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On Sunday, April 21, 2024, at the Shanghai Circuit, the Chinese Grand Prix will be held, the fifth race of the Formula 1 World Championship. The week before the race, the FIA will publish the calendar for the next season. It is the first time that the calendar for the next championship is released so far in advance during the season. The seventy-fifth World Championship in Formula 1 history will feature the same twenty-four events as the current one. It will start two weeks later than in 2024, on March 16, 2025, with the Australian Grand Prix, for the first time since 2019, and will end earlier, on December 7, 2025, with the traditional Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Chinese Grand Prix will be placed as the second event in March, while the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix are moved to April to accommodate Ramadan, and will return to being held on Sundays. The Canadian and Spanish Grands Prix will be swapped, as will the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, with the Hungarian race scheduled as the last event before the summer break. Three weeks of rest are scheduled in July between the British Grand Prix and the Belgian race instead of between September and October as in the current season. The FIA continues to regionalise various events and make logistics more sustainable: the Bahrain race, scheduled as the fourth race, will be part of a triple-header that starts with the Japanese Grand Prix and ends in Saudi Arabia. The other two triple-headers are planned between the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix, and between the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the final race in Abu Dhabi. Six Grands Prix will feature the sprint weekend format, as in 2024. The Russian Grand Prix was under contract to be included in the 2025 calendar, but the agreement for future editions was terminated in the previous season following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. For this Grand Prix, Pirelli, the sole tyre supplier, offers a choice between C2, C3, and C4 compounds, which are part of the central range of tyres provided by the Italian company, while the FIA confirms the two traditional Drag Reduction System zones used since the 2013 edition of the race when the global motorsport governing body decided to increase the sections where it could be used on the Shanghai circuit to two, after the single zone established in 2011, the season when the DRS debuted in Formula 1, and the second in 2012.
Drivers can activate the DRS on the straight between turns 13 and 14, with the detection point at turn 12, and on the main straight of the pits, the second zone introduced later, with the detection point before turn 16. The Federation also analysed the DRS zones in 2022, introducing changes in the previous championship to facilitate overtaking or make it more difficult at some circuits where it was deemed that the zones were too easy or difficult to overtake. The Shanghai circuit, which returned to the calendar, is not among the tracks subject to these modifications. Compared to the last edition in 2019, the track surface, built on a swamp, has deformed, creating irregularities that affect ground-effect cars, which are very sensitive to ride heights to generate aerodynamic load. Architect Hermann Tilke's company intervened to level the surface following an inspection of the track carried out by the Federation last year. The asphalt underwent a series of interventions that included precision milling, shot peening, and sealing. The circuit has also undergone other modifications: bumps at turn 1 and turn 8 were removed, as well as one on the right side at turn 3; all cracks in the asphalt in the working area of the mechanics in the pit lane were repaired, as well as all grass finishers; the asphalt run-off area at the exit of turn 10 was shortened, with gravel placed behind it, as well as at turn 12 on the left side and at turn 16 on the right side, by 1.7 meters; all sausage kerbs and artificial grass were removed; a new debris fence was installed at marshal post 9.5; all brake markers were removed and replaced with new ones attached to the fence. Light panel number 12, located on the right between turn 10 and turn 11, was moved further back; number 16, located on the left between turn 13 and turn 14, was moved forward, as well as number 18, located on the left after turn 15. After five years, Formula 1 is finally returning to Shanghai, and the drivers seem to be delighted with the return of the Chinese Grand Prix on the calendar. One in particular, Max Verstappen, is looking forward to the race, as this remains one of the few circuits in which he has not yet won. In this regard, the Dutch driver says:
"The Grand Prix will be a bit of an unknown. From the track's perspective, it seems they've repainted it rather than resurfaced it. I don't know what effect it will have on the track's grip; it's something we need to keep an eye on. It's the same for everyone, but we just need to have a good FP1 and hope we don't have to tweak the car too much. That will help us tackle the rest of the weekend better".
And he adds:
"The new format makes more sense. The most annoying thing about the previous version was that you went straight into qualifying, and if the setup wasn't right, you were stuck with that setup for the rest of the weekend. That could really damage your weekend. I think overall, with the Sprint, there's always one more question mark, which I think is a positive thing for F1. For me, at the moment, it's an unknown. We've never driven here with these new cars, so I don't know how we'll fare. Time will tell, and I'm not too worried".
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, Fernando Alonso renewed his contract with Aston Martin until the 2026 season. This is the first concrete move in the driver market domino effect triggered by Lewis Hamilton signing with Ferrari for 2025. Mike Krack, team principal of Aston Martin, comments on the announcement with understandable enthusiasm, given the significance of confirming their absolute reference point on track for the team:
"Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news. We have built a strong collaborative relationship over the past 18 months and share the same determination for the success of this project. We have had constant dialogue over the past few months, and Fernando has been true to his word: when he decided to continue racing, he spoke to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him. This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us through to 2026, when we will begin our partnership with Honda for the new power unit. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving more successes together".
For his part, Fernando Alonso says:
"After Japan, we got together and reached an agreement within two days. So, it was straightforward. Once the agreement was reached, we announced it, and everything is a bit simpler than it seems from the outside: there are many voices, but we have been loyal to each other, we have kept our word. It’s never an easy moment when decisions need to be made, especially at this time, since for me, it's probably my last contract. So, yes, I wanted to be sure it was the right decision, first of all, to continue racing in Formula 1, and to have the strength and motivation to continue competing for a few more years on my part. And then, subsequently, to ensure that the team has the goals and objectives for the coming years to be ambitious and strive to improve even further. I am extremely proud to represent Aston Martin for the next few years. I think with the new regulations in 2026, there will be an opportunity to shake things up and have a chance. We will be the only team with the Honda power unit, which is obviously a bit different from being a Mercedes customer. So, hopefully, we'll have a small improvement. Additionally, I believe that with Aramco and the biofuels coming in 2026, we'll have a small opportunity in this field as well. The team is improving more and more: there are new facilities, a new wind tunnel coming this summer. There are all the prerequisites to become a very strong team in the future, and I wanted to be part of it".
Speaking about Fernando Alonso's renewal with Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing's Mexican driver Sergio Perez takes the opportunity to talk about his own renewal with the Anglo-Austrian team. Seeing his colleague extending his career beyond 40 years, Checo sets out to do the same:
"The renewal of Alonso at Aston Martin? Every week, the contenders [for the Red Bull seat] change, but it's normal. I believe that until the signatures are there, everyone is a possible rival. Optimistic about the future at Red Bull? Yes, I am. We've been together for a few years now, and I think it will be a fairly quick conversation to know which direction to go".
And he adds:
"We all want to continue, so I expect it to be a matter of time. Checo is having his best season since he has been with us. If he maintains these performances, such as his qualifying performance in Japan, he will surely be the best option for Red Bull in 2025. He's a team player, and now he has also understood that the radically different approach chosen last year in terms of setup was wrong. Now the car is closer to Max's setup, and that helps him".
Staying on the topic of the driver market, Daniel Ricciardo's recent performance has prompted Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko to consider a possible replacement of Liam Lawson, the young New Zealander driver who had managed to put himself on the map during the 2023 season by filling in for the injured Australian driver himself:
"From Ricciardo, it was expected that he would be significantly faster than Yuki to have any hope of getting a seat at Red Bull. So far, it hasn't been the case, although, as I said, it was close. We'll see how the situation evolves. Lawson is obviously a strong driver, and he will have the contractual right to drive for another team if he doesn't get a seat with us in 2025. For us, it would obviously be interesting to see him in Formula 1 this year to get an even clearer picture. But it's a complex issue, so we'll have to see how the situation unfolds".
