Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Chinese Grand Prix

  • Round 2 – Chinese Grand Prix

    Kimi Antonelli claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory in the Chinese Grand Prix beating Mercedes team mate George Russell as Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton claimed his first Grand Prix podium for the Scuderia after a thrilling intra-team battle.

    Having become the youngest Grand Prix polesitter on Saturday, Antonelli was only briefly headed at the start of Sunday’s race in Shanghai, losing the lead to Hamilton who got the jump on both Mercedes from P3.

    Re-taking the lead before the end of the second lap, the 19 year old Italian was never headed again, retaining first after his only pitstop under the sole Safety Car period early in proceedings.

    Despite a nervous moment after running deep at Turn 14 hairpin with four laps remaining, Antonelli finished 5.5 seconds clear of Russell to become the second youngest winner of a Grand Prix.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Antonelli, P2: Russell, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc, P5: Bearman, P6: Gasly, P7: Lawson, P8: Hadjar, P9: Sainz and P10: Colapinto.

    What a race for Kimi Antonelli! He pretty much had a perfect race, apart from Lewis leading for one lap, but he kept it cool and collected, which is great to see in such a young driver! George Russell was right there with him, which is another great result for Mercedes.

    Hamilton has now achieved his first podium with Ferrari in a Grand Prix race! So well deserved and he got the work done to be rewarded with this. As for his teammate Leclerc P4 for the Monegasque the pair had a nice little battle between them. sometimes it looked a too little close to comfort, but it was actually nice and respectful.

    P5 for Mr Ollie Bearman! What a performance from the Brit! They have had a brilliant start to the season and need to carry on the momentum!

    P6 for Gasly, a lovely finish for the Alpine driver, a great follow up from the weekend in Australia and to make it even better, Colapinto finished 10th meaning he scored his first points for Alpine!

    A disappointing race for the McLaren’s having both drivers did not start due to two separate issues but both looking like electrical issues. A big shame for Piastri as he hasn’t started a Grand Prix this season and is behind and for Norris seemed like he was getting pretty well this weekend so a big shame for the team.

    As for the Red Bull’s a good race for Hadjar, scoring his first points for the team! As for Verstappen he DNF’ed and looked like an engine related problem as he got told to retire the car and managed to bring it back into the pitlane, not the best of starts for the Red Bull team.

    Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon also failed to start the race due to car problems on the way to the grid, not at all what both of their teams would want.

    Now we have a break and the next race being the 27th to 29th March for the Japanese Grand Prix!

  • F1 Academy – RND 1 – Day 1

    Practice-

    Alisha Palmowski started the 2026 F1 Academy season in style as she confidently set the pace in the sole Free Practice session around the Shanghai International Circuit.

    Despite having the lowest lap count on the board, the Red Bull Racing driver sealed the top spot with a time of 2:04.550 to eke out an advantage of 0.467s over Alba Larsen.
    Rookie Peyton Westcott completed the top three for Mercedes, only 0.024s off the Ferrari junior.

    Amid a gradual start to the 40 minute session, it came down to Ferrari’s Larsen to kick off the action as she set one of the first flying laps with a 2:07.132.
    With just one practice on offer in Shanghai, both experienced and rookie drivers – with 11 making their full time debut in the series – had limited running to learn the track ahead of qualifying.

    The Danish driver quickly bettered her own effort, becoming one of the few to brave the dusty conditions while PUMA driver Rachel Robertson found herself just over two tenths adrift of the lead.

    Larsen’s hold on P1 didn’t last long as Robertson then went half a second faster to break into the 2:05s, with Nina Gademan sat in third place at the halfway point.

    As the traffic increased, the gaps began to narrow, with Emma Felbermayr the next to set the fastest lap of the session before Mercedes’ Westcott immediately shot into first on a 2:05.319.

    McLaren driver Ella Lloyd entered the contest, taking P2 before she was demoted by fellow second-year racer Palmowski, with the top four covered by just 0.071s.

    Palmowski went five tenths clear on her next attempt and set a benchmark of 2:04.699, which she then improved on in the final minutes to end with a rapid time of 2:04.550.

