With F1 teams having done a lot of pre-event work in the simulator based on information provided by Pirelli and the FIA, they were surprised when they arrived at the circuit on Wednesday by the visibly different track surface.
While pilots said the track appeared to have been “painted”, it emerged that it was actually a liquid bitumen surface treatment that had been applied last year to help reduce degradation of the surface. old asphalt.
As the circuit has been in use since, elements of this treatment have been worn away on the racing line, giving the surface a two-tone appearance.
But beyond its different appearance, the treatment had an impact on adhesion levels, notably with a contrast between the areas where the bitumen remains in place and those where it has been worn away.
While the FIA normally informs teams before race weekends of any significant changes to the circuit, no notification regarding this treatment was included in the documents sent to teams and Pirelli.
Additionally, Pirelli normally sends engineers ahead of an F1 meeting to provide up-to-date data on track conditions, but this was not done this time as the Italian company did not have any staff members of free F1 to do it.
It was only when he arrived at the circuit on Wednesday with his engineers that the problem appeared, causing some surprise.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Asked about the extent of communications with the FIA about the treatment, F1 chief engineer Simone Berra said: “We haven’t received any indication, so we were also surprised.
“We noticed this on Wednesday during the usual inspection of the track, and it was clear that this surface was completely different from the old one.”
Autosport understands the lack of a warning on the surface was discussed at Friday morning’s team bosses’ meeting with F1 race director Niels Wittich.
Sources suggest that while Wittich admitted to being aware of the work being done, he did not feel it necessary to inform the teams because it was not a change that should have had a material impact on the level performance of the track, nor require a change of homologation.
Although the grip changes certainly weren’t extreme enough to have such a bad scenario at Turkey 2020, Berra added that in the future it was clear that circuits would have to make it more obvious, especially with the FIA , the impact of any work carried out in F1. places.
Asked what was wrong with the communication on this, Berra replied: “I think you have to ask the FIA, but it’s not a change of track that requires re-homologation, or control by the FIA.
“This was done by the management of the Chinese circuit, and they could have done it without informing anyone.
“But I would say it’s not the end of the world in the end because in FP1, let’s say, the grip level improved after a few laps, and then the drivers were able to finish the session.
“I think in the future the FIA will try to work a little more closely with the circuit to understand this kind of information in advance.”
The surface treatment problem will disappear by 2025, with Shanghai set to undertake a complete resurfacing this summer ahead of next year’s race.
With F1 teams having done a lot of pre-event work in the simulator based on information provided by Pirelli and the FIA, they were surprised when they arrived at the circuit on Wednesday by the visibly different track surface.
While pilots said the track appeared to have been “painted”, it emerged that it was actually a liquid bitumen surface treatment that had been applied last year to help reduce degradation of the surface. old asphalt.
As the circuit has been in use since, elements of this treatment have been worn away on the racing line, giving the surface a two-tone appearance.
But beyond its different appearance, the treatment had an impact on adhesion levels, notably with a contrast between the areas where the bitumen remains in place and those where it has been worn away.
While the FIA normally informs teams before race weekends of any significant changes to the circuit, no notification regarding this treatment was included in the documents sent to teams and Pirelli.
Additionally, Pirelli normally sends engineers ahead of an F1 meeting to provide up-to-date data on track conditions, but this was not done this time as the Italian company did not have any staff members of free F1 to do it.
It was only when he arrived at the circuit on Wednesday with his engineers that the problem appeared, causing some surprise.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Asked about the extent of communications with the FIA about the treatment, F1 chief engineer Simone Berra said: “We haven’t received any indication, so we were also surprised.
“We noticed this on Wednesday during the usual inspection of the track, and it was clear that this surface was completely different from the old one.”
Autosport understands the lack of a warning on the surface was discussed at Friday morning’s team bosses’ meeting with F1 race director Niels Wittich.
Sources suggest that while Wittich admitted to being aware of the work being done, he did not feel it necessary to inform the teams because it was not a change that should have had a material impact on the level performance of the track, nor require a change of homologation.
Although the grip changes certainly weren’t extreme enough to have such a bad scenario at Turkey 2020, Berra added that in the future it was clear that circuits would have to make it more obvious, especially with the FIA , the impact of any work carried out in F1. places.
Asked what was wrong with the communication on this, Berra replied: “I think you have to ask the FIA, but it’s not a change of track that requires re-homologation, or control by the FIA.
“This was done by the management of the Chinese circuit, and they could have done it without informing anyone.
“But I would say it’s not the end of the world in the end because in FP1, let’s say, the grip level improved after a few laps, and then the drivers were able to finish the session.
“I think in the future the FIA will try to work a little more closely with the circuit to understand this kind of information in advance.”
The surface treatment problem will disappear by 2025, with Shanghai set to undertake a complete resurfacing this summer ahead of next year’s race.