Virtually all the drivers agree: finally, it is a joy to return to Shanghai after a five-year absence. And Carlos Sainz Jr. is no different in externalising this happiness:
"We are back in China after five years and I’ve seen the difference in terms of popularity. In that time, Formula 1 has grown so much thanks to Drive to Survive and social media and it struck me immediately yesterday when I went for a walk in the centre of Shanghai and I was stopped many times by people in the street. It’s true that five years ago I wasn’t driving for Ferrari, but I was already in Formula 1 and that didn’t happen back then. I think that here too in China our sport has grown a lot in popularity and that is very positive. For the first time since my appendectomy operation I have been able to go cycling again and I pushed it as hard as possible as I found myself riding with one of the best champions, Tadej Pogacar, but I also relaxed watching the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 tennis tournament. I met Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner there and it was great to watch those two aces at work. I’d say in terms of my fitness I’m fully recovered. Having a Sprint weekend on a track where we have not raced for five years is a big challenge and there are many things we will need to understand, including what’s been done to the track surface, something we will only find out about when we leave the garage. I can’t wait to get in the car for what will be an interesting weekend".
Just as happy is Charles Leclerc, who is looking forward to another Sprint Race session:
"I can’t wait to get out on track here. I’ve only raced twice before in Shanghai and I found it a very interesting track, because at several points there are various possible lines to choose from, which means, especially in the race, you have more options for overtaking. As always when there’s the Sprint, you have to ensure you get the right feeling with the car from the very first laps. We will only have sixty minutes of free practice and the preparation work we did back in the factory is what will make the difference. I believe we can be very competitive here in China, but to do so we must be near the front of the grid. We particularly analysed how we carried out the preparation for a single flying lap in qualifying, as both Carlos and I struggled with it and it compromised our lap time. It’s true that I suffered the most with this. We believe we have found solutions to it and I’m keen to be able to check if I’m right and that we are on the right path. If we are, then we can expect to do well this weekend".
Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, instead, pauses to talk about his concerns, related to track conditions that the drivers will face after a five-year absence:
"We return to Shanghai after a break of several years and that will undoubtedly make for a very challenging weekend for everyone. We will have to deal with a combination of several factors as it’s the first time the current generation of cars will race at this circuit, but we will only have one free practice session before battling for grid positions for the Sprint. Another major question mark is linked to the condition of the track surface, which could have become bumpier since we last were here. As always with this weekend format, preparation back in the factory plays a vital role and in our case that will also involve improving the way we manage to preparation lap in qualifying, an area where we have been less than perfect recently. With Carlos and Charles, our aim is to get all the potential out of the car and to bring home a solid result, as well as putting our competitors under pressure".
Lando Norris arrives in Shanghai aware that the track does not suit the characteristics of his car. But rest assured that the British driver will do everything to be among the fastest:
"It's been a while since we've raced in Shanghai, so I'm looking forward to returning. Our last race was slightly challenging, but we still managed to get some more points. We have taken some time to go over our learnings and reset for this weekend. It'll be good to see what we can do with the Sprint weekend. The different sessions do make it more interesting for everyone. This might not be a circuit that suits us, but we're prepared to do our absolute best once again".
For Oscar Piastri, however, this is the first Chinese Grand Prix, having never yet raced on this track:
"I'm excited to race at the Chinese Grand Prix for the first time. The Shanghai International Circuit is a brand-new track for me. Since it's the first Sprint weekend of the season, it will be very important to try and make the most out of that first practice session to familiarise myself with the track. I've been in the sim back at MTC but of course, it's different when you're out on track. Hopefully, we can try and score some more points for the team and have a positive weekend".
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, expresses his concerns regarding the lack of time to properly set up the cars, as there is only one free practice session available:
"The Chinese Grand Prix is up next, as we return to Shanghai. This weekend is our first Sprint event of 2024. While this may offer more chances for points, it also adds the challenge of needing to maximise our efforts during the first practice session to gather as much data as possible ahead of the race, especially at a circuit we haven't raced at for five years. Of all the circuits we've raced at so far this year, it would seem the Shanghai International Circuit may not be the best suited to our car, and we could be met with unpredictable weather. The lack of data for all the teams could present some opportunities and challenges and we will be working hard to make sure we're well-prepared and in a position to capitalise where opportunities appear. We know where we need to improve to be consistently fighting further up the grid, but as always we will give it our all this weekend and aim to be in the fight once again".
There are those in F1 who think about assets, and those who think about economic assets, among them, Toto Wolff, Team Principal of Mercedes, does not hide the importance of the car market in this return of F1 to Shanghai:
"Returning to China is an important moment for the sport. As the world's largest automotive market and second biggest economy, China is crucial to the sport's global footprint. The growth of F1 in recent years has been positive and China is a key market in which to continue this progress. We are looking forward to racing in Shanghai for the first time in five years and bringing F1 back to the Chinese fans. With a sell-out crowd expected, I am sure it will be a fantastic event. It will be an interesting weekend on track. With new cars, new tyres, and changes to the track surface since we last raced in China, there will be plenty of unknowns. We have the first Sprint weekend of the year too and that brings its own challenges. The changes to the format, including a second parc fermé, will be an improvement to the rhythm of the weekend - and the single hour of practice still puts pressure to make the right decisions with imperfect information. We are looking forward to that test, though. The headline results didn't necessarily show it, but we made solid progress with our car in Japan. We are looking forward to building on that this weekend".
On the night of Wednesday, April 17, 2024, Alpine used one of the four curfews granted during the season to perform operations on their cars. The French team did not receive any penalties. Before the start of the free practice session, race control announced that drivers entering the pit lane must stay to the right of the continuous white line, except at the apex of the left-hand turn, where they must stay to the right of the bollard. The second gearbox and second transmission were installed on the cars of Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, and Daniel Ricciardo, and the third unit of both components was installed on Alexander Albon's car. All drivers were not penalised on the starting grid as the new components installed were within the maximum number allowed by the technical regulations. On George Russell's car, the second unit of the internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K, and exhaust system was installed. The second unit of the exhaust system was installed on the cars of Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hülkenberg. All drivers were not penalised on the starting grid as the new components installed were within the maximum number allowed by the technical regulations. Before the Sprint, race control announced that drivers should no longer stay to the right of the bollard once they enter the pit lane as the bollard was removed. On Friday, April 19, 2024, Lance Stroll was the fastest in the free practice session; the time set by the Aston Martin driver was, however, far from the best time in the first session of the last edition of the race, held in 2019. The Canadian was ahead of Oscar Piastri and the two Red Bull Racing drivers. The session was not particularly indicative, as each team focused on its own work program to gather information about the track.
Red Bull Racing used two sets of tyres, one Soft and one Medium, while Ferrari focused on using Soft tyres, without performing any race simulation. In contrast, Mercedes preferred to test the Hard tyres. The session was also briefly interrupted by a red flag due to a fire on the grass outside turn 7. Before the Sprint Qualifying, the third gearbox and third transmission were installed on Zhou Guanyu's car. The Chinese driver of the Stake F1 Team was not penalised on the starting grid as the new components installed were within the maximum number allowed by the technical regulations. At the beginning of SQ1, Oscar Piastri reported the first drops of rain falling on the track. This prompted almost all drivers to start the session immediately. Hamilton was the first among the more competitive teams to set a reference time (1'37"239). Sainz Jr. set the third-best time before the other Ferrari driver, Leclerc, set the best time. The two McLaren drivers followed. Then, Fernando Alonso clocked in at 1'36"883, setting the best time. After Stroll moved up to fourth place, Max Verstappen set the best time (1'36"456), but was soon beaten by his teammate, Sergio Pérez. Shortly after, Sainz Jr. moved up to third place, then Leclerc improved on the limit set by the Spaniard, before Norris took second place on the timesheets, between the two Red Bull Racing drivers. Albon did no better than P17 on his last fast lap, but still managed to be faster than Logan Sargeant, who was only P18. The two Mercedes drivers climbed into the positions sufficient to advance to the next round, while Piastri was fifth. Gasly, Ocon, Albon, Tsunoda, and Sargeant were eliminated. As happened in free practice, the grass outside turn 7 caught fire again due to sparks from the cars, causing a delay in the start of SQ2. Meanwhile, the rain continued to fall on the track, but forecasts predicted heavier rain only for the third and final phase of Sprint Qualifying.
