"To start from P16 and finish in ninth place is a good recovery after a difficult qualifying session yesterday. I made a good start and after that I just focussed on making the two-stop strategy work. I think everybody suffered with tyre graining and I picked up a few flat spots, but we still made it work.

"It was not easy to overtake today, even the cars on a different strategy, so I think ninth place was the maximum. It means I’ve scored points in three out of four races, but I was hoping for more today after the weekend we had in Bahrain. It’s also clear that all the teams around us are finding pace so we have to keep working hard to be ready for Barcelona."

Problems for Sutil from the very start:

© Sauber F1 Team

"Unfortunately it was a very short race for me. During the formation lap I already had problems. As it was a quite slow formation lap, I was not able to identify what the problem was. I just realised the engine was not working properly.

"At the start I had almost no power. Going into the first corner I noticed there was a problem with the engine. I lost a lot of positions during the first lap and fell back to last. I did a few more laps, but then went back to the pits. The team tried to solve the issue, but we could not do it quickly. I had to retire. However, I am still positive and looking forward."

Kvyat pleased to finish in the top 10:

"It felt great today and I’m very happy with my performance. I had a good start and I managed to make up some positions during the first lap. Our pace was very strong today and I enjoyed the fight with Jenson pretty much throughout the race.

"We did a good job with the tyre management, so we were able to stay out longer. Even though it all went very well today, I think there’s still a lot more to come from the car, so I’m really looking forward to starting the European part of the season, where I hope to get some more points."

Massa frustrated after disappointing race:

© Williams Martini Racing

"I had another great start today and we were fighting at the top. I felt some contact with Fernando but luckily the car wasn't damaged so I could carry on.

"There was a mistake at the first pitstop and that effectively lost me the race as I came back out on track in last position. It is a frustrating situation and something we need to work on to make sure that it doesn't happen again. We have time now to work hard and improve the car for Spain."

Bianchi pleased after close fight:

"I had a good fight with Kobayashi throughout the race and I’m very happy to be leaving China having finished ahead of him. This was my first straightforward race of the season so far and it is a big relief I have to say. The start was good and I got ahead of Kamui off the line but he regained position quite quickly. I stuck with him until the second stint when with Maldonado between us I dropped back a little but then I caught up again and we continued to enjoy a good battle. 

"When he stopped for a third time for the option tyre we saw the opportunity to manage my tyres and stay out to get ahead. On new option tyres he was catching quite quickly and I had to work really hard to keep in front and not lose the place. Unfortunately, he caught me with only two corners left but in the end we keep the position, so I’m happy and have a good feeling with which to end the first long haul rounds of the season."

Kobayashi disappointed to lose 17th:

© Caterham F1 Team

"Finishing 18th isn’t the final position we’d want, but after a really good battle with Jules I’m relatively pleased with how today’s race went. However, it’s a real shame that my move on him on the last lap now doesn’t count due to the mistake with the chequered flag, something we had nothing to do with. 

"Even though we had good race with Maldonado for the first third of the race it’s clear we don’t have the outright pace to fight Lotus or Sauber yet, but we have a good package coming for Spain and we are determined to try and close the gap.

"The first four races have been hard, but having both cars finish today shows the progress we and Renault have made with reliability. Now we have to build on that and use the next couple of weeks to recharge ourselves so we can come back stronger in Barcelona."