China last hosted an F1 race in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic derailed its grand prix.
F1 now returns to the demanding Shanghai International Circuit after four seasons during which it was not on the calendar, with teams facing several unknowns about the performance of this generation of cars.
Additionally, the circuit has since been resurfaced, meaning very little existing data is valid on the 5.4km track outside Shanghai and the weekend is more difficult to prepare for.
To add to the teams’ headache, China was selected as the first of six sprint venues this year, giving them just one 60-minute practice session to find the ideal setup.
Asked by Autosport about the decision to organize a sprint in Shanghai in the first year, Verstappen replied sarcastically: “Yes, it’s very smart to do that.
“It’s not great to do that because when you’re away from a track for a long time, I think you never know what you’re going to experience, so it would have been better to have a normal racing weekend there.
“On the other hand, it probably spices things up a little more, and maybe that’s what they would like to see.
“But from a driving and sport performance point of view, I think it’s not the smartest thing to do. We’ll see how we get there.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB15, leads Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing C38
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
“I’ve always enjoyed driving there, so I hope we can start as good as possible, and I hope we don’t need to tweak too many things on the car.”
The sprints will follow a revised format this year, with free practice and sprint qualifying taking place on Friday, and the sprint race on Saturday.
The shortened race format will precede qualifying for the grand prix, which will occupy its usual Saturday slot, followed by the full grand prix on Sunday.
The adjustment means parc ferme will reopen after the sprint race for Saturday’s qualifying, responding to complaints that the original format was too restrictive.
But the limitation of just one test session remains, which Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz says goes a bit too far in China’s case.
“China is a great racing circuit, I think it’s one of our favorites for everyone,” he said.
“It’s just a great race track and one that has good overtaking opportunities, so a sprint makes sense.
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, 3rd position, at press conference
Photo by: Motorsport Images
“At the same time, that’s what we said in the drivers’ briefing with the FIA and Formula 1.
“With these kinds of cars, going to a track with an hour of practice and straight into qualifying, with the regulations they put on us, with the wear of the boards and things like that and how a tricky bump could return the car, I think it’s not a good choice to put the sprint [there] after four or five years of absence.
“We also heard that resurfacing work is underway. Maybe for you guys at home it’s exciting, but for the engineers and pilots, in my opinion we shouldn’t take risk and live a normal weekend.”