All drivers, except the Red Bull Racing pair, lined up in the pit lane well before the start of the second phase to get on track as soon as possible. Norris completed his attempt, which could be the only fast one due to the imminent rain, with a time of 1'36"047. This time was beaten by his teammate, Oscar Piastri. Carlos Sainz Jr. placed third, while Alonso moved up to fourth. Then it was Leclerc's turn to set the best time, clocking in a 1'35"711; the Stake F1 Team drivers were also competitive, with Bottas fifth and Zhou seventh. However, the Chinese driver's time was beaten by Hamilton. Subsequently, Verstappen climbed to first place with a time of 1'35"606, while Pérez moved up to third. George Russell, in eleventh, tried to find a sufficient time to advance to the final phase, but the track conditions were too slippery for slick tyres. Besides the British driver, Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Ricciardo, and Stroll were eliminated. The third part of the session should, according to regulations, be tackled with Soft tyres: however, the track conditions led race control to declare the track as wet, allowing drivers to use intermediate wet tyres. On the out lap, Charles Leclerc lost control of his car, which hit the barriers, but the Monegasque driver managed to get back on track without causing severe damage to his car. Lando Norris also went off track. Verstappen, the first driver to attempt a time, made a driving error. Piastri completed his first attempt with a time of 2'02"598, while the World Champion was 0.4s behind, but his time was canceled for not respecting track limits due to his error that took him off the track. The same penalty would be imposed on all drivers who made similar errors. Shortly after, Sergio Pérez set the fastest time, clocking in a 2'00"455. Meanwhile, Alonso moved ahead of Sainz Jr., while Bottas set the second-best time. Piastri, then Norris, interspersed between Pérez and Bottas, before the Mexican improved again with a time of 2'00"375. Soon after, Alonso climbed to first place (2'00"213), while race control canceled Verstappen's time for the second time.
The same fate befell Norris, while with his only fast lap, Leclerc set the third-best time. Subsequently, Lewis Hamilton took the top spot with a time of 1'59"321. Verstappen managed to complete a lap correctly and was second. Norris did even better, placing first, but his time was canceled by the stewards. Hamilton decided not to push his last fast lap, convinced he had the pole position, but race control decided to reinstate Norris' previously canceled time. Lando Norris thus took the second pole position of his career in a Sprint Qualifying session. Hamilton's second place represents his best performance ever in a Sprint Qualifying session. Alonso is going to start in third, while Verstappen is fourth and Sainz Jr. is fifth. Zhou qualified for the final phase after reaching Q3 only four times in regular qualifying since his debut in Formula 1 in 2022. An unexpected result gives Lando Norris the pole position. But what happened? Well, the real mistake of the stewards was to delete the second lap of the British driver. Readmitting it in the ranking was just a dutiful correction. In fact, in the event notes circulated by Race Direction before the race, it is clearly mentioned that the lap was to be cancelled if the track limits were not respected. Nowhere is it mentioned that the following lap should also be cancelled for allegedly taking an illegal advantage. Therefore, Lando Norris can celebrate for the unexpected result:
"I'm extremely happy, first of all, a big thanks to the whole team. It was tricky. Going into a session like this isn't easy, especially before Sprint Quali when you know it's going to rain. I was quite happy with how we were in the dry - we've had good pace all weekend so far, so it was a challenge heading into the session with changeable conditions, where you've got to push, build tyre temperature and get a lap in. There is still a chance of rain tomorrow, so if it's like this, then I think our chances of a good result are relatively decent, but the race is very different to qualifying and I'm sure everyone is going to catch up a bit tomorrow. I think we're in a good position and I'm very happy. The team did a good job, the car's feeling good and so am I, and it's paying off".
While on one side of the McLaren box Lando Norris is celebrating, Oscar Piastri certainly cannot be satisfied with his own performance, which will force him to start P8 in the Sprint Race:
"A mixed day. Unfortunately, not the end to Sprint Qualifying that we wanted".
And he adds:
"I had some wheelspin and pulled a gear and found neutral which was frustrating as I think we could have been higher up, but I also just didn't find enough on the last lap. I'm pleased for Lando and I think overall, we're more promising here than we were expecting to be, but the pace in general is tough to judge. We'll have a look overnight and see what we can do ahead of the Sprint and Grand Prix Qualifying tomorrow".
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, was concerned about the short amount of time available to help find the right set-up for the cars. But it must be said that any doubts were banished by the performance of Lando Norris, who enabled the British team to secure a valuable pole position in Sprint Qualifying:
"It was an intense session affected by the weather, with the rain imminent in the first two Sprint Qualifying sessions, before finally arriving at the end of the second, with the third being wet. We needed to be ready, operationally and we needed to drive clean laps in difficult conditions, and this is what the team and the drivers did today. I have to praise Lando's brilliant driving in SQ3 when the grip was very low on Intermediate tyres and it was difficult to stay out of trouble and work out where to put the wheels. It was a shame on Oscar's side that he suffered an issue with a lock-up and then with the gearbox, which meant he lost acceleration and a large amount of time out of the hairpin. He should have been higher in the classification. Nonetheless, this is a good starting position for the Sprint, with two cars that can finish strongly in the points. We'll have to be ready for everything because there still seems to be some inclement weather around, but so far, so good this weekend".
For a few moments, Lewis Hamilton hoped to restart in first position during the Sprint Race. The joy was short-lived, but second position is not a bad result for the British driver:
"The conditions were very tricky out there. As you could see, there was not a lot of grip out there for anyone. As soon as I saw the rain coming though, I was getting very excited. Our pace in the dry didn't look quite quick enough to challenge at the very front, so the wet weather gave us more of an opportunity. That's when it all came alive. We will have to wait and see what the conditions are tomorrow. We have a lot of fast cars starting behind us, but we will see what we can do to keep them behind us".
For George Russell, however, Sprint Qualifying was a nightmare:
"It wasn't easy at all out there. I got one lap in SQ2 before the rain arrived, which was frustrating. We tried to get out on track as soon as we could, as we knew the rain was coming. We got stuck behind several cars in the pitlane however and lost a lot of tyre temperature. We were still close to going through; one more tenth and we would have made it, so it was a shame to be on the losing end of that. Who knows what would have happened if we had got through to SQ3. Nevertheless, we've got a chance to recover in the Sprint tomorrow. After that, we've got qualifying for the Grand Prix in the afternoon and that is what really matters".
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director, therefore tries to explain what happened to George Russell:
"It was a tricky day today. We knew that having not visited here in five years, the circuit would likely be very green in FP1. That proved to be the case and we therefore elected to only run one set of the Hard tyres".
And he adds:
"That provides us with a more beneficial allocation for the rest of the weekend. We hope that will prove useful as the track continues to grip up and evolve. Given the solitary hour of practice, it was always going to be a challenge to get the cars in the optimal window for Sprint Qualifying. That was complicated further by the changing conditions. After getting both cars through to SQ2, George suffered from a lack of tyre temperature on his first push lap. As the rain began to fall, he found himself on the wrong side of the bubble. Lewis made it through and, after a good call by him and the team to change into a new set of Intermediates with higher pressure, did a great job to qualify P2. Our pace in the dry wasn't spectacular but with Lewis, we will be looking to keep those faster cars behind us in tomorrow's Sprint. George should be able to make some forward progress from his starting position and hopefully he can fight his way into the points. The on-track running in the Sprint will also provide us with further knowledge that we can utilise to make further adjustments to the W15 ahead of qualifying".
Fernando Alonso qualified in P3. However, the Spanish driver externalisfed his frustration with the constantly changing weather conditions:
"It was quite a stressful Sprint Qualifying. In SQ1 we were looking at the radar and checking if the rain was coming. We progressed and safely made it into SQ3 in eighth position before it rained more heavily. As the conditions changed, we were quite competitive. The tyres seemed to improve with each lap, but the circuit was just getting worse with the rainfall increasing. It was difficult to judge the level of grip and how much risk to take. We have the two races now, so let's see if we can score some points in the Sprint and qualify well for Sunday".
