F1 | Ferrari, back to China with the Sprint Race puzzle

After five long years the formula 1 come back in China, for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19. The pilots then find him again Shanghai International Circuit where, to complicate the teams' work, the first one also takes place Sprint Race of the season. Teams and drivers will therefore have to regain confidence with the difficult Asian track by having only one 60-minute free practice session available on Friday (at 11.30 local time, 05.30 in Italy) which will be followed by Sprint Shootout at 15.30 pm (09.30 Italian). The Sprint Race will take place the following day at 11.00 (05.00 Italian), while the qualification will be at 15.00 pm (09.00 Italian). The Grand Prix will start at the same time on Sunday.

The track. The Shanghai International Circuit has hosted all editions of the Chinese Grand Prix. THE 5.451 meters of the track, whose layout is inspired by the Chinese character Shang, features a mix of high-speed and right-angle bends, as well as some actual hairpin bends, which force the driver to brake sharply and restart almost from a standstill. The most difficult compromise to achieve is the balance between downforce and top speed, and tire wear is also a key factor. Among the most iconic curves there is the first, long to the right, through which the pilots turn 270 degrees before going back practically in the opposite direction with a large hairpin to the left. Sector 2 includes medium speed curves, while the third basically consists of the long 1,4 km straight where it is possible to open the DRS and which is preceded and followed by two slow hairpins. The other DRS zone is on the finish line. Also worth mentioning is the last corner, almost 90 degrees with a slight bank which must be navigated perfectly to avoid coming out too slow and finding yourself vulnerable to the braking of Turn 1.

Homeworks. On this occasion, more than ever, it will be important to best prepare the weekend at home with the help of the simulator. There is no data from recent seasons since the last time they raced in Shanghai was with single-seaters from the era before the return of ground effect. Charles and Carlos have worked hard together with the team: it's time to verify on the track the quality of what has been done in recent weeks.