Midfield team that ‘solved the problem’ tipped to excel as F1 returns to China

Uros Radovanovic
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Aston Martin's front wing for the Chinese GP

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After a five-year hiatus, Formula 1 returns to China for the first time with the new generation of cars – and an array of aerodynamic strategies.

The last time F1 raced at this venue, the sport was completely different, so it will be very interesting to see how the teams adapt.

Therefore, let’s take a look at some track characteristics, which aero packages the teams have opted for, and who the track in China will suit, and who it won’t.

Shanghai track preview

The track in China is a very fun circuit that offers a bit of everything. In the first and second sectors, we have a combination of some very slow, medium, and fast corners, while the third sector stands out with a straight that’s a whopping 1.4km long. This full-throttle straight, which is also one of the two DRS zones, will likely see the most overtaking. Therefore, teams struggling with excess drag will have significant problems here.

It’s worth noting that the track has received a completely new layer of asphalt, and nobody can yet know how the new generation of Pirelli tyres will behave on it. Moreover, in the case of rain, we’ll almost certainly have very slippery conditions.

A large percentage of the track in China is somewhat new for engineers responsible for adjusting the cars. The last time we raced here, both the cars and the tyres looked completely different, so data from previous races is more or less useless now.

What teams will certainly focus on maximising the significant amount of downforce gained primarily in an efficient manner. You need very good grip in slow and fast corners, while, as we’ve already mentioned, excess drag will significantly reduce lap time on the straight.

Some of the very important corners will undoubtedly be the slow T6, where a good exit is required as preparation for T7. Good stability in T11 will be crucial as it directly affects T12 and T13, as well as the long straight that follows. This track is designed so that mistakes directly affect the times in the following corners, and it’s very difficult to rectify those mistakes.

It’s worth noting that track evolution here will be very high, especially noticeable in qualifying where times will only get better and better.

What aero packages have the teams brought?

As mentioned earlier, aerodynamic efficiency is crucial here.

As usual, Red Bull has opted for an aggressive rear wing package where the difference between the lower and upper plane is really big. The lower plane is minimally loaded, while this type of upper plane will surely provide a significant boost in maximum speed when the DRS system is open. The Austrian team is expected to be the fastest here considering their aerodynamic efficiency is on another level compared to the others.

On the other hand, we have Mercedes and Ferrari whose rear wings look completely different from the Red Bull layout. A less loaded rear wing will bring an advantage on the straights, but we’ll see if it provides enough stability in the corners. Considering Ferrari’s very good performance since the beginning of the season, we can expect a strong race pace from them and a fight for the podium.

What remains unknown is whether Mercedes and McLaren have solved their high-drag problem. In previous races, we could see that they struggled a lot with maximum speeds, with an obvious lag compared to other teams.

An interesting comparison is between Red Bull and McLaren – McLaren has a more loaded lower plane of the rear wing and less loaded upper plane, which is completely different from Red Bull’s philosophy. This surely means a less effective DRS, but it remains to be seen how much it will affect them.

Aston Martin is a team that could surprise this weekend, and this type of circuit will suit them. They’ve solved the problem of maximum speeds, and although they have a highly loaded rear wing, they’ll surely be one of the better teams in this category, which is very valuable on this type of track.

What makes this race weekend even more interesting is the sprint that will take place on Saturday. This means that teams will have only one free practice session to prepare for a track that we can say is almost unknown.

For spectators, this will be very exciting as it will bring a dose of uncertainty and surprises. However, for engineers, this is a very tough job because there is very little time for preparation.

It begs the question how much teams will the ‘risk’ during the sprint race and will we’ll see true performances on Saturday. All of these are unknowns that we’ll enjoy this weekend. Sprint qualifications on Friday will be the first real indicator of the teams’ performances, and it will be interesting to analyse the data after that session.

Read next: F1 Sprint explained: New rules, format and how it differs from standard F1 races

 

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