For Max Verstappen, generally accustomed to other results, today holds only a P4 at the end of Sprint Qualifying:
"It was incredibly slippery out there and I struggled a lot to get the temperature in the tyres, that’s why it was very difficult to keep the car on track. The car never really switched on for me and it was like driving on ice, which is why I think we deserved where we finished in Sprint Qualifying. It wasn’t really working for me in the wet, even though I think in the dry the car was quite good and I was quite happy with that. It doesn’t always go as planned but it’s not like you have to start on the inside here, there will be low grip for everyone due to the paint on the tarmac here and so we have to try and have the best start possible. I think it is going to be quite a long stint on one set of tyres for the Sprint but I think that that will make it quite interesting".
Instead, a driving error prevented Sergio Pérez from taking the front row of the grid:
"Things were looking great initially, considering the traffic and the backmarkers, we were onto a good final lap but unfortunately, I just couldn’t make the final corner, it was so tricky to get through there and that meant I went off. That compromised being on the front row for the Sprint but I think we are in a good place this weekend. I felt confident straight away today and we are in a good moment with the car, so in any conditions I think we can be competitive for now, which is very promising."
The Sprint Qualifying result of the Red Bill Racing drivers, however, did not put Christian Horner, CEO and Team Principal, in a bad mood. In fact, the circuit has unique features that allow drivers to overtake easily:
"The Sprint Qualifying certainly proved exciting albeit in tricky conditions. Fourth and sixth to start the Sprint tomorrow is obviously not what we were aiming for but it’s a circuit that you can overtake on and therefore we know we are in the fight. The conditions on Saturday look to be a little more consistent than they were today so we are hopeful of a competitive Saturday and we will look to move up the field quickly and deliver a strong performance tomorrow in the Sprint and then in qualifying".
It was a very convulsive qualifying session for the Scuderia Ferrari drivers. Carlos Sainz Jr., for example, had quite a few difficulties in using the tyres:
"It was a tough mixed session. We made it through SQ1 and SQ2 without major issues, but then in SQ3, with the rain and the Intermediate tyres, we struggled quite a lot with the rear tyres as we weren’t able to get them up to the right temperature. If the Sprint Race tomorrow is also wet it won't be an easy session for us, but as of now it looks like there is a higher chance of dry conditions. In any case, we will try to recover some positions and face qualifying in the afternoon with good momentum".
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc even lost control of the car, crashing into the barriers. Fortunately, the Monegasque driver was able to return to the pits to replace the damaged car parts:
"I lost it on the out lap in Turn 8 during SQ3, which compromised our session. I don’t think there was much we could have done differently today. We did some good work in terms of tyre preparation in dry conditions, which seems to be paying off. We’ll give it our all in the Sprint Race and then reset for qualifying tomorrow afternoon".
However, Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, tries to look on the bright side of the situation:
"The conditions in SQ3 were extremely difficult and we struggled to get the Intermediates up to temperature, although I think this was the same for everyone. We will analyse all the data to see what we can learn from this first wet session, even if I reckon the condition of the track surface made the situation even more tricky. The forecast for tomorrow is better and we expect the rest of the weekend to be dry. We definitely had been hoping for a slightly less complicated first day on track given that we have not raced here in five years and this is our first time here with the new generation of cars. We are working a bit in the dark and the asphalt is particularly difficult to understand, but I think we are working in the right way and I hope the fact we have saved a set of Mediums today will be useful later. Tomorrow, we will start off by trying to score points and then switch our focus to Sunday when the big points are given out".
In conclusion, Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer, talks about the various strategies that drivers can choose in the upcoming Sprint Race and Chinese Grand Prix sessions:
"It was a very interesting day for the spectators as well as for everyone working in the sport. With the weather changing considerably over the course of the day, we saw four of the five types of tyre available to the teams this weekend coming into play. With regard to the slicks, an initial analysis suggests that all three compounds could play their part over the rest of the weekend. The Medium is clearly destined to be used in both tomorrow morning's Sprint Race and Sunday's Grand Prix, with the Soft possibly a valid option for the Sprint, especially if it is held in cooler conditions than this morning's free practice and logically, the Hard is more likely to see use in Sunday's race. In general, track conditions changed very quickly over the course of the day. Contrary to expectations, we did not see any graining today, while with the dry compounds we saw quite significant degradation, but it is too early to have a clear idea regarding strategies. The Sprint Race will be a great test session to check tyre behaviour over a long stint. The rain in Q3 meant we were able to see what the Intermediate could do in a very closely contested scenario and it behaved pretty well despite the unusual Shanghai asphalt. In fact, the additional layer of bitumen put down in recent months has rendered the track even more slippery in wet conditions, putting the drivers' skills to the test. The result was a truly spectacular session which I think everyone found entertaining, including the drivers themselves".
On Saturday, April 20, 2024, all drivers, except George Russell who opted to start the Sprint Race on Soft tyres, mounted Medium tyres. At the start, Lewis Hamilton took the lead, while Lando Norris, who started from pole position, made a driving error at the first corner, losing several positions. Behind Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso slotted in, ahead of Max Verstappen, who in turn was ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr., Sergio Pérez, and Charles Leclerc. During the first few laps, the Spanish Ferrari driver tried unsuccessfully to take the position from Verstappen. The Dutch driver complained to his engineer about not being able to charge the battery, but thanks to the instructions provided, the Red Bull Racing driver managed to solve the problem and set the fastest lap. After five laps, Hamilton had a 1.5-second advantage over Fernando Alonso, who in turn was 1.2 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Sainz Jr. stayed 1.6 seconds behind the World Champion and was approached by Pérez, Leclerc, and Norris. On lap 7, on the long straight opposite the finish line, Verstappen passed Alonso. Two laps later, thanks also to a driving error by Hamilton, the Dutch Red Bull Racing driver overtook the British driver and took the lead of the race. Hamilton tried to stay in his slipstream but was soon distanced. Meanwhile, Alonso was 2.6 seconds behind Hamilton, while Sainz Jr., Pérez, Leclerc, and Norris were all within a second of the driver ahead of them. Verstappen continued to increase his lead in the following laps, while his teammate, Sergio Pérez, complained about the car's traction and was approached by Leclerc, who tried to overtake him on several occasions. Three laps from the end of the race, Carlos Sainz Jr. attacked Alonso at turn 7, passing him at turn 8. The two engaged in a long duel, which ended up favouring Pérez, who passed both of them. In contact with his compatriot, Alonso's car suffered a tyre puncture, forcing the Spanish Aston Martin driver to pit, only to opt for retirement. Shortly after, the battle between the two Ferrari drivers heated up, with Leclerc overtaking Sainz Jr. after the two cars made contact. Verstappen won the first Sprint Race of the season with a 13.043-second advantage over Hamilton. The World Champion won his eighth career Sprint since the introduction of the short race in the 2021 season, out of thirteen events held so far in the history of the World Championship, the first since winning at the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix. At the end of the Sprint, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr. were summoned by the stewards following a collision between the two drivers at turn 9; Alonso was penalised with a ten-second time penalty and three points on his super license.
