I have a distinct feeling that if rain doesn’t intervene in Shanghai tomorrow then Red Bull will secure another one-two finish.

There is no doubt that the Red Bulls have the pace in qualifying but what is impressive is that they can transfer this into the actual race. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber easily dominated in Malaysia two weeks ago and if there isn’t any rain then I think the same will happen in China.

I believe Vettel will get the better of Webber again repeating his win from last year, because this time Vettel doesn’t even have to overtake his team mate at the first corner. If the Australian does pass his German peer then I have no doubt Vettel will respond and regain the lead.

However, I believe the fight for third will be a more intriguing one. Fernando Alonso who qualified in third, right through to Robert Kubica who qualified in eighth, are separated by less than four tenths of a second.

There was barely anything to choose between Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa and Kubica in qualifying but I think Alonso will keep hold of his third place. The Spaniard has looked quick this weekend and It’s no secret that the Ferrari is the closest to Red Bull in terms of raw pace. Alonso is the only driver who can post a serious challenge to Vettel and Webber but there is hope for the likes of Rosberg and Massa.

Alonso broke down in Malaysia and there are question marks over the engines in the Ferrari so Alonso and Massa might not last the race.

Rosberg has looked quick this weekend with his upgrades to the Mercedes’ and the German is continually improving. I wouldn’t be surprised if the youngster came away with another 3^rd place finish this weekend. If Alonso has reliability issues then Rosberg could well secure the last podium place.

Button and Hamilton would have expected more in qualifying this morning after both topping the time sheets in practice yesterday and I believe they could struggle tomorrow. I think the two Brits will be too busy fighting each other going into the first corner leaving Massa and Kubica to come through and spoil their race.

One thing is for certain and that is Michael Schumacher is still not at one with his car. The 41-year-old is nowhere near his best and I don’t think we’re going to see this for a good few races yet. His Mercedes will be too strong for the likes of the Williams and the Saubers so a solitary point is what Schumacher will probably get. Force India’s Adrian Sutil impressed again in qualifying and I would tip him for ninth place but if there is rain then Sutil could be a lot closer to a podium finish.

On a final note, it’s encouraging to see the new teams improving. Virgin Racing’s Timo Glock was only just under four seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, who set the fastest time in qualifying one this morning. It’s also nice to see the Hispania team closing the gap on their rivals as they are now less than five seconds behind the leading contenders compared to well over 12 when the season started. Is it possible for all six of the new drivers to finish in China?

Everything could be a whole lot different if there is rain in China tomorrow but it’s hard to look beyond a one-two finish for Red Bull and third place for Alonso. Although, I do fancy Rosberg and Kubica to spring a surprise or two.

Who do you think will win in Shanghai? Have your say in our forum!

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