    Elsewhere, the drivers continued to explore the limits with Shi Wei triggering a brief Yellow Flag appearance after spinning at Turn 1 before being able to rejoin.

    Palmowski’s Campos Racing teammate Rafaela Ferreira was fourth behind Larsen and Westcott, with Lisa Billard settling in as the second quickest rookie in P5.

    Qualifying-

    Alisha Palmowski conquered qualifying in Shanghai to claim her long-awaited maiden pole position, starting her second year in the series on a high.

    After coming close to pole on numerous occasions last season, the Red Bull Racing driver was untouchable as she continued to better her own efforts, finishing with a rapid time of 2:04.182.
    Ferrari’s Alba Larsen settled for second place, making her first front row start in F1 Academy, with fellow sophomore driver Emma Felbermayr lining up in third.

    Following a short delay to the start, the drivers were keen to hit the track and build temperature in their tyres as they adapted to the changed grip levels.

    Aston Martin’s Mathilda Paatz jumped to the top of the timings early on, with her teammate Payton Westcott – tucking in just behind her.
    However, the rookies’ times were quickly eclipsed by Palmowski and Felbermayr as the Audi driver set the pace with a time of 2:05.362.

    Palmowski’s next effort showed that there were plenty of improvements still to come as she took P1 before Larsen leapt from fifth to first, building a buffer of over two tenths to the Briton.

    At the halfway mark, the Ferrari driver was firmly on provisional pole while all of the drivers returned to the pits to bolt on a set of fresh tyres, preparing for more runs. But before anyone could find a major improvement, the Red flags were waved as Haas’ Kaylee Countryman slowed to a halt.

    She soon got going again and joined her competitors in the pitlane, but the temporary disruption meant that everyone had to complete another out lap with less than 10 minutes to go, adding another element of pressure to the proceedings.

    Palmowski was the first to set her eyes on pole position and despite a small mistake, she drove the fastest lap of the session so far, albeit by less than a tenth to Larsen.
    Westcott, meanwhile demonstrated that her pace in Practice wasn’t a fluke as she began to challenge for the top spot.

    The Mercedes driver couldn’t improve in Sectors 2 and 3 and remained in third place, but it was a different story for Palmowski as she extended her advantage to four tenths over Larsen.

    Her lap proved to be impossible to beat in the final seconds and she held onto pole ahead of Larsen and Felbermayr, who improved late on to demote Rafaela Ferreira to fourth.

  • Round 2 – China Sprint

    George Russell claimed Sprint victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, following an early frenetic battle for the lead and surviving a late Safety Car.

    The Mercedes driver started from pole for the 19 lap Sprint on Saturday, an unlike a week ago in Australia, Russell held the lead through the opening corners before conceding the position to a surging Hamilton at Turn 9 – the Ferrari man had started fourth on the grid.

    The pair engaged in a tussle for the lead, swapping positions across the early laps until Russell made the decisive move into Turn 14 hairpin on Lap 15, pulling a gap to both Hamilton and Leclerc.

    Leclerc eventually got the better of his team mate, finishing just 0.6 seconds behind Russell, the leading drivers having made a late pit stop following a Safety Car that was called when Nico Hulkenberg’s stricken Audi needed to be retrieved.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Russell, P2: Leclerc, P3: Hamilton, P4: Norris, P5: Antonelli, P6: Piastri, P7: Lawson, P8: Bearman, P9: Verstappen and P10: Ocon.

    Great result for Russell, he is on a different level at the minute and is being rewarded with points and wins! As for Antonelli, not the best result at all, he had a poor start and then had to serve a 10 second time penalty after a collision with Isack Hadjar on the opening lap.

    A great result for the Ferrari’s, they have had a great start to the season, and they are challenging for wins/podiums. Leclerc finishing P2 and Hamilton P3, a little fight with the Merc’s which is very good to see.

    P4 for Norris, a decent result for him, a shame he couldn’t grab onto a podium. P6 for Piastri, a somewhat decent result, he got overtaken late on in the Sprint by Antonelli.

    No points for Verstappen where he finished P9, not a great race for the Red Bulls at all, especially with Hadjar being crashed into and finishing a horrible 15th.