However, the penalty had no practical effect as the Spaniard was already classified last. A few hours later, before the start of qualifying, the second gearbox and third transmission were installed on Oscar Piastri's car. The Australian McLaren driver does not incur any penalties as the new components installed are within the maximum number allowed by the technical regulations. When Q1 starts to determine the starting positions for the Chinese Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen sets the first reference time (1'36"646). This time is soon improved by Russell. Carlos Sainz Jr. attempts to use Medium tyres but is 0.5 seconds off the Mercedes driver's time. Norris sets the second-best time, just under 0.1 seconds off Russell's time, before Alonso records the best momentary performance (1'35"116). Subsequently, Bottas and Stroll climb to second and third places, respectively. Charles Leclerc is fourth on Soft tyres, and even Verstappen does not match Alonso's performance. Hamilton, on the other hand, is eighth. Albon is fourth, although the Williams driver has just slowed Pérez down. Shortly after, Oscar Piastri sets the best time, setting a 1'35"014, while Yuki Tsunoda's DRS is repaired. Sainz Jr., after switching to Soft tyres, beats Piastri's time. Pérez's time is canceled for exceeding track limits. Provisionally eliminated, Lando Norris tries to improve and succeeds, surpassing Sainz Jr. (1'34"842). Pérez, with the sixth time, also ensures his passage to Q2, while Hamilton remains second to last. Verstappen is fast enough to bring the session limit to 1'34"742. Shortly after, Zhou Guanyu moves up to ninth and Alex Albon to seventh, while Logan Sargeant spins and cannot complete a fast lap to try to qualify for the next phase. Magnussen, Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Stroll climb up, Russell moves to fifth place, and Gasly sets the ninth time, while the other Alpine driver, Ocon, does not go beyond eleventh place. Sergio Pérez narrowly escapes, placing 15th, in a session characterised by a significantly and consistently improving track. Zhou, Magnussen, Hamilton, Tsunoda, and Sargeant do not advance to the second phase. For the first three minutes of the second session, no driver decides to enter the track. Alonso sets the first valid time, lapping in 1'34"801, but the Aston Martin driver is soon overtaken by Piastri, who is then surpassed by Norris with a 1'34"460 lap.
The first driver to dip below the 1'34"0 limit is Verstappen. Leclerc sets the eighth-best time, while Pérez ends his first attempt 0.9 seconds behind the World Champion. The session is interrupted shortly after when Sainz Jr. spins at the last corner, hitting the barriers. However, his car remains mostly intact, allowing the Spaniard to return to the pits, where the front wing is replaced. When the session resumes, George Russell, who has been blocked during his fast lap by the red flag, completes his attempt, setting the third-fastest time. Verstappen improves further, lowering the limit to 1'33"794. Lance Stroll also improves, as does Fernando Alonso, now fourth. Sainz Jr., having returned to the track, climbs to second place, 0.5 seconds behind Verstappen. Leclerc moves up to third place, while Pérez manages to beat Sainz Jr.'s time but not his teammate's. Stroll, Ricciardo, Ocon, Albon, and Gasly do not set valid times to progress to the final phase. When Q3 starts, Alonso outperforms Verstappen in the first sector on his initial attempt. The World Champion completes his first lap in 1'33"977, distancing Pérez by 0.5 seconds. Alonso manages to insert himself between the two Red Bull Racing drivers. Shortly after, Oscar Piastri moves up to fourth place, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg and George Russell.
Carlos Sainz Jr. then sets the fourth-best time, while Norris cannot go beyond fifth place. Leclerc is slower, moving up to seventh position. The Spaniard driver is 0.2 seconds behind Verstappen in the first sector of his second attempt, while Leclerc is 0.3 seconds behind. However, the Monegasque driver sets the best overall time in the second sector. Before the two Ferrari drivers complete their laps, Russell climbs to third place. Shortly after, Sainz Jr. moves up to second place. Subsequently, various drivers manage to beat the times of those who preceded them, successively claiming the second position: first Leclerc, then Piastri, Norris, Alonso, and finally Pérez. Meanwhile, Verstappen improves his performance from the first attempt, securing his 37th career pole position, his fifth of the season, and consecutive. For Red Bull Racing, it is the 100th pole position in history, the fifth this World Championship, and consecutive, and the fourth overall at this race for the first time since the 2011 edition with Sebastian Vettel. For Verstappen, it is his sixth consecutive pole position, a streak that began at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last race of the previous championship. The Dutchman achieves six consecutive poles for the first time in his career, matching Ayrton Senna (1989) and Mika Häkkinen (1999) as the driver with five pole positions in the first five races of the season, and he becomes the first driver of the 21st century to secure the first five poles of the World Championship.
"We made some changes to the car and everything went well from the beginning of qualifying, then it's a matter of optimising every session and every outing on track, trying to improve each time following the evolution of the circuit. The car was enjoyable to drive, so I have no major complaints. Fear? Yes, of sharks in the water, snakes, and even spiders, but not of anyone on the track. You always have to try to give your best: I have respect for everyone, and even if they had the best car, they could do a fantastic job. But I focus on myself, try to have fun, and enjoy life. I have no question marks for the race, we need to prepare well to optimise everything, to examine the details to ensure that everything can go well".
Pérez is second, having never qualified in the top positions at the Shanghai circuit. The Mexican driver could hardly hope for better than this, and at the end of qualifying he says:
"The gap from Max? I no longer look at the gap, but rather the position. Considering my qualifying, I believe it's a good day for the team. We've monopolised the front row, considering how small the margins are, we can look optimistically towards tomorrow. We're in a good position to fight in the race. The qualifying session was very intense. I risked going out in Q1 because I encountered traffic from a Williams (that of Alex Albon in Turn 1, ed) and had to return to the pits, aborting the lap. Then I went out with new tyres, very hot, and just made it through. It was a bit of a mess there. But then in Q2, I found the rhythm and better balance, and we made good progress. In the end, I lacked something to match Max, but the result is still fantastic. The track has changed a lot, and we have also changed to adapt. Tomorrow everything is at stake, we can fight and have a good race with a good pace. I look forward to the race with confidence".
Team Principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, can only be pleased with the work so far:
"We made some changes ahead of qualifying, and the car responded well. Max did an exceptional job, and Checo secured the front row. This marks our 100th pole position, so it's a great day for the team. Sunday will be a different day. We'll see what the weather does, but for now, we're enjoying this day with a win in the Sprint, pole position in the afternoon, and the entire front row. There's nothing better. Certainly, Sergio will try to release the clutch faster than his teammate. But it will be important to work as a team in the first sequence of corners".
And Red Bull Racing's external consultant, Helmut Marko, also expresses his happiness with the outstanding performance delivered by Max Verstappen:
"The decisive factor was that Max had a car that was perfectly drivable. And of course, credit must be given to Max's incredible precision in overtaking. I believe Pérez will be Max's main opponent in the race. Today, the Ferraris had a disappointing performance, but it will be different in the race. I just hope that a DRS train forms behind us, to facilitate the escape of our drivers. We didn't perform well in the wet, but now we're in a good position. And with Max in front, everything should go well".
Alonso is third, his best start in the Chinese Grand Prix since the 2013 edition and the best of the season. However, at the end of the qualifying session, Aston Martin filed a protest against the session's outcome with the race stewards. According to the British team's opinion, Ferrari's Spanish driver, Carlos Sainz Jr., completed a lap under red flag conditions, which allowed him to return to the pits and then continue to Q2 after his spin and impact with the barriers in the middle of the session. The two teams were summoned by the race control. The Federation rejected Aston Martin's protest as, although confirming that a stationary car on track during qualifying should not continue the session, this rule had not been applied previously. A car that managed to restart within a reasonable time, usually around 30 seconds, was allowed to continue qualifying. The global motorsport body emphasised the importance of the damaged car not receiving any assistance from track marshals. Aston Martin, however, contests the fact that Sainz Jr.'s restart occurred one minute and seventeen seconds later, a time deemed acceptable by the Federation due to the absence of clear indications in the regulations or an agreed and established practice, which at that point becomes the prerogative of race control. Be that as it may, the Spanish Aston Martin driver says at the end of qualifying:
"I am happy with third position in Qualifying today. Both Q1 and Q2 went smoothly, and we progressed into Q3. I then nearly aborted my last lap in Q3 because I lost a few tenths in the first sector. I made back some of this lap time during the rest of the lap, so I kept going and I'm glad I did. We are again a few positions higher in Qualifying than our natural position suggests, but we will take this result and it's always nice to finish in the top three. It will be a real fight to keep our rivals behind us for a full race distance, but let's see what we can do tomorrow".
