Race Week in China
2024 Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix
It's race week in China. This week, F1 stops at Shanghai International Circuit in China.
Chinese GP History: Construction of the Shanghai International Circuit began in 2002, and it was announced that the management had signed a seven-year contract with Formula One to host the Chinese Grand Prix from 2004 until 2011. The inaugural race, held in September 2004, was a momentous occasion won by Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello. The event has been a consistent highlight on the motorsports calendar, held annually from 2004 until 2019; the event was contracted to occur from 2020 to 2023 but was unfortunately canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is on the F1 calendar until 2025.
About the Track: The Shanghai International Circuit (SIC) is a world-class racing circuit in the Jiading District of Shanghai, China. Spanning an impressive 5.451/3.39 miles, the SIC has 16 challenging turns. Designed by renowned German architect Hermann Tilke, this state-of-the-art facility has become a prominent fixture in motorsports since its inauguration in 2004.
Weekend Highlights:
First Sprint Race. For the first of six sprint race weekends, the weekend's order differs from a typical race weekend.
Friday: 60-minute Free Practice session/ Sprint Qualifying.
Saturday: Sprint / Qualifying (for the Grand Prix).
Sunday: Grand Prix
Home race for Zhou Guanyu. Zhou will make F1 history this weekend in Shanghai as the first Chinese Driver to race in a Chinese Grand Prix. Ma Qing Hua was a Test Driver for Caterham during the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, participating in the FP1 session on home soil but not racing during the Grand Prix. Zhou is set to make history on Sunday.
Zhou Guanyu Stake Sauber F1 Ma Qing Hua (Test Driver) for Caterham
Carlos Sainz is Cooking. The Driver to watch this season. He's off to a blazing start with one win and two podiums in just three races. He's currently hot on the heels of his teammate Charles Leclerc, who is only four points ahead. The question on everyone's mind is, will Sainz overtake Leclerc this weekend and lead the team in the drivers' championship? With his stock price surging, it's clear that Sainz is a force to be reckoned with, and I predict another strong finish for him, which could accelerate contract news for his new seat in 2025.
Red Bull is full throttle. Red Bull appears to have the strongest car unless we see major shifts after the upgrade packages come to the grid. Despite the DNF in Australia, Max Verstappen has had solid 10+ second margins of victory. These are less staggering than many of the 2023 seasons with 20+second margins of victory, but it is obvious that no one is close to Verstappenpen in race pace.
McLaren is Cruising. Mclaren has taken third place in constructors championship points behind RB and Ferrari. It has outperformed Mercedes and Aston Martin. McLaren looks strong and shows no signs of slowing down. I see no reason the team will not finish well in Shanghai.
What team is in the hot seat the most? Williams, Sauber, and Alpine still need to score points. Can any of these teams break the pointless streak?
Williams has struggled to build momentum this year. Big crashes, damaged cars, and no points are different from what we expected to see after the surge of Williams in 2023. A clean finish is pertinent to Williams operationally operationally and for team morale. Albon finished in the points at his first Chinese GP in 2019 with a 10th-place finish for Torro Rosso.
Stake Sauber has yet to look sharp this season. Plagued by slow pit stops and a few DNFs, Sauber has yet to fight for points consistently. A home Grand Prix for Zhou will bring extra attention to the Stake Sauber team. The team can iron out these details and allow their drivers to compete for points.
Alpine showed bits of hope in qualifying but has not been able to capitalize on race day. Thirteenth is the best finish for the team; Alpine has not shown enough improvement in car performance to battle in the super-competitive midpack.