  • Round 2 – China Sprint Qualifying

    George Russell claimed Sprint Qualifying pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, as Kimi Antonelli ensured Mercedes locked out the front row in Shanghai.

    Russell and Mercedes dominated proceedings on Friday, the Briton having topped the sole practice session earlier in the day before setting the fastest time in all three segments of Sprint Qualifying.

    The Briton’s 1m 31.520s in SQ3 wit the soft tyre left him nearly three-tenths clear of Antonelli, with the young Italian starting second after being cleared of impeding Lando Norris earlier in proceedings.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Russell, P2: Antonelli, P3: Norris, P4: Hamilton, P5: Piastri, P6: Leclerc, P7: Gasly, P8: Verstappen, P9: Bearman and P10: Hadjar.

    What a result for Mercedes, a great result for the team, it would be the result they wanted going into the weekend, a very strong start to a usy weekend.

    P3 for Norris and P5 for Piastri, it seems like the McLaren’s have found some pace since Australia which was only last week! It will be interesting to see how they do in the races and if they are putting all their pace in the qualifying set up rather than the race…

    P4 for Hamilton! A great result for the Ferrari man, another good results on the books, hopefully he could get a podium as we all know he loves this track! As for Leclerc, an okay result! It’s not his strongest track but he does seem to have a good car underneath him so hopefully some good results this weekend.

    P7 for Gasly! What a result for the Alpine driver, a really good start to the season for the Frenchman. He will be looking to score some big points this weekend.

    P8 for Verstappen, not the best result but still in the top 10, it will be interesting to see how he gets on as his somewhat near the middle of the pack so in somewhat of a danger zone…

    Bearman in the top 10 again! Haas will be liking the results for the Brit and be hoping he will be scoring points this weekend.

    The car’s been feeling amazing – we knew after Melbourne we had a really good car, the engine’s performing really well, and today was a real joy to drive, so [I’m] happy. I’m intrigued to know what the lap times are compared to last year, because it felt really quick and that was pretty cool, very different to Melbourne.
    Russell on pole position.

  • R2 – China

    Oscar Piastri bounced back from the disappointment of his late-race mistake at last week’s 2025 season opener in Australia by converting pole position into an assured victory during the Chinese Grand Prix – leading home team mate Lando Norris for a McLaren 1-2.

    Piastri controlled Sunday’s 56 lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit from start to finish, never putting a foot wrong in a much calmer second race of the season that centred around whether drivers would complete one or two pit stops.

    As it transpired, the first five finishes and the vast majority of the field only visited the pits once, with Piastri building and managing a gap back to Norris across their two stints to take the chequered flag and kick off his challenge for the title.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Leclerc, P6: Hamilton, P7: Ocon, P8: Antonelli, P9: Albon and P10: Bearman.

    However, after the race there was drama from the FIA, they have disqualified Leclerc and Gasly for their cars being found to be underweight in post-race checks.
    Not only this Hamilton has also been disqualified for his rear skid block which was found to be under the minimum thickness.

    This means that the new top 10 is- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Ocon, P6: Antonelli, P7: Albon, P8: Bearman, P9: Stroll and P10: Sainz.

    What a result for McLaren, a lovely 1-2 finish for the team, that is what they would’ve wanted last weekend but either way it’s a massive points haul for the team.
    Piastri had a dominating weekend anyway, P2 in the Sprint Race, Pole and then Win. Norris had a good race, made up for the Sprint. He pretty much had a smooth race apart from the brake problems at the end but he kept it cool, calm and collected.

    Russell had a lovely race, P3! He pretty much kept out of trouble and was putting pressure on Lando towards the end which is good to see. As for his teammate, Antonelli finished 6th by the time disqualifications come into it, another decent points haul for him and more learning.

    A good race for Verstappen, he lost quite a few places at the start, but after switching tyres and during the second half of the race, the Dutchman put pressure on the Ferrari’s and managed to make some ground back up.