While Carlos Sainz Jr. certainly cannot be happy with the qualifying result:
"This qualifying session didn't go as well as we hoped, but even after the incident in the last corner we managed to keep it together and reacted positively right away. Overall it was a tough session for us, as we struggled a bit too much in sector 1 and our total lap time wasn’t enough to fight for better positions. However I’m confident that in the race, with this set up, we will be faster than some of the rivals starting in front of us. We are up for an interesting race tomorrow where strategy will also play an important role".
Charles Leclerc secures sixth place, doing better than his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. by just 0.008 seconds.
"We compromised our qualifying by prioritising the race tomorrow and struggled slightly more than we expected. Our race pace is strong and it will be a long one, with tyre degradation playing a big role here. Even the smallest change of wind can influence the car balance, so anything can happen. We will push tomorrow and let’s see what is possible".
Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, certainly cannot hide a hint of regret at how the qualifying session ended:
"We were expecting a better result to be honest. This afternoon our performance was quite inconsistent not just from one session to another, but from one run to another. I think both our drivers did the maximum today as the fact that they set basically the same time in Q3 shows but it was definitely a chaotic afternoon. Carlos made a mistake in Q2 but was able to manage the crash and bring the car back to continue the session. Of course, we need to keep working on where we are lacking over a flying lap. Now, let’s focus on tomorrow: from what we saw this morning in the Sprint Race it seems that we have a good pace over a long stint. It’s going to be a long race in which tyre degradation will play a part and good pitstops and strategy can also make a difference. We will prepare in detail for the race, as we have seen that overtaking is possible unless you are stuck in a DRS train as was the case this morning".
Lando Norris is fourth, ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri in qualifying for the third consecutive race. The British driver certainly cannot be fully satisfied, given that he had achieved pole position just the day before, but all in all, fourth place can be a good starting point:
"I think it was a good qualifying for us. Maybe P3 was on the cards - but I think we have to be satisfied. Sometimes you win it, sometimes you lose it in these very close sessions. Another good starting position and a good qualifying so I'm happy with today. The real challenge is tomorrow. We need to get our heads down and do our best tonight and prepare the best we can for the main race and get some good points for the team".
Oscar Piastri is also happy with the qualifying result, which puts him in a position to aspire to a final place on the podium:
"P5, I'm happy with that. I think the last lap in Q3 was pretty solid. A couple of corners were a bit scrappy but that's just the nature of the beast around here. We're in a good place to fight for points tomorrow so we'll see what we can do. We'll do our best to stay there, which may be tricky as our race pace isn't quite there as we saw in the Sprint this morning, but we'll give it our all".
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, concludes by saying:
"Qualifying in Shanghai confirmed our car is competitive with new tyres in qualifying. P4 and P5 are strong positions from which to start the race tomorrow, hopefully to score important points. At the same time, we saw in the Sprint that the challenge becomes more difficult across a race stint. We have to improve this, and have already made some set-up tweaks between Sprint and qualifying today. We'll see tomorrow exactly how helpful those are, but for the moment, well done to the team and drivers for maximising the potential of the car this afternoon".
George Russell is eighth, while Nico Hülkenberg qualifies for Q3 for the second time this season. Valtteri Bottas places tenth. For the British Mercedes driver, satisfaction is slow in coming:
"We didn't have our best day today. With the strong wind, it was very challenging out there. The conditions had changed from Friday too, so we had to adapt. We took the Soft tyre for the Sprint and it was definitely worth the gamble. It performed OK and it gave us some good learnings for tomorrow. Ultimately, we did well to score a point. Qualifying was also tricky. My first lap in Q2 was looking very strong but the red flag forced us to abort. We had to use another set of new tyres to progress to Q3. Without that, we would have had two new sets for the final part of Qualifying and it could have been a different outcome but who knows. We are in that fight between P3 and P8 and, unfortunately, we've found ourselves at the back end of that battle in the last few races in Qualifying. Small differences can have a major impact. It is hard to predict what will happen tomorrow. It's all to play for with those cars around us so hopefully we have the pace to move forward".
It was, however, far worse for Lewis Hamilton, who was eliminated in Q1 and forced to start from P18 due to a less-than-optimal car setup:
"To be sat on the front-row for the Sprint was a great feeling. Racing into Turn 1 and taking the lead reminded me of what I love so much about this sport! It was a challenging race but to get second was great. We knew Qualifying would be much tougher this afternoon though. I made some sizeable set-up changes after the Sprint to try and improve the car in the slow speed turns. It wasn't too bad in some corners, but I struggled elsewhere. It was challenging to get the rear tyres to stop into Turn 14 and that's where I locked up on my final lap. If I hadn't had that, I would have made it through to Q2. I'll be giving it my best shot tomorrow. We can still have some fun even if we are starting from P18".
Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal and CEO, is happy with the result of the Sprint Race, but a little less happy with what happened during qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix:
"Second in the Sprint was a good result. Lewis made a very strong start and that opened up the potential of a strong finish for us. With George, the Soft tyre was a bit of an experiment that we wanted to try. It held on better than expected and that opens up more possibilities for Sunday. Ultimately, we knew that we had outperformed where the true pace of our car was in the Sprint. We therefore decided to make some big set-up changes between the Sprint and Qualifying to try and improve the car's low-speed performance. The drivers chose to go in pretty different directions to support our learning process, but it clearly didn't work for us today on a single lap. Lewis would have progressed comfortably out of Q1 without a lock-up in Turn 14 that cost him more than half-a-second. George made it through to Q3 solidly but had just one set of new tyres available. He set his fastest lap of the session, but like two weeks ago in Suzuka, was at the back of a close group where a couple of tenths equate to four or five grid positions. We now need to focus on racing and recovering strongly tomorrow and moving forwards with both cars".
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director, explains what happened to Lewis Hamilton during qualifying:
"It was great to be able to hang onto P2 with Lewis in the Sprint and for George to make enough places up to get into the points. However, neither driver was happy with the car. The wind rotated overnight and made the balance very inconsistent. In some corners we were suffering with understeer and in others the rear was very weak. To try to address that, we made extensive changes to both cars going into Qualifying. The car was quite different and ultimately that caught Lewis out in Q1 with a big lock into the hairpin on his final lap. Without that he would have gone through comfortably. George managed a little better, but it still wasn't an easy car to drive. With only one new set of Soft tyres for Q3, P8 was ultimately the best we could do. We're at the back of a tight bunch and small steps will change the picture quite quickly, but right now we're not quick enough. We'll run the usual simulations this evening to understand how to best optimise the situation for tomorrow, but we're likely going to have to look for the opportunities to do things differently to others".
Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director, at the end of the second day of the three scheduled for the sporting event, may give more information regarding the use of tyres to be used during the Chinese Grand Prix:
"The second day of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend was really busy with the new format providing plenty of interest for the spectators, who once again today packed out the grandstands. The Sprint Race clearly demonstrated the good performance level of the Medium tyre and thanks to Russell, we saw that the Soft cannot be discounted as a possible compound to use in the race. It could indeed be an ideal solution for the first stint for those wishing to pit early to exploit the undercut, which is very effective here, or maybe in the closing stages of the race to try and make up some places if a driver finds himself behind others on older and therefore less effective tyres. Considering the high level of degradation seen so far in yesterday's free practice and today's Sprint, a two-stop is clearly the quickest strategy. A mix of C3 and C2 is the best on paper but, as mentioned previously, the C4 could also come into play. In terms of wear, the tyre requiring the most care is the front left, but the rears could also have a hard time".
