F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2024: What we discovered during practice on Friday at the Shanghai Sprint.
Before this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, there were more unknowns than normal, not the least of which being that it is Formula 1’s first trip to Shanghai since 2019.
In that period, the course has been resurfaced, the aerodynamic theory of Formula 1 vehicles has completely changed, and new drivers have joined the competition. Now let’s take a look at the lessons we took away from Friday’s running in China.
Sprint qualifying began with an hour of free practice, which was crucial to the weekend and learning as much as possible on Friday.
Although Max Verstappen deemed it “not the smartest idea” to start a Sprint weekend right away after returning to the circuit following a five-year hiatus, the entertaining qualifying session held in spite of the challenging weather conditions may have convinced the spectators.
As a result, the drivers had to maximize their running on an exceptionally green course; several of them had trouble navigating the hairpin turn at Turn 6 and the banked Turn 13 in particular.
Throughout the session, adjustments were made to the setup in an effort to find the optimal combination between the drivers’ and teams’ maximum speed and cornering abilities for the 1.2km back straight between Turns 13 and 14.
The Haas drivers, who have a number of upgrades installed on their VF-24s this weekend, and the Aston Martin drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, seemed to be running their cars with plenty of straight-line speed enabled, with McLaren, Alpine, and Mercedes at the lower end of the scale. However, engine modes may have also been involved in this.
It was also clear that teammates had different aero configurations or engine maps: Lando Norris was quicker than Oscar Piastri, while Ferrari Sainz was faster on the back straight.
Although there was not much long running in FP1, there was an opportunity to watch drivers on pretty long stints. However, the new track surface and conditions led to lap times that were, in George Russell’s words after Sprint qualifying, “much slower than the teams had prepared for thus far.”
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F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Sprint Shootout results.
Lando Norris won the Sprint pole position, besting Lewis Hamilton in a wild Sprint Shootout in challenging, shifting conditions that saw some terrifying incidents in the latter stages of the session, such as Charles Leclerc spinning and Max Verstappen off.
To the advantage of Zhou Guanyu and the home crowd, the second segment of sprint qualifying was postponed due to the recurrence of skid-block produced fire, this time at Turn 5, as the rain started to fall.
George Russell had just about escaped elimination in the first round of SQ1, thus Yuki Tsunoda was the unexpected loser, joining the two Alpines and the two Williams.
Dramatic rainy finale, Lando Norris finishes first ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
At the end of a rainy practice, Lando Norris dramatically had his fastest lap reinstated, and he went on to win Sprint pole at the Chinese Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
When Norris’s final flying lap was ruled out due to going outside the track restrictions, Hamilton seemed to have taken the lead. However, in the final seconds, the stewards restored the lap, awarding the McLaren driver his second Sprint pole of the race.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished third, and Max Verstappen, who leads the world championship, finished fourth after losing a lap for going off course in the last portion of the session.
Carlos Sainz finished sixth, ahead of Sergio Perez of Red Bull. The Spaniard once again outperformed Charles Leclerc, his Ferrari teammate, who was lucky to finish eighth after spinning into the barrier in the third qualifying round.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren was unable to match Norris’ speed and finished ninth. Zhou Guanyu, who finished behind teammate Valtteri Bottas in his first home grand prix, was a feel-good story.
As Mercedes struggled in dry conditions again in SQ2, George Russell was an unexpected victim. The British driver started 11th after just avoiding elimination in the first half of the session.
People also search for:
What is a sprint shootout in F1?
Sprint Qualifying is the new moniker for the “F1 Sprint Shootout.” The fastest drivers are eliminated in a manner similar to qualifying, with the race divided into three stages. The Sprint race grid is therefore composed of these positions.
Who owns Formula 1?
Liberty Media
Liberty Media purchased the Formula One Group in 2017 for £6.4 billion ($8 billion) from private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.
How fast do F1 cars go?
A modern Formula One car can run lengthy straights at an average speed of about 220 mph. In the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes set a racing record when he touched an astounding 231 mph, but there are requirements that must be fulfilled.
Does Ferrari own F1?
The Formula 1 team Scuderia Ferrari is owned by the upscale Italian automaker Ferrari. Ferrari is jointly owned by Piero Ferrari and the Dutch holding company Exor, which is mostly owned by the wealthy Agnelli family.
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