    It was a decent race for Ferrari, P5 and P6, but after the race just ruined their weekend. A DSQ for both drivers so they come away from the Grand Prix with no points (apart from Sprint). Let’s hope they learn from this and don’t let it happen again as they’ve missed out on decent points…

    A double points finish for Haas!! P5 for Ocon and P8 Bearman, this amount of points so early on will make a big difference to the end of the season as the mid-field is going to be so close!

    Again double points for Williams, which means Sainz’s first point for the team. He had a bit of a rough weekend for the team, still struggling with the car but at least it’s better than last weekend.

    Now onto the next race weekend, we have a break now but we are back for Round 3 in Japan on the 4th – 6th of April and it will be a triple header!

  • R2 – China Sprint

    Lewis Hamilton has claimed victory in the first Sprint of the 2025 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver putting in an assured drive to add to his tally of wins in Shanghai and claim his debut P1 for the Scuderia.

    After a strong start when the lights went out, Hamilton went on to build a commanding lead and while it was not entirely smooth sailing, his SF-25 experiencing graining on the tyres at one stage – the seven time World Champion looked in stunning form across the 19 lap event.

    Max Verstappen spent much of the Sprint running in second but lost out to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with a few laps to spare, putting the Red Bull third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Piastri, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Leclerc, P6: Tsunoda, P7: Antonelli, P8: Norris, P9: Stroll and P10: Alonso.

    A wonderful Sprint result from Lewis Hamilton, just what he would’ve set out to achieve after securing pole. It seems like the Ferrari has got some pace behind it as the Brit managed to finish the Sprint with just under a seven second lead.

    A good result for Piastri, made up a move in the race, which makes up some of the lost points from last weekend. As for his teammate, Lando Norris, he finished P8, he had a wide moment early on in the Sprint which cost him places and he just managed to get back up into the points scoring position.

    Good result for Verstappen, P3, he has got pace in the Red Bull, but I think with other teams around him they have just got that extra bit more than Red Bull. But we all know Max can drag stuff out of the car to keep him in the top 3.

    Yuki Tsunoda finished sixth, which is a lovely result, it seems like the Racing Bull car has got pace, as displayed last week in Australia but they just lucked out and didn’t score points. However the Japanese driver has managed it this weekend and it is only the sprint.

    I woke up feeling great today. I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the really steep climb it is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised within a team, understanding and communication, all sorts of things. From Lap 1 here this weekend, really feeling on it. We’ve done a great job – the engineers have done a great job, mechanics have done a great job to really finetune the car and it felt great today. I got a good start and then there’s so much grip on this new tarmac. It’s really hard to look after these tyres but I think everyone was struggling the same.
    Hamilton on Sprint Victory.

  • R2 – China Sprint Qualifying

    Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton delivered a stunning performance to secure pole position during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, narrowly getting the better of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

    Hamilton posted a time of 1m 30.849s during the decisive SQ3 phase to pip Verstappen to the top spot by 0.018s with Piastri and the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc not much further back in an ultra-close session.

    Hamilton’s benchmark was a new lap record around the Shanghai International Circuit and when informed of his pole over the radio the seven time World Champion could not believe it at first.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Piastri, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Norris, P7: Antonelli, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Albon and P10: Stroll.

    What a result from Hamilton and Ferrari, very surprising but also very welcomed! It seems that Ferrari may have sorted out some of their issue from last week, plus Lewis absolutely loves this track so I wouldn’t be surprised if that helped a little bit.

    A very nice result from Verstappen, P2, it feels like we’ve gone back 4 years and its Max VS Lewis all over again! The Dutchman took the gamble with a one lap gamble and it paid off with a worthy front row result.
    As for his team mate, Liam Lawson qualified in 20th, he has just struggled so far this weekend, which is so tough to see.

    Now onto McLaren a bit of a mixed bag, Piastri qualified third which is a lovely result and Norris qualified 6th, which definitely could of been better, but they made the call of doing two laps instead of the rest of the top 10 and it didn’t pay off in the end as everyone else was improving on their lap times.

    An okay result for Mercedes, Russell, P5, which could’ve been better but still a decent result. As for Antonelli a much better qualifying for him so far this weekend, it will be interesting to see how the rookie goes this weekend in his first Sprint weekend.