On Sunday, April 21, 2024, shortly before the start of the race, Logan Sargeant's car has its front and rear wings replaced, along with suspension setup changes under parc fermé conditions without the approval of the FIA technical delegate. The American Williams driver, who qualified in 20th position, is forced to start from the pit lane. On the starting grid, most drivers start on Medium tyres: only Magnussen uses Hard tyres, while Stroll, Hamilton, Tsunoda, and Sargeant start on Soft tyres. At the start, Max Verstappen maintains the lead, followed by Alonso, starting third, who overtakes Pérez, Norris, Piastri, Russell, and Hülkenberg, who is ahead of the two Ferrari drivers. The German Haas driver soon loses three positions. During lap 5, Sergio Pérez overtakes Alonso. Three laps later, Norris, taking advantage of Alonso's early tyre degradation, moves up to third place. During lap 9, Leclerc overtakes Russell and moves up to sixth position. Three laps later, the Monegasque Ferrari driver also manages to pass Oscar Piastri, while Fernando Alonso pits to change tyres (Hard), as does Russell, who returns to the track on Medium tyres. Both Red Bull Racing drivers also make a stop during the same lap, fourteenth. The strategy is the same for both drivers, now on Hard tyres. Meanwhile, Norris takes the lead, followed by Leclerc. The Ferrari driver is soon overtaken by Verstappen. During lap 17, Piastri also pits, mounting Medium tyres. Already on lap 19, Verstappen returns to the lead after passing Norris. In the same lap, Carlos Sainz Jr. changes tyres. During lap 21, Valtteri Bottas retires, leaving his Stake F1 Team in a dangerous position. The race direction, albeit with some delay, decides to impose a virtual safety car regime.
Leclerc immediately takes advantage of the situation to change tyres. Hamilton and Stroll also pit for their second stop. A lap later, Norris also changes tyres. Subsequently, the race direction, seeing the difficulty of moving the Finn driver's car, imposes a Safety Car regime. This allows many other drivers, including Verstappen, Pérez, Alonso, and Russell, to stop for the second time in the race. At the restart, Verstappen was in first position, ahead of Norris, Leclerc, Pérez, Alonso, Sainz Jr., and Russell. Alonso is the only driver among those who made the second pit stop to opt for Soft tyres. Under the Safety Car regime, just before the restart, at turn 14, Lance Stroll rear-ends Daniel Ricciardo, who in turn lightly touches Oscar Piastri's car. Both drivers can continue, but the Canadian has to return to the pits. When the race direction releases the drivers, Kevin Magnussen hits Yuki Tsunoda, forcing him to retire. Later, Fernando Alonso attempts to overtake Sergio Pérez without success. In turn, the Red Bull Racing Mexican driver attacks Charles Leclerc. The overtaking succeeds on lap 39. Two laps later, Lewis Hamilton overtakes Nico Hülkenberg, moving up to ninth place. On lap 44, Alonso, who had mounted Soft tyres, makes a stop and switches to Medium tyres. The Spanish driver rejoins the race in P12 but, taking advantage of the new tyres, recovers to P7 in five laps, also setting the fastest lap. Max Verstappen wins the Chinese Grand Prix, securing his 58th career victory, the fourth win of the season, and the second consecutive win after the Sprint Race victory. For the three-time World Champion, it is the first victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Dutch driver triumphs in the thirtieth different Grand Prix: the World Champion wins for the thirty-first time in his career after starting from pole position and achieves his 102nd podium, while the Red Bull Racing mechanics set the seasonal record for pit stop time during a stop for Verstappen, in 1.90s. It is a magical moment for the Dutch driver, who is breaking record after record. Not surprisingly, at the end of the race, Max Verstappen is extremely happy:
"I think today went really well and I was very happy with everything, we had great pace in the whole race although of course with the deployment of the safety car, the gap that I had created was lost and we then had to gain that back. Today the car was very well balanced, every time that we needed to be quick we were and it felt much more consistent to drive in comparison to the Sprint, even for the restarts and overall I am really pleased with the performance that we had as a team. Every race is different in terms of emotions, this one was particularly enjoyable because the whole weekend went so well, especially considering that it was a Sprint weekend which is always much more hectic. A weekend like this is as much as you can ever hope for. A win in Shanghai was definitely on my list, to be here and to win in front of such an amazing crowd is very special and I am pleased that the race is back on the calendar".
It was not as easy for Sergio Pérez, who was damaged by the SC entry during the race. The Mexican driver tried to recover, but he wore down the tyres too much, and the comeback was not completed:
"The Safety Car cost us a little today, it would have been close but unfortunately it came at the wrong time for us and put us on the back foot and we lost two places. Fighting with Charles damaged my tyres a little too much and it made it hard. The level of degradation was a little too trying on this track to make better progress, so we struggled. I wanted more today, I did expect a little more from the race, the Sprint looked very promising but today we were not able to capitalise on that. We made some changes that potentially took away some of our performance. We will review those for Miami to make sure we keep this progression going to keep these better weekends. We are having a lot stronger weekends and it’s just a matter of now being able to lead from lap one and do our own race, hopefully that will come soon".
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing CEO and Team Principal, despite the recent internal turmoil within the Anglo-Austrian team, shows his joy at the results achieved:
"It was a phenomenal weekend for the Team, 117 wins and 15 years since our first victory here marks a very big moment for us and one I am very proud of on a personal level. We are very happy with the progress. Max has just been fantastic, all season long and again with Checo on the podium sums up a great all round performance. We were on an aggressive two stop and we were a little unlucky with the safety car which played into Lando and Charles favour, but that's the way it goes sometimes. So they got a free stop and were able to jump Checo on track. He managed to pass Charles but unfortunately, he didn’t have enough to catch Lando. Maybe we wore the tyres out too early on, but it was a great drive by both drivers and a great race by the whole Team. The pit crew were on their game today with the double stack and that is a measure of the tone set by the Team in general, everyone continues to fire on all cylinders both here and back at home in Milton Keynes. I would also like to thank Exxon Mobil for their continued support and congratulate them on 50 years of Mobil1. We literally would not be able to get out of the gate without them".
Lando Norris is positively surprised by the performance of his car. Second place was an unexpected result given the speed of the two Red Bull Racing cars. But the British driver still managed to get a very good result:
"I am very happy for the whole team today, they deserved it so big thanks to them. Our pit stops were solid and the car felt great today. I really wasn't expecting it to be the kind of race where we would perform like this, but I was comfortable, we could manage the tyres far easier than yesterday and push. Good day, good points and another podium - I'm very happy. It's a pleasant surprise but it shows the team has done a good job. We're working hard and it's paying off".
It did not go as well for Oscar Piastri, eighth at the end of a very difficult race:
"It was a difficult afternoon for me. I struggled a little bit in the first stint and then, on the Safety Car restart, I got hit from behind which caused a lot of damage and made the second half of the race pretty painful. It was good to still score some points and get Lando on the podium, so we come away from China with positives, and now look forward to Miami".
Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, is really surprised about Lando Norris' final result. The Italian engineer did not believe that the British cars could have so much potential, and in fact he thought this would be a difficult weekend for the team:
"We expected this weekend in China to be a case of damage limitation but, in reality, it proved to be our strongest weekend of the season so far. Pole Position in the Sprint, a strong qualifying performance ahead of the Grand Prix and then, today, a podium for Lando - and a podium on merit. It's a great credit to the hard work put in by the drivers, the team trackside, at the factory and everyone at HPP, and a nice reward for us, our partners and our fans. I'm very happy for everyone involved. On Oscar's side, the damage he received during the race robbed him of downforce and meant it was impossible to fight for higher positions - but he drove really well, adapting to the changed balance of the car, and did a good job to add points to our tally. It feels good to have a result like this. A big thank you to everyone involved - now we need to keep improving and working hard to have more days like this. The only way to do that is to improve the car. Bring on Miami".
It was indeed a tough weekend for Scuderia Ferrari, struggling in qualifying and in the race. Charles Leclerc finished the Chinese Grand Prix in fourth place:
"We’re not completely satisfied with our result as a team today. We have two things to focus on leaving Shanghai, one is our qualifying pace and the other our pace on the Hards, which was our main challenge today. Our strategy and performance were strong until the Safety Car, but after that we were all on the same strategy and it was a bit more difficult for us to get back to speed on the Hard tyres. What will be essential is the upcoming upgrades, as they will define the direction we will take for the next part of the season".
