The Monaco race may be one of the most glamorous and historic events on the Formula One calendar but that’s not why the drivers love it so. The real draw for them is in the challenge of the Monte Carlo circuit’s twists and turns, which rewards the brave and punishes the tiniest of mistakes. They and their teams explain why they can’t wait to get started on Thursday…

It may have only been a short line near the bottom of an article about the Spanish race, but the words published earlier this week on Ferrari’s official website must have hit home to Felipe Massa and his legion of fans. “Everyone, he more than anyone, is expecting a change of gear starting right away,” it read.

GP3 racer Conor Daly will enjoy his first taste of Formula One power this week courtesy of Force India. Daly will carry out an aero test for the Silverstone-based team at the wheel of the VJM05 in the UK on Thursday at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire.

Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, venue for next weekend’s Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Santander 2012, is one of the most complete tests of a Formula One car and driver. But after their three-day, in-season test at Mugello, do the teams and drivers feel ready for the challenge?

Mercedes’ innovative front wing helped Nico Rosberg to the first pole position of his Formula One career on Saturday afternoon in Shanghai, when a mighty lap of 1m 35.121s left him well clear of Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren and Michael Schumacher’s sister car, with respective laps of 1m 35.626s and 1m 35.691s. But Hamilton’s five-place grid penalty makes it the first all-Mercedes front row since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza

McLaren returned to the top of the timesheets in Saturday morning’s final practice session for the 2012 Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand prix. Jenson Button moved ahead of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher in the closing stages, before team mate Lewis Hamilton pushed in front right at the end.

After a slippery first session teams spent the afternoon dialling in their cars on a dry but cold track. The conditions made it difficult for many to get their front tyres switched on fully. Mercedes may have topped the times, but a closer look at long-run pace suggested McLaren and Red Bull remain the most likely victory contenders.

Receiving a five-place grid penalty when you are on a run of strong qualifying form is not great news, but McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is far from crestfallen. The car is really good, the track is to his liking, and the first two races have shown that you don’t have to start from pole position to win. With updates on the MP4-27 working well and Hamilton in a positive frame of mind, he should be able to shine on Sunday – despite his early Shanghai setback

For a long time Red Bull’s Mark Webber was the only man who went really quickly in the opening practice session in China on Friday. Affected by drizzle and a damp track, nobody could get much meaningful running.

One thing is for certain as free practice gets underway morning in China on Friday: the race stewards have confirmed the FIA’s view that Mercedes’ innovative wing system is legal. The ruling followed Lotus’s protest which was lodged on Thursday afternoon on the grounds that it contravenes the part of the technical regulations which says that ‘with the exception of the parts necessary for the adjustment described in Article 3.15, any car system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited.’