Just a few days on from the season-opener in Melbourne, Formula 1 is still in the Asia-Pacific region for this weekend’s second round, the Chinese Grand Prix.
It is the first Sprint weekend of the year, the first ever with this new generation of cars. Therefore, for Scuderia Ferrari HP and the other teams, it is another opportunity to continue to learn more about them on a track with very different characteristics to the one in Australia. However, the Sprint format offers very little time to set up the cars, which have changed so significantly in several areas, from aerodynamics to energy management. With teams having only limited data, the ability to prepare for the event in the simulator and to make the best possible use of the information gathered in the single hour of free practice, could be a significant factor.
The one and only 60 minute free practice session starts on Friday at 11.30 local, followed in the afternoon at 15.30 by Sprint Qualifying to establish the grid for the start of the short race, which takes place on Saturday morning at 11. It is run over 19 laps, a distance of 103.379 kilometres. Teams are then allowed to work on their cars to prepare for qualifying for the Grand Prix itself, with the grid deciding session at 15. The 56 lap, 305.066 kilometre Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday at 15.
The 5.451 kilometre Shanghai International Circuit is one of the most technical on the calendar. The layout takes its inspiration from the Chinese “shang” character and combines long variable radius corners with very heavy braking zones, as well as a 1.3 kilometre long straight, one of the longest of the season. Turn 1 is a long right corner that gets progressively tighter and is one of the track’s most distinctive sections, while the middle sector requires good aero balance through its medium speed corners. The final sector is home to the very long straight leading on to turn 14, one of the main passing opportunities. The 2026 cars have very different characteristics to their predecessors when it comes to the split between thermal and electrical power, as well as having active aerodynamics aimed at reducing drag down the straights. Therefore, energy management and the attack and defence modes will be a key consideration this weekend.
After just one race with these new cars, no clear hierarchy has yet emerged. Therefore, every session of this busy Shanghai Sprint weekend is a chance to improve understanding of the car-power unit package and to gather data to add to that acquired in the three pre-season tests and the first race.
Fred Vasseur: The Chinese Grand Prix comes hot on the heels of the Melbourne event and is a different challenge in many respects. Being a Sprint weekend means we have far less time to work on the cars and that means the work done in Maranello and in the simulator takes on even greater importance. This is only the start of a new era for Formula 1, with very different cars to those we raced over the past few years. That means every session is an opportunity to learn more about managing them, in terms of set-up and energy. There were encouraging signs in Australia, but the level is very high and there is still a lot of work to do. In Shanghai we aim to keep making progress, gather data, stay focused and put together a clean weekend from start to finish.
Ferrari in China
2004 China Grand Prix (R. Barrichello 1st; M. Schumacher 12th)
4 (22.22%) Wins
2 (11.11%) Pole positions
2 (11.11%) Fastest laps
13 (24.07%) Podiums
Chinese Grand Prix – Facts & Figures
1. The number of Sprint races won by Scuderia Ferrari HP. The one and only victory in a Saturday race was actually obtained last year at the Shanghai International Circuit, when Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line ahead of the field. To date, there have been 24 Formula 1 Sprint races. Max Verstappen is the clear leader when it comes to win with 13 to his name, followed by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on three, Valtteri Bottas on two and Hamilton, Sergio Perez and George Russell with one each.
270. The degrees of rotation at turn 1. It is the standout corner of the Shanghai International Circuit, one of the most unusual on the entire calendar. It is an extremely long righthand hairpin which progressively tightens up, so that cars go through around 270 degrees before tackling the next corner. It requires great sensitivity on the throttle pedal and precise management of the front end, especially in the early laps when the pack is bunched.
430. The maximum speed in kilometres per hour of Shanghai’s Maglev Train that links the city’s international Pudong airport to the city. It is the fastest commercial train in the world. Thanks to its magnetic levitation technology, the Maglev literally glides above the tracks, reducing friction and noise, a perfect example of the high-tech spirit of one of Asia’s most dynamic metropolises.
600. The number of automotive companies in Jiading, the district which is home to the Shanghai circuit. In recent decades, it’s become one of China’s major automotive hubs, home to research centres, suppliers and technology companies. That explains why the area is known as Shanghai’s “Automotive City,” an industrial hub, where innovation, production and technological development come together.
1907. The first motor race on Chinese soil. Modern motorsport in this country only began in the early Nineties, the boom getting underway with the opening of the Zhuhai circuit, whereas Shanghai International Circuit was only opened in 2003. However, back in 1907, the Peking-Paris rally took place, one of the most famous motoring events of all time. Competitors tackled 15,000 kilometres across deserts, the steppes and mountains. The race was won by Italy’s Scipione Borghese at the wheel of an Itala 35/45 HP, who reached the finish in the French capital several days ahead of his rivals.