The Chinese language Grand Prix is again on the calendar after a 5 yr break.
2019 was the final yr Formulation 1 raced in Shanghai, on that event internet hosting celebrations to mark the a thousandth occasion within the historical past of motorsport’s most prestigious world championship. The lengthy break was all the way down to the gradual return to normality following on from the results of the Covid-19 pandemic and China is now again on the calendar, having made its first look just a few months wanting twenty years in the past. The primary version of this Grand Prix was held in September 2004.
All 16 editions have been run on the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, its define loosely based mostly on the Chinese language “shang” character, which means “up above.” The 5.451 kilometre-long observe boasts 16 corners, a lot of them very gradual, for instance the part by way of turns 1 to three and 6 to 14, whereas others are excessive velocity such because the esses by way of turns 7 and eight. There are two lengthy straights, each used as a DRS zone, with one on the start-finish straight and the opposite on the over a kilometre lengthy again straight, from flip 13, which is barely banked into flip 14.
Based mostly on simulations and previous information, the tyres are subjected to lateral and longitudinal forces right here that fall into the medium class, with the surface of the tyre, particularly on the left hand aspect of the automotive, carrying essentially the most. The trio of tyres chosen again within the winter for Shanghai is within the midrange, with the C2 as Arduous, the C3 as Medium and the C4 as Delicate. Nominally, that is the identical choice as in 2019 however the state of affairs could be very totally different. 5 years in the past, the 13 inch tyres had been nonetheless in use, fitted to the earlier era of automotive, which had a flat ground and utterly totally different aerodynamics to the present automotive. In actual fact, for the drivers, the groups and certainly for Pirelli, it is just about a matter of ranging from scratch, on condition that the references are very obscure.
Additional complicating the scenario is the truth that the Chinese language Grand Prix is the primary of six occasions this season working to the Dash format, which itself has been barely modified for this yr by way of the working order of the periods. Free follow and Dash qualifying are on Friday, the Dash race and qualifying on Saturday, with the Grand Prix, as at all times, on the Sunday. Parc ferme has additionally been modified, in order that it’s now break up into two components: one which covers qualifying and the Dash race and the opposite that begins earlier than Saturday afternoon’s qualifying.
Meaning there is just one hour of free follow on Friday to seek out the suitable set-up for the vehicles and, above all, to guage the tyres over a long term on a observe that may inevitably be in removed from optimum situation. It’s doubtless that, by way of grip, evolution of the observe that has not modified since 2019 and has solely been used very sometimes since then, will probably be very vital, as little by little the vehicles rubber-in the floor. Which means work within the simulator takes on even larger significance for the drivers and engineers, each within the run as much as the occasion and through it.
The Dash format additionally means a unique dry tyre allocation, dropping from 13 units to 12 (two Arduous, 4 Medium and 6 Delicate) whereas the variety of moist climate units stays the identical (5 Intermediate and two Excessive Moist). April in Shanghai can see a marked change in temperatures with variations of round 10 °C, which provides one other variable to the puzzle that the groups and drivers should piece collectively. Normally, the Chinese language Grand Prix is a two-stop race, partly as a result of there are a number of locations the place overtaking is feasible, equivalent to braking into flip 14 after which on the principle straight and braking into flip 6. Simply because it was in Suzuka, the undercut is often very efficient in Shanghai.
Of the 20 drivers that make up the grid this yr, simply three have stood on the highest step of the Shanghai podium: Lewis Hamilton (six instances), Fernando Alonso (twice) and Daniel Ricciardo (as soon as). Hamilton additionally has six Shanghai poles to his identify and has scored 204 factors right here. Of the groups, Mercedes heads the sphere with six wins forward of Ferrari with 4, whereas Crimson Bull has received twice. In actual fact, it was right here in 2009 that Sebastian Vettel gave the maiden victory to the crew that, then as now, is run by Christian Horner.
