2024 HOO FLUNG DUNG CHINESE GRAND PRIX

[Aty]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Hulk and Sainz in top 10. Welcome to Hinwil.

Otherwise not really representative qualifications. Very confusing weekend so far. These sprint events making my head hurt.

[Everso Biggyballies]

100th Pole Position for Red Bull. Ironically at the same venue they got their first 15 years ago.

They are still only 6th in the alltime list though, still behind Lotus, Williams, Mercedes McLaren and Ferrari.

Red Bull only need another 150 poles to go ahead of Ferrari.

[erwin greven]

[Everso Biggyballies]

45 minutes to race start.

STRATEGY...

With no race since 2019, this is a first time this generation of cars and this generation of tyres has been to Shanghai.
Last time we raced here other than the cars, the tyres were smaller, and the top 10 were required to start the race on their fastest Q2 set .... but the layout of the circuit hasn’t changed and the stresses and strains on the tyres will be similar.

Last time the podium guys all two stopped and used a medium>hard>medium strategy.

Some info on what is anticipated this year.



Degradation in China is likely to be similar to that seen in Japan, heavily suggesting a two-stop race on the harder compounds. As Suzuka, it’s a choice between doing two hard stints or two medium.

The teams at the front have swapped their preferences from Suzuka, with Red Bull and Ferrari taking two hards into this race, while Mercedes, McLaren and Alonso carry only one forward.

Under the new Sprint rules, everyone had the option to keep ample mediums – but of the leading pack, only Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc and George Russell have carried forward two new sets of C3 mediums

Mediums are 0.3 slower than the soft here, but half a second faster than the hard.





Who is the quickest in race trim and by how much?

Well, no surpeise Red Bull are the fastest, but Ferrari next and with MacLaren next above Mercedes and Aston pretty much the same. Then a big drop to VCARB and the rest.





They say no chance of rain during the race and it will be 22C. We will see.

If we have an SC, stopping under that will save 8 seconds. Historically there is a fir chance of an SC here.

[Everso Biggyballies]

T1 will be interesting with Max and Sergio at the front, with the always punchy and agresssive Alonso and excitable Lando next row back. Piastri CLAP Sainz and Russell next up with an eager to gain Hulkenberg and Bottas looking for fame.

Lewis will be another to watch to see him trying to move up from his backmarker zone, behind a keen to impress Zhou and in amongst Tsunoda and KMag. That area has tears all over it.

Also in the mix is a high on confidence (with a new chassis) equally keen to impress Danny. Ric, high on having beaten Yuki in qualy for the first time this year.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Getting into the last few minutes now and Alonso is there with Mechanics all over his car making a fix to his floor, hair dryers and all sorts of other strange things going on there.

I guess the other issue is, do we need a quiz for how long will be the worst Sauber pitstop, although improved from earlier in the year still waiting on a permanent fix. It would be a shame for Bottas to have his Q3 giant killing destroyed, sat in pitlane watching wheel nuts flying around.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Logan Sargeant starts from pit lane today,

The chance of rain has gone up to 10% and Max thinks there are a few drops already. Maybe its just sweat a la Russell.

Warm up lap underway and the leaders all look to be on medium tyres. Stroll has a set of softs on,as have Sargeant, Stroll and Tsunoda, looking to gain quick spots , while Magnussen has gambled on a set of hards.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Max wins the start and Alonso jumps Sergio with an around the outside move.

Lewis has lost a place down the back and drops to 19th.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Max is already 1.4 up the road and out of Alonso's DRS

[Everso Biggyballies]

*** Lewis complains about the tyres at the start of lap 2!** (Cue fastest lap next time round).

[PTRACER]

So, Max Verstappen wins the Chinese GP Just 53 laps to wait to see who finishes 2nd.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Sergio struggling to pass Alonso even with DRS. As in the sprint the Aston is quick on the straight.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Sergio gets Alonso. Just as Lando was commenting on Nando was using his tyres up.

[erwin greven]

So, Max Verstappen wins the Chinese GP Just 53 laps to wait to see who finishes 2nd.

This is what i always thought in the Hamilton domination era. Lights went out, Hamilton leads in T1. Switch off the TV. 2 hours later on Text: "Hamilton wins in (country)"

[PTRACER]

So, Max Verstappen wins the Chinese GP Just 53 laps to wait to see who finishes 2nd.

This is what i always thought in the Hamilton domination era. Lights went out, Hamilton leads in T1. Switch off the TV. 2 hours later on Text: "Hamilton wins in (country)"

Yup. Utterly boring. I am hopeful of some good racing behind today though.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Leclerc up to 6th with a pass on Russell.