  • R2 – Tyre Selection

    We are back once again as we return to China, which is the first Sprint race weekend of the season.

    The Shanghai track is 5.451 kilometres long and its layout is based on the Chinese character “shang” meaning “upwards” or “above”.
    The circuit features several slow corners, such as the first three, turn 6 and 14 and high speed corners like the combination from 7 to 8.

    There are two long straights, the one that crosses the start-finish line and another between turns 13 and 14, which is over a kilometre in length.

    Last summer, a new surface was laid down on the track and the pit lane at the Shanghai International Circuit. It has only been used a few times towards the end of 2024 and should be smoother than before, but it’s logical to expect the track to evolve very quickly.

    The trio of compounds chosen are the same as last year, C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). The last two were in use in Melbourne last weekend, while the first as run extensively during the three day test in Bahrain.

    Another important factor to consider this weekend will be the temperatures.
    It’s the first time that Shanghai hosts the Grand Prix in March when average temperatures rarely exceed 18°C.

    There were three interruptions last year – one VSC and two Safety Cars – which significantly influenced the outcome of the race, both in terms of the number of stops and the sequence in which the compounds were used.

    Three of the drivers who finished in the top ten made just one stop, six pitted twice and one even three times.
    The majority of the drivers opted to line up on the grid on the medium tyre, which also completed the most stints.

  • Shi Wei confirmed as Wild Card for RND 1

    F1 Academy has announced that Shi Wei, also known as ‘Tie Dou’ will be the first F1 Academy Wild Card entry for 2025, joining the grid for the opening round of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit.

    Shi Wei has achieved impressive results in various racing series in China. In 2024, she won the Challenge Cup at the FIA F4 Chinese Championship in Shanghai and finished third in the CFGP category.

    Shi will be the first Chinese driver to feature on an F1 Academy grid when she takes to the stage during Round 1 of the F1 Academy season.

    Introduced for the 2024 season, the Wild Card initiative was created to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 Academy races and prioritises talented young drivers from each race region.

    It’s an incredible honour to receive the Wild Card for F1 ACADEMY, giving me the opportunity to compete and learn alongside top drivers on a larger stage, making a dream that once seemed out of reach come true. Hopefully, I can inspire the young generation and raise greater attention to motorsport and the development of the automotive industry.
    Shi Wei on the news.

    Shi Wei’s Wild Card entry into F1 ACADEMY represents not only a historic breakthrough for Chinese motorsport but also a powerful reflection of the power that defines Chinese women. We look forward to seeing her shine on the global stage and to the exciting opportunities this will create for future generations of female drivers.
    Huang Ming, General Manager of Shanghai Juss Sports Development.

  • F1 to race in Shanghai until 2030

    Formula 1 has announced a five-year extension with the Chinese Grand Prix that will see the Shanghai International Circuit remain on the calendar through the 2030 season.

    The extension follows Formula 1’s successful return to China in 2024 after a five-year absence, where 200,000 fans attended the race to see Max Verstappen take victory in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.

    In the 20 years since its first race, the 5.45km Shanghai International Circuit has established itself as a favourite of drivers and fans alike.
    The drivers relish the unique challenge the circuit provides, including the ever-tightening Turns 1 and 2, and high g-force Turns 7 and 8.

    Since Rubens Barrichello’s victory in the inaugural race, the Chinese Grand Prix has seen nine other winners, including six victories from Lewis Hamilton and two from Fernando Alonso from the current grid.

    This extension marks Formula 1’s continued growth in China as the sport’s popularity and audience continue to increase.
    The sport has seen its fanbase in China climb to over 150 million, with more than half of this group starting to follow Formula 1 in the last four years.

    The Chinese Grand Prix will be the second round on the 2025 calendar, taking place on March 21st – 23rd and will host the first F1 Sprint event of the season, as well as the first round of F1 Academy.

