Shanghai (China), 17 April 2024 – La Formula 1 restarts the engines after a week’s break, to fly in China. The Circus will return to compete on the circuit Shanghai five years after the last time, which was in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath have forced the organizers to postpone the return to China, which will finally reopen the doors of its borders and allow its fans to experience a great Live Award. It will be a complex weekend for the teams: the first on this track with ground effect single-seaters and, moreover, characterized by the format of the Sprint Racewhich will give teams little margin for error.
F1, Leclerc’s Ferrari (photo Ansa)
The Shanghai circuit
The racetrack Shanghai it is among the most modern in the world and was built in 2003. Designed and developed by engineer Hermann Tilkethis circuit debuted in Formula 1 in 2004 and has always been home to the Chinese Grand Prix. Here they ran sixteen Grand Prix over the years, i.e. every year until 2019. 5,451 kilometers long, this track is characterized by sixteen corners and is, aerodynamically speaking, medium load. That of China turns out to be a tough track with power unit, due to the long time that drivers spend with their foot on the accelerator. The first sector it is quite complex and has the first three corners, which can be navigated with trajectories that can be interpreted differently from driver to driver. In the second sector the medium-high speed corners dominate, with minimum speeds reaching 180 km/h and requiring a neutral, balanced aerodynamic platform with an excellent balance between the front and rear of the single-seater. The third and last sector, on the other hand, is the fastest one: it opens with a very long straight of 1200 metres, which takes the riders to the heaviest braking of the lap, where they hit 5G in deceleration. After passing the right bend at the end of this straight, you reach the last bend to the left which leads onto the finish straight. The one in Shanghai is a varied circuit, similar to that of Suzuka in terms of characteristics, although less “extreme” for single-seaters. There Pirelli has chosen to bring a harder tire compound than that seen in Japan. The teams will be able to count on the C2, C3 and C4, which will be stressed and put to the test especially in the fast, rather long and challenging corners in support. It is difficult to understand the degradation in advance and how many stops it will be based on race strategy: it is likely, however, that to complete the Sunday Grand Prix it will be necessary to make more than one pit stop.
Time and where to see it on TV
The Chinese Grand Prix it will be the first of the season to take place with the Sprint Race format. On the track of Shanghaitherefore, only one free practice session will be held on Friday morning, while then we will immediately move on to qualifying for the Sprint Race in the afternoon. On Saturday morning the short race will be held over one hundred kilometres, in the afternoon we will move on to qualifying in anticipation of the Sunday Grand Prix. The event will be broadcast live on channels of Sky Sport and, for the first time this year, some sessions will be live and free-to-air on TV8.
Friday 19 April
Free practice 1: 05.30 am
Sprint Race qualifying: 9.30am (live on TV8)
Saturday 20 April
Sprint Race: 05:00 am (live on TV8)
Grand Prix Qualifying: 09:00 am
Sunday 21 April
Chinese Grand Prix: 09:00 am (delayed on TV8 at 12:00 pm)
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Tags: China times unusual guide Sky TV8 secrets circuit
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