Presentation Chinese Grand Prix 2024: a weekend of challenges
5 years after the last edition, the Shanghai track welcomes F1 back! Single-seaters have come a long way since then, and the new 2024 sprint format will be a real challenge for the teams. The track has also been resurfaced: many uncertainties surround this edition.
In 2019, for the 1000th Grand Prix in history, Lewis Hamilton had won ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. In 2024, it is difficult to believe in a poor performance from Red Bull, as the Austrian team seems to be head and shoulders above the rest. However, many changes could shuffle the deck.
The presentation of the Shanghai circuit
This 5.451 km layout has been on the calendar since 2004. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the architect of new F1 circuits (Bahrain, Miami, Las Vegas…), it was conceived to promote overtaking. A rather successful objective as it held the record for the most overtakes in a Grand Prix until last year, which was in 2016 with 170 overtakes. It has since been dethroned by the Zandvoort circuit in 2023 with 188 overtakes.
The drivers will have to complete 56 laps to cover the 305.066 km of the race. The Shanghai International Circuit has 2 DRS zones. The first detection zone occurs between turns 11 and 12, leading to the longest straight line with a DRS zone extending over more than 750 meters! The second zone is the start/finish straight. Detection takes place just before the final turn, number 16.
The track offers a series of quite slow and delicate turns to manage, especially at braking points and apexes. It will be necessary to manage the sequence of turns 1, 2, 3, 4 very well, which leads to a first overtaking opportunity at braking point number 6, also slightly downhill. This is followed by a slight ascent towards faster turns 7 and 8. The sequence of turns 9, 10, and 11 are conducive to possible wheel lock-ups.
The long curve including turns 12 and 13 will be crucial, it will be necessary to nail the exit in order to quickly gain speed on the longest straight line of the 1.3-kilometer season! The hairpin that follows will obviously be the biggest braking point of the track, leading to many attempts of inside dives. Like the daring one from Max Verstappen in 2018 on Sebastian Vettel, which caused both cars to spin.
Drama at Shanghai’s Turn 14! đ”
Verstappen sends himself and Vettel into a spin đ”âđ«#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/DovjSXKwXY
â Formula 1 (@F1) April 16, 2024
A new sprint format for 2024 inaugurated in China
First in China, then in Miami in 2 weeks, F1 will be doing sprint formats, the first of the season. Changes are expected compared to the 2023 format. Sprint qualifications will take place on Friday afternoon, and the sprint race will take place on Saturday morning. The Parc Fermé regime will be implemented between the two sessions. The Grand Prix qualifiers will take place on Saturday afternoon, and teams will be allowed to modify settings between the sprint race and qualifiers, a time frame of 3 hours.
A resurfacing and some uncertainty within the teams
The main challenge for the drivers and engineers will be to find an efficient setup in a very short amount of time, with only one practice session on Friday morning. Especially as the teams have not done any laps in Shanghai since 2019, the cars have evolved significantly with the new regulations since 2022. Furthermore, the tarmac on the track has been renewed. Therefore, all teams are facing a great deal of uncertainty, with hardly any data to rely on from past editions.
One can imagine that McLaren could be in difficulty on slow corner sequences. A recurring issue for the Woking team. Surprise teams could stand out. Especially those from the back of the grid usually, who, with very good setups, could minimize their performance deficits. An opportunity for Alpine to score their first points of the season?
The #ChineseGP is back on the calendar after a five year break. It’s pretty much a matter of starting from scratch for the drivers, the teams an indeed for #Pirelli as in 2019 the 13 inch tyres were still in use, fitted to the previous generation of cars. #F1 #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/wD6aPj6AaB
â Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) April 16, 2024
Pirelli also finds itself in a situation of expectation. The manufacturer has decided to introduce a medium range in China: the C2, C3, C4. The format of the tires between 2019 and 2024 has also changed, moving from 13-inch wheels to 18 inches currently. It is difficult to predict the optimal strategy to adopt during the Grand Prix.
Some initial answers should arrive with the only testing session, to follow from Friday at 11:30 a.m. in China, 5:30 a.m. in France!
