Almost twenty years ago, in September 2004, the Shanghai circuit hosted a Formula 1 race for the first time, so now the Chinese Grand Prix is celebrating an anniversary of sorts. However, due to the pandemic, there was a break in the history of this stage that lasted since 2019, but now Formula 1 is going on tour to China again.
Both Haas F1 drivers have extensive experience at this circuit – Nico Hulkenberg has started nine times in Shanghai, Kevin Magnussen – five times. Both managed to earn points there.
Ayo KomatsuTeam boss: “The last time we raced in China was in 2019, and compared to that time we now have a completely different car. The weekend program also includes a sprint. The biggest problems will be associated with finding optimal settings, and it is best to solve this problem before the only Friday training. We will have three sets of tires for it, so in an hour we will probably have time to do three races, and during this time we have to prepare the car for qualifying ahead of the sprint, which takes place on Friday afternoon. This will be the hardest.
I believe that the Suzuka stage, which exposed the weaknesses of our car, allowed me to draw many useful conclusions. In Shanghai the corner speeds will be lower, and there is also a long back straight, and the start and finish straight is also quite long, and all this should suit the VF-24 better, so we’ll see what we can reach.
It is also necessary to mention such a factor as the weather: it seems that rain is possible on Friday, and if the forecast comes true, a difficult training awaits us. However, it will be necessary to design a program in such a way that the car is properly prepared for Sunday’s race.
Also in Shanghai we will finally present the first part of a series of technical innovations. However, if the weather is wet we can’t find out much about it, but if we can at least increase the downforce a little that will be good. When it is dry we would like to work intensively on the aerodynamic settings in practice, so there will be a lot to do.”
Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m looking forward to returning to Shanghai, which we haven’t been to for a long time, so it’s interesting to see how the city and the circuit, which I have fond memories of, have changed. I think the statistics of my performance on this track are more or less good.
On this track most of the load is on the front axle of the car, not the rear, and I think this style suits me well. The ring configuration is quite nice, it’s not really a fast track so the VF-24 should handle it well. There are some slow corners and that also suits our car.
Last year we approached the speed races differently – sometimes we did well, sometimes we performed very poorly, but personally I have nothing against such races. I always support certain changes, and this year the format of the weekend will be different, so it will be interesting to see how everything turns out. But as it will be, so it will be…’
Kevin Magnussen: “I have scored points several times at the Shanghai circuit, but this year it will be interesting because this race has been missing from the calendar for a long time. Moreover, the first sprint of the season awaits us, so difficulties are guaranteed for everyone.
There are some slow corners on this circuit and I hope this suits us. There are also overtaking options. I’m already quite comfortable behind the wheel of the VF-24, so I hope we can perform well in Shanghai.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
