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    2024 RACE REVIEW

    Scuderia Ferrari marked the return of the Chinese Grand Prix to the calendar with a fourth and a fifth place courtesy of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. On the plus side, a total of 31 points in the bag, including those from the Sprint Race, the second highest total behind Red Bull. It was always going to be about trying to make up places after a difficult qualifying, but for the first time this season, neither driver made it to the podium.
    Track Temperature29° °C
    Humidity51%
    Air Temperature19 °C
    Wind Speed6 km/h S
    • CHARLES LECLERC
    • Race Result4
    • Fastest Lap1:39.384
    • Pit Stop22.360s
    • Race Time1:41:16.177
    • Gap from leader+23.623s
    avg speed
    top speed
    avg speed
    top speed
    • CARLOS SAINZ
    • Race Result5
    • Fastest Lap1:39.764
    • Pit Stop22.629s
    • Race Time1:41:26.537
    • Gap from leader+33.983s
    avg speed
    top speed
    avg speed
    top speed
    Tyres
    Charles Leclerc
    N. Pit Stop1
    Total laps56
    pit
    10
    20
    30
    40
    50
    Race laps
    21
    56
    Percentage set used
    Medium
    38 %
    Hard
    63 %
    Carlos Sainz
    N. Pit Stop1
    Total laps56
    pit
    10
    20
    30
    40
    50
    Race laps
    17
    56
    Percentage set used
    Medium
    30 %
    Hard
    70 %
    “
    I’m not sure if we could have expected more in terms of finishing higher up the order today given our grid positions.
    However, I was expecting more in terms of pace than we demonstrated in the race. We now need to understand why that was, especially on the Hards and improve in time for Miami both in qualifying and the race because it’s all very close currently with hundredths of a second making a big difference. We had put both drivers on a two-stop strategy and Charles did a good job of lengthening his stint on the Mediums, but when the Virtual Safety Car was called, we went for a one stop, with the hope of being able to fight for a podium finish. Unfortunately, Carlos had stopped just before the Safety Car and so he too had to switch to a single stop. This naturally meant he had to be a bit conservative in the final part of the race, but he still brought home the best result that was possible today.
    Frédéric Vasseur
    “
    We’re not completely satisfied with our result as a team today.
    We have two things to focus on leaving Shanghai, one is our qualifying trim and the other our pace on the Hards, which was our main challenge today. Our strategy and performance were strong until the Safety Car, but after that we were all on the same strategy and it was a bit more difficult for us to get back to speed on the Hard tyres. What will be essential is the upcoming upgrades, as they will define the direction we will take for the next part of the season.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    “
    A tough race on a challenging track for us this weekend.
    The first few corners were far from ideal and with the traffic we decided to pit early to switch to the Hard tyres. Some laps later, under the Safety Car, we stayed out on that tyre and went to the end to finish fifth. In any case, overall we struggled more than expected and the result today is not what we wanted. We will review everything before going to Miami, where I’m confident we can return to the form we showed in the previous weekends.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    CHARLES LECLERC QUALIFYING SESSIONS
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.797
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.399
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.289
    POSITION
    3
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.629
    CARLOS SAINZ QUALIFYING SESSIONS
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.970
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.368
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.297
    POSITION
    5
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.637
    “
    We compromised our qualifying by prioritising the race tomorrow and struggled slightly more than we expected.
    Our race pace is strong and it will be a long one, with tyre degradation playing a big role here. Even the smallest change of wind can influence the car balance, so anything can happen. We will push tomorrow and let’s see what is possible.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    “
    This qualifying session didn't go as well as we hoped, but even after the incident in the last corner we managed to keep it together and reacted positively right away.
    Overall it was a tough session for us, as we struggled a bit too much in sector 1 and our total lap time wasn’t enough to fight for better positions. However I’m confident that in the race, with this set up, we will be faster than some of the rivals starting in front of us. We are up for an interesting race tomorrow where strategy will also play an important role.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    Charles Leclerc Sprint Session
    POSITION
    4
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +20.696 s
    FASTEST LAP
    1:41.003
    Carlos Sainz Sprint Session
    POSITION
    5
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.631 s
    FASTEST LAP
    1:40.962
    Carlos Sainz Sprint Quali
    Q1 - MEDIUM TIRE
    1:36.719
    Q2 - MEDIUM TIRE
    1:36.052
    Q3 - INTER TIRE
    2:00.214
    Charles Leclerc Sprint Quali
    Q1 - MEDIUM TIRE
    1:36.537
    Q2 - MEDIUM TIRE
    1:35.711
    Q3 - INTER TIRE
    2:00.566
    “
    It was a tough mixed session.
    We made it through SQ1 and SQ2 without major issues, but then in SQ3, with the rain and the Intermediate tyres, we struggled quite a lot with the rear tyres as we weren’t able to get them up to the right temperature. If the Sprint Race tomorrow is also wet it won't be an easy session for us, but as of now it looks like there is a higher chance of dry conditions. In any case, we will try to recover some positions and face qualifying in the afternoon with good momentum.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    “
    I lost it on the out lap in Turn 8 during SQ3, which compromised our session.
    I don’t think there was much we could have done differently today. We did some good work in terms of tyre preparation in dry conditions, which seems to be paying off. We’ll give it our all in the Sprint Race and then reset for qualifying tomorrow afternoon.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    Charles Leclerc Practice sessions
    FP1 - POSITION: 13
    1:38.090
    Carlos Sainz Practice sessions
    FP1 - POSITION: 14
    1:38.284
    Sectors
    Turns
    Max Speed
    DRS
    • LocationShanghai
    • First GP2004
    • Circuit length5.451 km
    • Race Distance305.066 km
    • Laps56
    • Lap Record1:34.742Pierre Gasly (2019)
    Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai

    The Shanghai International Circuit has hosted every edition of the Chinese Grand Prix. It’s one of the new generation of circuits, designed by Hermann Tilke and is 5.451 kilometres in length. It features a mix of high-speed and right angle corners, as well as some out and out hairpins, which compel the driver to brake hard, increasing the number of passing opportunities. The hardest compromise to get right is the balance between aero downforce and top speed. Going too far either way can end up with the car struggling to stay on track or being too slow down the straights. Tyre wear is also a key factor here. Scuderia Ferrari won the maiden Chinese race, in 2004, courtesy of Rubens Barrichello, obtaining three further victories, with Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

    Turn 13

    Leading onto a straight that’s over a kilometre long, getting through it well is vital to carry speed down the aforementioned straight and to fend off anyone attempting a DRS-enabled attack.

    Turn 15 and pit lane entrance

    It’s tricky, because it’s a shallow but quick turn and leads on to a section where DRS can be used. The pit lane entrance is another place where it’s easy to make a mistake, which Lewis Hamilton can attest to, after he got stuck in the gravel, which put Raikkonen back in the 2007 title fight.

    • 4
      RACE WINS
    • 2
      POLE POSITIONS
    • 2
      FASTEST LAPS
    • 13
      PODIUMS
    yeardrivermodel
    2004
    Barrichello
    F2004
    2006
    Schumacher
    248 F1
    2007
    Raikkonen
    F2007
    2013
    Alonso
    F138