    Our return to China this season for the first time since 2019 was a fantastic moment for the sport, and it is incredible to see the levels of support that we enjoy in the country continuing to grow year-on-year. Shanghai is an incredible city, and the racetrack is a wonderful test for our drivers, so I am delighted that Formula 1 will continue its successful partnership with the Chinese Grand Prix for a further five years. I want to thank our promoter for their continued commitment and passion, and I look forward to returning to Shanghai in the new year.
    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    For many years, Jiushi Group and our subsidiary, Juss Sports, have always adhered to our original intention to strive for the excellence in event organization, and this renewal is a testament to that. It is excellent news for fans in China and is a perfect platform to showcase Shanghai to the world as millions tune in on TV globally. Looking ahead, we will continue to work closely with all partners, further strengthen our engagement with international audiences through the event platform, consistently improve the event quality, and better present the city charm of Shanghai. We fully understand that a successful Grand Prix is not only an exciting race event, but also a driving force for the whole society to develop in a more positive direction. In the future, we will continue to optimize the event experience through innovation and achieve a sustainable contribution to the society.
    Guo Jianfei, Chairman of Shanghai Jiushi Co the promoter of the Chinese Grand Prix.

  • RW 5 – China

    Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory in a Chinese Grand Prix which was full of incidents and overtakes. Joining him in the top three is McLaren’s Lando Norris in P2 and teammate Sergio Perez in P3.

    Verstappen led the vast majority of a strategic race at the Shanghai International Circuit which featured a Virtual Safety Car and two Safety Car periods, with the Dutchman sailing off into the sunset, leaving the drama behind him.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Perez, P4: Leclerc, P5: Sainz, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Piastri, P9: Hamilton and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A great race for Red Bull P1 for Max and P3 for Perez, which extends their lead in the constructors, and they had four very good pitstops which they nailed perfectly.

    Mr Lando Norris, bringing home a P2! And defending from Perez in P3, a great points haul for the Brit, his teammate grabbed P8 with damage aswell, so a decent race for him!

    P4 and P5 for Ferrari, I don’t think they could’ve done much more to be honest, and it’s not a bad position. Hopefully next time out in Miami they can get back to being on the podium etc.

    A decent result for Mercedes, could’ve been better if Hamilton placed higher in qualifying but he came through the pack to grab some points.

    Valtteri Bottas was one of the retirements, as his Stake car ground to a halt at the exit of Turn 11, reporting that the “engine is gone” with yellow flags initially flown to cover the incident before the Virtual Safety Car was required.
    The VSC then turned into a full Safety Car due to Bottas’ car stuck in gear.

    There was then drama a few moments later at the restart, as Tsunoda got tipped into a spin by Magnussen exiting Turn 6, leaving the RB with terminal rear-right damage and sending the Haas limping back to the pits with a puncture.
    Replays then showed a dramatic concertina effect as cars bunched up at the final hairpin just before the restart, with Stroll running into the back of Ricciardo and briefly sending the RB airborne while littering debris all over the track in the process, which then led the Safety Car to come out again.

    We don’t have to wait too long till the next race, as we head to the US for the first of three Grand Prix this year, and its the Miami Grand Prix on the weekend of 3rd to 5th May!

  • RW 5 – China Sprint Qualifying & Race

    Sprint Qualifying-

    The first sprint qualifying of the year is complete, and it was quite entertaining with both rain and fire, yes FIRE..

    But it was Lando Norris who claimed pole during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, however it wasn’t easy for the Brit as originally he had his lap time deleted but it was reinstated.
    In the top three joining him, is another Brit, Mr Lewis Hamilton flew to P2, looking like he was going to get pole at one point. Finishing the top three is Fernando Alonso.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Hamilton, P3: Alonso, P4: Verstappen, P5: Sainz, P6: Perez, P7: Leclerc, P8: Piastri, P9: Bottas and P10: Zhou.

    A great qualifying from Lando Norris, he excelled in the wet and put it on pole when he needed to. His teammate with a decent result aswell starting in P8.

    Verstappen was struggling a little as he skidded off the track a few times too, but with starting P4 his still got plenty to give, and will no doubt make up positions in no time. His teammate also isn’t too far behind him in P6.

    A great result for Kick Sauber! Especially for Zhou as it’s his first ever home grand prix and to have both drivers in the top 10 is a great result, they will want to score points in the Sprint to put towards the constructors championship.