While Carlos Sainz Jr. failed to go beyond fifth place:
"A tough race on a challenging track for us this weekend. The first few corners were far from ideal and with the traffic we decided to pit early to switch to the Hard tyres. Some laps later, under the Safety Car, we stayed out on that tyre and went to the end to finish fifth. In any case, overall we struggled more than expected and the result today is not what we wanted. We will review everything before going to Miami, where I’m confident we can return to the form we showed in the previous weekends. We were particularly far behind Red Bull this weekend, but I understood from the simulator that this would be a difficult track for our car. We were slow all weekend and the upgrades for the next races should help us for these types of corners, where we struggle".
And he adds:
"So the upgrades will be very important on these types of tracks. For races like Australia, we are more or less okay, but it is true that Red Bull brought some upgrades for Japan that were seen on these tracks. We are waiting more to see if something interesting will be brought, and then we will see what it will give us".
Frédéric Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, is surprised by the disappointing performance of the cars produced in Maranello. Expectations were different, and the French manager does not hide it:
"I’m not sure if we could have expected more in terms of finishing higher up the order today given our grid positions. However, I was expecting more in terms of pace than we demonstrated in the race. We now need to understand why that was, especially on the Hards and improve in time for Miami both in qualifying and the race because it’s all very close currently with hundredths of a second making a big difference. We had put both drivers on a two-stop strategy and Charles did a good job of lengthening his stint on the Mediums, but when the Virtual Safety Car was called, we went for a one stop, with the hope of being able to fight for a podium finish. Unfortunately, Carlos had stopped just before the Safety Car and so he too had to switch to a single stop. This naturally meant he had to be a bit conservative in the final part of the race, but he still brought home the best result that was possible today. In the factory the guys are working day and night to bring updates for the next races, and I can't ask for more. We have already anticipated a few small parts and we are pushing like crazy. You also have to consider that it is not easy to bring something new for the Sprint events because there is an hour of free practice. We have not changed plans because we are already pushing hard. I think the problem this weekend was that we were not able to extract what we could from the potential of the car. We need to do a better job in qualifying: with a front row, and I don't think it was out of reach, it would definitely have been a different race. I think the pace was better yesterday than Norris was".
Even Fernando Alonso admits that more was impossible for the Aston Martin team to do on the Shanghai circuit. But the important thing, for the Spanish driver, is that points were won:
"We didn't quite have the pace today and it was a tricky race with a lot of things happening. Despite this, it was important to score some points and a bonus to get the fastest lap too. We made a good start and moved up to second, and for a moment I thought it would be nice to lead the race for a lap, but we couldn't make that happen. A few Safety Cars changed the strategy a little bit and we didn't have any more Hard tyres available, so that's why we made a switch to the Soft compound. Overall, it was a good race, but we have some work to do to improve our Sunday pace and match what we can do in Qualifying".
The same argument can be made for George Russell, who achieved the best possible result with a Mercedes that certainly did not live up to early championship expectations:
"Starting P8 and making up a few positions was what we were expecting from today's race. The result is probably a fair one and we know we have work to do. We've had a similar battle with Alonso and Piastri in the last three races so P6 is about where our car is at the moment. It was an interesting weekend, overall. With the Sprint format, we ended up having two very different set-ups on the car from Friday and Saturday morning into the rest of the weekend. There's lots to pick through and hopefully things to build on. We need to keep on adding performance to the car in order to finish higher up the grid. We will keep working hard to do so".
After a bad qualifying session, Lewis Hamilton managed to make it up to his fans and his team by breaking into the top ten with a race of great courage and comeback:
"I went forwards and got into the points, but it was a tough race. Ultimately, I made a bad set-up change to the car yesterday and I paid the price for it. I plan to make sure I don't do that in the future! The car does seem to work in a small window, and I did think it was the correct thing to do. Sadly, it made today very difficult. The team did a great job with the pit stops though and George did well to score some solid points. I'm sure the next race in Miami will be better. Whilst I didn't have the best race, it's still been awesome to see the incredible fans here. They are some of the best anywhere in the world. I am so grateful to see them again after several years away and it made for a brilliant atmosphere".
Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal & CEO, is therefore satisfied with the final result, seeing what the prerogatives were at the beginning of the race:
"Considering where we started today and more importantly, where we had put the cars in terms of their set-up after the Sprint, P6 and P9 was the best prediction from our pre-race simulations. The car that we have under us is not currently fast enough. However, we must make sure that we are not trying to find a silver bullet each weekend when it comes to how we run the car; we need to focus on getting the basics right, and maximising the package we have. Today, we didn't have the car in the right window: we made too many extreme changes after the Sprint and that made the most important part of the weekend much more challenging. We know that today's result is not strong enough overall, so we must dig deep to make improvements. The pack behind Red Bull is close, and small details can make a big difference in terms of finishing position. We have developments to bring in the coming races which we hope are a step forward and will improve the car".
In conclusion, Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director, analyses the race performance of the two drivers of the Anglo-German team, and says:
"It was always going to be a tough race for us. We're not quick enough currently and we didn't qualify well. Our finishing positions were exactly where we'd forecast them to be this morning. George couldn't really have got more out of it; he got a good start which put him ahead of the Ferraris, but we'd taken a bit too much out of the rear tyres in that first stint and had to box earlier than planned. That early stop would have been more painful to deal with, but the two Safety Car periods were helpful for us and neutralised the tyre age offset. The race from there on was straightforward. We were not quick enough to attack Sainz but had the pace to stay ahead of Fernando. Lewis's race wasn't easy as he didn't gain much off the line on the Soft tyre. He then got stuck in a traffic jam on the inside line around Turn 2 and lost to cars on the wide line. We had made some changes to his car after the Sprint and clearly, they didn't improve the car. It made Qualifying and the race difficult. He was struggling to turn the car and having to use power to do so was hurting the rear tyres. We decided to pit him under the Virtual Safety Car to offset other cars, but most of our competitors did the same once the Safety Car was deployed. We benefitted from a couple of cars dropping out ahead but, considering the early part of the race, it was a relief to get some points. We will work hard to ensure we do a better job at the next race in Miami".
Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director, congratulates Max Verstappen on his double victory in both the Sprint Race and the Chinese Grand Prix, and finally analyses the performance and behaviour of the tyres on the Shanghai circuit:
"I take my hat off to yet another show of strength from Max Verstappen, who won twice on this first Sprint weekend of the season. Nevertheless, it was a very interesting race because behind the three time World Champion, there was a very close race with surprises, overtaking and excitement. In fact, there was also great excitement among the Chinese fans who had their eyes glued on local hero Guanyu Zhou all weekend long, and he showed his emotion acknowledging their support after the race. From a purely technical point of view, today's race confirmed that all three compounds were suitable for use. Obviously, the long Safety Car periods affected the way the race played out, allowing those considering a one-stop to make it work. However, given the level of degradation evident, it would have really been borderline to make the one stop work without the Safety Car, as there would have been too high a price to pay in terms of performance compared to those who would have been on quicker, and possibly newer, tyres in the final part of the race. In fact, this was demonstrated by Alonso, who came in for new Mediums on lap 43 when in seventh place, and was then able to make up all five places lost at the pit stop over the course of his final stint. Finally, it's worth noting that none of the three compounds suffered from graining, further proof that they worked well on this unusual track in very particular conditions".
At the end of the race, Pierre Gasly was summoned by the stewards following an incident that occurred during a pit stop. Daniel Ricciardo, who had retired from the race and was unable to serve the penalty, was penalised with a three-place grid drop for the Sprint Race of the next Miami Grand Prix, and two points on his super license. During the race, Lance Stroll was penalised with a ten-second penalty and two points on his super license for causing a collision with Ricciardo at turn 14. The penalty was served during a pit stop. The fifth race of the season concludes in the same fashion, with Max Verstappen winning his fourth Grand Prix, further extending his lead in the standings over his teammate, Sergio Pérez. As for the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull Racing now sits at 195 points, compared to Ferrari's 151. It is becoming an increasingly one-sided championship, and the likelihood of a season reminiscent of 2023, with Max Verstappen consistently dominating, is very high. The next Grand Prix will take place in Miami, United States. Could it be time to see another competitor take the win and break the spell?