Formula 1 Chinese GP
Pirelli: F1 Chinese GP return prompts major uncertainties after five-year absence
Pirelli Formula 1 chief engineer Simone Berra expects the Chinese GP to be a “big challenge” for both the tyre company and teams after a five-year break.
Adam Cooper
Published: Apr 6, 2024, 4:20 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The last race at the Shanghai circuit was held in 2019, before COVID-19 triggered an extended absence from the country.
Since then, the F1 technical regulations have changed substantially, including a switch to 18-inch tyres.
Inevitably the track surface will also have altered over the intervening years, but unusually Pirelli has not been able to send engineers to assess it in advance, which would normally be the case with brand new venues or one that have not been used for a while.
Given that the track was built on swampland there is also a possibility that bumps have emerged which might not be obvious to the naked eye, but which will be discovered by the ground effect F1 cars once they are running.
An extra twist for drivers and teams as they relearn the circuit is that Shanghai is also the first sprint weekend of 2024, with FP1 on Friday followed by qualifying for Saturday’s sprint event.
"It's like a new circuit, honestly,” said Berra when asked by Motorsport.com about the return to China. “Because we have new cars, new tyres, the 18-inch [rims].
“The track was really not used in five years, it was just used for one race per year or something like that. So, it will be really green and quite dirty, although obviously, they will clean the track.
“And we need to understand even from tarmac measurement pre-event how it has changed.
“In the past, it was quite rough in terms of both micro and macro roughness. We need to understand how ageing has gone in the last years.
“It's a good challenge for us, it's interesting. The other thing is that after five years, it's even a sprint race, with just free practice.
“So not much data, and even for the teams it will be a big challenge, not just for us, but for the teams even more probably."
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W10, leads on the opening lap of 2019 Chinese GP
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Despite not sending engineers in advance to study the track, Berra remains confident in the compound choices that Pirelli made.
“Unfortunately, I don't have any person available to do it,” he said of the lack of an early inspection. “So we'll do that directly on Wednesday.
“Anyway, it doesn't change too much, because the selection is already made. We made let's say a middle range selection, so C2, C3, C4, which covers us from any possibility. C5 was really too soft, and C1 probably too conservative, considering the track.”
Asked if graining might be an issue he added: "In the past we had not severe graining, but we had light graining. So yes, could be a possibility.
“I expect some graining, especially on C3 and C4, for the C2 I expect more resilience compared to the C3 and C4, so we should be covered. Let's say that in that case a high wear rate in case of graining.”
Read Also:
Formula 1Toto Wolff explains reasons behind Japan F1 U-turn decision
Formula 1Pirelli seeks talks with FIA and F1 teams over flawed wet-tyre rule
Formula 1What we learned from Friday F1 practice at the 2024 Japanese GP
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen heads Perez in final practice
Next article What unusual final F1 practice revealed about true Suzuka race form
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 10, 2024
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Latest news
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
6 h
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
6 h
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 11 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe