The Chinese GP in Shanghai is returning to Formula 1 after 5 years following the Covid-19 pandemic. The last event that was held there was in 2019, when things were a lot different, especially in regards to the car regulations and tires.
This week, a lot of teams will have to be on their A-game to see how the current generation F1 cars react to the tarmac there. Following this, Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, has revealed what he thinks will be the biggest question mark for his team.
Fred Vasseur has been leading Ferrari’s charge since 2023.
The biggest question mark for me will be the tarmac, because the layout of the track we know. Most people know that the biggest question mark for me will be the tarmac and probably compared to the last event we have colder conditions. We don’t know the roughness of the tarmac, this will be key for the weekend.
Fred Vassuer during an interview with Racingnews365
The 55-year-old added how the general conditions of the track are cooler than previous years so the overall impact it’ll have on the new cars and tires is unknown. Moreover, Pirelli was not able to test it’s tires on the barely used track since 2019 making it a very intriguing affair for teams as they are practically going in blind, with no data or information.
Fred Vasseur emphasizes the importance of Free Practice in China
The Chinese GP will be the first F1 sprint race this season. In the new sprint format teams will have only one FP session, making it very tricky to get the right setup. Following this, during the same interview, Fred Vasseur spoke about the importance of FP1 in China, as teams will barely have any time to test different setups or make massive overhauls to their cars.
What is a bit difficult with the format of China is that with the tyre allocation and one [practice] session, we have to choose [a set-up] which we are bonded to in the car. Based on Friday, the anticipation on the weekend is crucial.
Fred Vasseur during the same interview
The Frenchman seemed to elude to the fact that getting the setup right in the one FP session would make or break his team’s overall weekend. Only time will tell how Ferrari and other teams cope up with the massive challenges that will be thrown their way during the upcoming race weekend in Shanghai.
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