Leading Formula 1 competitors have voiced their concerns over the impending sprint race scheduled for the Shanghai circuit, signaling a return to China for the first time since the covid pandemic’s onset. The decision to resume the Chinese Grand Prix in 2024, marking its spot on an already jam-packed calendar, has not been the subject of criticism per se. Rather, the choice to include Shanghai as one of the six venues for this year’s sprint format has sparked discontent, particularly among high-profile drivers like three-time world champion Max Verstappen.
After clinching victory at Suzuka, Verstappen expressed his thoughts with evident sarcasm, stating, “Yeah, it’s very smart to do that.” He elaborated on the concerns, suggesting, “When you’ve been away from a track for quite a while, I think you never know what you’re going to experience. So it would have been better to have a normal race weekend there.”
The sprint format, by its nature, reduces the available practice time to a mere hour before the qualifying rounds commence. Verstappen added a nuanced view: “On the other hand, it probably spices things up a bit more, and that’s maybe what they would like to see. But purely from a performance perspective of the sport, I think it’s not the smartest thing to do.”
Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, concurred, highlighting the inherent risks of returning to Shanghai after a significant hiatus, especially without adequately testing the track conditions, which might include “issues with the track, drain holes, things like that.”
The sentiment was echoed in discussions during the FIA drivers’ briefing, where Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz raised a flag about the limited practice time’s potential impact, especially considering the current car designs and regulations. “We said to the FIA and Formula 1, with these kind of cars, to go to a track with one hour of practice and straight into qualifying, with the regulations that they give us, with the plank wear and things like this, I think it’s not a good choice,” Sainz remarked. He also pointed out the discrepancy in perspectives, adding, “Maybe for you guys at home it’s exciting, but for engineers and drivers, we shouldn’t take the risk in my opinion.”
GMM