    There was quite a shock for Yuki Tusonda as he was eliminated in SQ1 where he will start down in 19th, his teammate had a decent qualifying in 14th even though he abandoned his final attempt amid the rainfall.

    We also had George Russell who was forced to abort his flying lap in SQ2 with the rain starting to fall during the final moments which means he will be starting P11.

    Sprint Race-

    Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen move back to the top of the pecking order during Saturday’s Sprint race at Shanghai International Circuit as he turned his low-key P4 into a commanding victory.

    Verstappen slowly made moves up the order across the 19 lap race, benefitting from pole-sitter Lando Norris running off the track during the first lap and then set his eyes on Alonso and Hamilton.

    The full top 10 are – P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Perez, P4: Leclerc, P5: Sainz, P6: Norris, P7: Piastri, P8: Russell, P9: Zhou and P10: Magnussen.

    A good result from Verstappen to claim the Sprint victory, I think there was no doubt about it from the Dutchman he was going from strength to strength. His teammate has got a good result aswell P3 for Perez.

    A great result for Hamilton in P2, a lovely result from the Mercedes driver, a decent points haul aswell. Russell managed to grab the final points position in P8, a decent recovery drive from him.

    Fernando Alonso was the only DNF in the sprint. Sainz attacked Alonso heading Turn 6, with a strong exit from Ferrari seeing them go through Turn 7, where the two Spaniards made contact.
    Alonso dropped back with a puncture from that contact, losing several places in the last sector.

    A decent result for the Ferrari pair, they also had a very close fight at the final hair pin after the Alonso incident, which caused an angry message from the Monegasque.

    Zhou was close to the points! P9 for the Chinese driver, it’s a shame he couldn’t get any at his home race but sometimes that’s just racing…

  • RW 5 – Tyre Selection

    The Chinese Grand Prix is back on the calendar after a five year break, meaning that 2019 was the last year Formula 1 raced in Shanghai on that occasion hosting celebrations to mark the 1000th event in the history of motorsport’s most prestigious world championship.

    All 16 editions have been run on the Shanghai International Circuit, designed by Hermann Tikle, with its outline loosely based on the Chinese “shang” character.
    The 5.451 kilometre-long track boasts 16 corners, many of them very slow for example section through turns 1 to 3 and 6 to 14, while others are high speed such as the esses through turns 7 and 8. There are two long straights, both used as a DRS zone.

    Based on simulations and past data, the tyres are subjected to lateral and longitudinal forces here that fall into the medium category, with the outside of the tyre, especially on the left hand side of the car, wearing the most.
    The trio of tyres chosen back in the winter for Shanghai is in the midrange with the C2 as hard, C3 medium and C4 as soft.
    Nominally, that’s the same selection as in 2019 but the scenario is very different. Five years ago, the 13 inch tyres were in use and were fitted to the previous generation of car.

    Complicating it further is the fact that the Chinese Grand Prix is the first of six events this season running to the Sprint format, which itself has been slightly modified for this year in terms of running order of the sessions.
    This now means there is only one practice session to find the right set-up for the cars, as well as figuring out the tyres.

    Usually the Chinese Grand Prix is a two-stop race race, partly because there are several places to overtake such as braking into Turn 14 and then on the main straight as well as into turn 6. Just as Suzuka, the undercut is usually very effective on this track.

  • Chinese GP Cancelled

    Formula 1 has confirmed that following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not be taking place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation.

    The race was due to return in April for the first time since 2019, but for another year it will be cancelled. The Grand Prix was scheduled to be the fourth race of the 2023 season on 16th April.

    Protests have been held in China in recent days over its ‘zero Covid’ policies, which include regular lockdowns and isolation imposed on infected people and contacts. F1 has since said that it would not be able to operate normally in China and cannot justify risks to staff involved in travelling.

    The Portimao circuit in Portugal, which hosted grand prix in 2020 and 2021 when F1 shuffled its schedule as a result of the pandemic, and its currently one of the tracks under consideration to take Chinas spot.

    Istanbul Park in Turkey is another track which returned in the pandemic and is also likely to be in contention.

    Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course.

    Formula 1 added.