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The Chinese Grand Prix could determine the outcome of the drivers' championship this weekend in Shanghai. Lewis Hamilton leads the standings by five points from Felipe Massa, while McLaren Mercedes trail Ferrari by seven points in the constructors' championship. McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh and Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Vice-President look ahead to China.

Martin Whitmarsh - Whenever a world championship is at stake, history has taught us that adopting either a too aggressive or too circumspect approach can be risky. How are you playing it this weekend?
MW: "For qualifying, you want to have a suitably aggressive strategy otherwise you are not going to be in the race. Then, as the race develops, you are afforded the possibility to become slightly more circumspect to ensure you’re scoring the points you need to fight for the world championship. And that is the approach we take into these races."

In terms of coping with the pressure, will the team be doing anything different this weekend?
MW: "The reality is that the last race of the season is no different from the first. However, at the end of the year it’s much clearer in everyone’s minds that the championship could be decided by a mistake - one made by another title contender or ourselves. Both teams have made several mistakes this year but, at this critical stage in the season, a further mistake by either side could determine the championship. As a result, everybody within the team is being very diligent and cautious. We have done a fantastic job so far this year and we aim to round off the season by continuing that approach."

Will this circuit favour the MP4-23’s technical package?
MW: "As this season has progressed, it’s become increasingly difficult to characterise the circuits that favour ourselves or favour Ferrari. And that has gone away because both teams have understandably addressed some of the weaknesses of their cars. But Shanghai is a good circuit, with a good mix of corners that requires a good car to get the best from it. To that extent, there’s every reason to suppose Ferrari and ourselves will be very close there."

Norbert Haug - You must be pretty downbeat after last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from pole position and third place on the grid and bringing home zero points was certainly not what you had expected from a Grand Prix that Lewis dominantly won a year ago?