The past Formula One season has been a roller coaster ride for the Woking-based McLaren team. At the start of the season, they have been dominated by Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. But rookie Lewis Hamilton showed the world that McLaren is still one of the top teams in the sport.

After the departure of the double-world time champion, much melee regarding the drivers has erupted. But McLaren announced that they will be taking their time in naming their new driver for the 2008 season.

Martin Whitmarsh, the team's Chief Executive, said: "Until the second McLaren drive is sorted out I don't think you'll see much movement (in the driver market), so we're not really hurried." Although there have been no reports as to who the team is favoring right now, one driver will not be included on the list.

Ralf Schumacher who left Toyota after the season is said to have expressed his interest in joining McLaren, a team which has been the foremost rival of Ferrari, his brother's long-time home in Formula One. Dennis reportedly told Schumacher's manger that Ralf will not be on the list of drivers to be considered by the team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton named three drivers who may be on the top of the list and they are Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, and Heikki Kovalainen. But he added that he will stand by the decision of his team. "I'm really not bothered who I am racing with,' said Hamilton. "It's another team decision and I stick by them whoever they choose. I'm very happy I've got one seat. I get to stay and do what I love doing."

Hamilton said that he wishes his former teammate the best in his career. "I wish Fernando the best for the future and really hope wherever he goes he is successful," said Hamilton. "But I'm going to be there competing against him and I look forward to the battle. I welcome whoever is going to be with us and look forward to the challenge. I hope they work as hard as me to take the team to the championship," he concluded.

The Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled to be held from the 5th to the 7th of this month.

The Formula One season visits Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. Going into the penultimate race, the constructors' championship has already been decided as McLaren was disqualified from the championship after the Ferrari spying scandal. Hamilton now has one hand on the driver's championship. At the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, he can clinch the title and become the first rookie to win the championship.

Heidfeld described the track in Shanghai saying: "Turns one, two and three are among my favourite sections in the race calendar. You approach the first turn at high speed, go into it flat out, but then the corner increasingly tightens up and you have to shift right down to second. Making a clean exit will be even more interesting next year when we'll be driving without traction control again. Overall I'm rather fond of this circuit."

His teammate Kubica also described the track as a "nice" one. "Quite a nice track with, again, a very long straight," said the Pole Formula One driver. "Maybe there is an overtaking possibility at the end of the long back straight. This is very long, but it is not easy because before the straight there is a really quick right hand corner and it is always difficult to follow the cars very closely there."

Teams are now in China preparing for the penultimate race of the season which might see Hamilton setting a record once again.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton has been breaking record after record in his budding Formula One career. The British driver not only failed to finish in the top three, but also failed to take even a single point after he finished ninth.

Although Hamilton’s lead of twelve points going into the European Grand Prix is now only two points over teammate Fernando Alonso, the young rookie sensation just smiled at his disastrous European Grand Prix. Hamilton is also not worried about the threat of Ferrari drivers which have shown resurgence at the past three races.

Kimi Raikkonen’s back-to-back wins prior to the European Grand Prix and his pole position in Saturday’s qualifying does not make Hamilton worry. The British driver though does not underestimate the speed of the Ferrari cars. At the European Grand Prix, Hamilton’s disastrous weekend started in qualifying on Saturday. The crash almost sidelined Hamilton but he was cleared for the race.

After his disappointing weekend, the championship leader showed why he is considered one of the classiest drivers in Formula One. Hamilton, smiling after his ninth place finish, did not even try to put the blame on anyone or anything but instead turned the negative into positive.

“I came here completely sick, had one of the biggest crashes I've ever had, suffered a puncture, rain, went off in the gravel, more rain. It was a great weekend for learning. I have probably had less than 500km in the wet, hardly anything at all. It's all new to me. I hope this bad luck out of the way. I'm still leading the world championship and find that quite amusing after everything that has happened. I had more fun than in the past nine races put together,” he blurted.