Lando Norris will start in front of everyone in the first Sprint race of Formula 1 2024. On the Shanghai track, which returns to the circuit after years, it was a roulette qualifying conditioned by the rain that appeared in the third and decisive phase. The previous two had taken place on slick tyres, in the end the rain appeared and everyone took to the track with intermediate tyres, doing circus acts to avoid going off the road on the very slippery asphalt. At the end of the whirlwind, the British driver from McLaren brought Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton into line, the two dragons roaring back in the most difficult conditions. But there was some discussion…
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In China the grass… catches fire!
An incident occurred during the day that is probably unprecedented in a century of motorsport. In an escape area, on the edge of the Shanghai track, both in the morning free practice and during the first phase of qualifying, a…fire broke out! That is, the turf ignited, almost certainly due to the sparks that the flat bottom of the cars emits when they rub against the asphalt. Evidently in the meadows of the Chinese runway there are a lot of combustible residues, i.e. oil or fuel. However, the inconvenience was resolved immediately with the commissioners’ fire extinguishers. Then it started to rain: Mother Nature will take care of it….
The Sprint at dawn in Italy
To enjoy the first Sprint challenge of Formula 1 2024 you will have to wake up early on Saturday 20 April: the start is in fact set for 5am Italian time. Qualifying for the actual GP is also scheduled during the day, which will take place on Sunday at 9am. Here are all the weekend times and TV connections.
Photo: F1 Social
Tags: Norris mocks Sprint qualifying roulette
