Chinese GP Practice/Sprint Race/Qualy Recap
Day 1
FP1
Perhaps the most critical FP1 session on the calendar. The new track means no data for the teams and the drivers to solidify a car setup. Very little, if any, track time is compounded by the Sprint race weekend format. Too much is riding on this first practice session.
I saw quite a few teams showing speed during the first half of the session, but it was unclear because many teams had different strategies for the unusual race format for the weekend. Ferrari, Red Bull, Mclaren, Aston Martin, and even Haas were hanging around the top of the leaderboard.
A few instances were noted during the session, with a grass fire being started in turn seven due to the cars bottoming out on the track and sparks flying into the grass; this would shortly red flag the session until the fire was under control. Lewis Hamilton was given a black and white flag for a traffic incident that resulted in him crossing a restricted line and entering the pit lane. While it was an exciting session, everyone was looking forward to the upcoming sprint qualifying session.
Top 5: Stroll, Piasti, Verstappen, Perez, Hulkenberg
Small grass fires started in FP1 and Sprint Qualifying due to car sparking.
SQ (Sprint Qualifying)
What started as a dry qualifying session soon became rain-filled SQ2 and SQ3. Du ng SQ1, an additional grass fire was started for the same reasons as before, which caused a short delay.
Eliminated in SQ1: Gasly, Ocon, Albon, Tsunoda, Sargeant
SQ2: The highlight of SQ2 was Zhou Guanyu advancing out of Q1 at his home Grand Prix. A light rain started towards the end of the session, slowing the track's evolution.
Eliminated in SQ2: Russell, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Stroll
SQ3: It rained throughout the final qualifying session, so teams struggled to get a clean lap. Multiple drivers went off the track during the session. Leclerc ended up in a barrier due to the slippery track. Lando put together an excellent lap-setting pole by a two-second gap.
Sprint Race Starting Grid:
(1) Norris (2)Hamilton
(3) Alonso (4)Verstappen
(5)Sainz (6)Perez
(7)Leclerc (8)Piastri
(9)Bottas (10)Guanyu
(11)Russell (12)Magnussen
(13)Hulkenberg (14)Ricciardo
(15)Stroll (16)Gasly
(17)Ocon (18)Albon
(19)Tusnonda (20) Sargeant
Sprint Race
1st Max Verstappen - 8 points
2nd Lewis Hamilton - 7 points
3rd, Sergio Perez - 6 points
4th - Charles LeClerc -5 points
5th Carlos Sainz - 4 points
6th Lando Norris - 3 points
7th Oscar Piastri - 2 points
8th George Russell - 1 point
Qualifying
Q1
Alpines found a way out of Q1, advancing the team to its first double Q2. Ricciardo outpaced Tsunoda for the first time of the season, as Yuki found himself out in Q1. Just off his sprint race podium, Lewis Hamilton found himself a few tenths out in a surprising first-round exit.
Eliminated in Q1: Zhou, Magnussen, Hamilton, Tsunoda, and Sargeant.
Q2
Sainz had a big spin and found himself in the wall, causing a red flag for the session. Most of the teams only had one good lap. Va teri Bottas had a breakthrough session for Stake Sauber with the team's advancement into Q3. Hulkenberg advanced into Q3 for Haas.
Eliminated in Q2: Stroll, Ricciardo, Ocon, Albon, Gasly
Q3
There was a Front Row lockout for the Red Bulls, with Max on pole and Sergio in second place. Alonso found a way to out-qualify the Mclarens and the Ferraris, finding himself in third place.
Grand Prix Starting Grid:
Race Predictions: Unless we see some first-lap extracurriculars or if there is a mechanical problem, Max will more than likely run away from the rest of the pack. Will Perez run away with Max, or will he get held up with the Alonso, the McLarens, and the Ferraris? I feel there will be a mid-pack DRS train for 3rd-8th place again. The battle for the last few points will also be fascinating; I can see Hulkenberg, Bottas, and Ricciardo having an excellent fight for the 9th and 10th places.
The race for the podium should be a great battle between the McLarens and Alonso.
With the weather changing quickly at the Shanghai International Circuit, it's never been a question whether the weather can change this race soon.
