Welcome to Prime Tire, where we wondered years if we are the only ones who say “bless you” after sneezing. Now we know it’s just us and Carlos Sainz.
My name is Patrick and Madeline Coleman will be here shortly. Let’s dive in the first week of the Chinese Grand Prix in five years.
But first, a detour to Texas
I grew up around Texas Motor Speedway. (Literally, one of the first things I learned when I got my driver’s license was to avoid I-35 West on race weekends unless I like traffic.) I hadn’t been to a race in at least 15 years, so of course I jumped at the chance to join my Athleticism colleague Jeff Gluck for NASCAR Tour in Fort Worth last weekend.
I had a healthy skepticism. I knew all the criticism of TMS and the grumbling about the quality of racing after Martinsville. I watched the shine dissipates this old cathedral of Texas speed. So when I left the track in the dying light that evening after a rather breathtaking race, I allowed myself some hometown pride. We put on a good show.
If F1 engines sound like angels screaming, new generation NASCARs sound like roaring gods. Late in the race, I stepped out of the press box elevator into the concourse, and the sounds of thunder ricocheted off the walls. You feel like you’re standing under a Colosseum full of giants. Like there’s a chorus of deities arguing in the next room and you’re not sure if you should enter. What if they notice you?
Should NASCAR adopt a tire system like F1?, with hard, soft and medium to choose from? Goodyear is under scrutiny for tires that last too long (NASCAR only supplies one compound per race). An asset of F1 is that tire distributions and different compounds mean strategy is integrated into every race. You are guaranteed this entertaining variable, even if tire wear or safety cars do not play an important role. I have come to appreciate this.
For a hot second it felt like Kyle Larson was about to run away with the race for the next 250 rounds. A loose wheel ruined his day and led to a lot of action and chaos from the start. Does this sound like the Australian GP to anyone else? Domination, luck – race.
The race was a disasteras you would expect from NASCAR’s most maligned track. But a good mess. Sixteen warnings. Twenty-three changes of leader. I told Jeff it reminded me of a superspeedway race, with a new hero/competitor emerging at seemingly every caution.
We got overtime and the sport’s most popular driver ended his win drought, in front of one of the best TMS crowds in years. And, three hours later, on the Circuit of the Americas, MotoGP put on quite a spectacle. A pretty good day of racing in the Lone Star State. October and the US GP can’t come soon enough.
We are going to China
Heavy restrictions imposed by China during the COVID-19 pandemic prevented F1 from racing at the Shanghai International Circuit for five years. We are finally back this weekend. The same goes for sprint races which, as Madeline writes today, raise some eyebrows. Here’s what we’re thinking about as we venture into the week of the Chinese GP.
Zhou Guanyu. It’s hard not to be happy for the Sauber driver this week, as he finally gets to race in front of his home fans. Of course, this will mean a whirlwind of off-track engagements, appearances and meet-and-greets with fans. By the time practice finally begins, he’ll be grateful to be behind the wheel again. The pressure will be on his team to deliver a reliable car – Zhou retired in Japan with a gearbox problem and the Sauber drivers reached 15th place on average in the first four races.
The children. Four drivers have never raced in Shanghai: Zhou, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant. Alex Albon, Lando Norris and George Russell were rookies at the last Chinese GP. And Norris ran 50 laps in a damaged car that day. It is a whole third of the grid with little experience on this track.
Max Verstappen. Of the 24 circuits on the 2024 calendar, Shanghai is one of two Verstappen has yet to win. (The other is Singapore.) In fact, he’s only reached the podium once in China, in 2017. There’s a good chance he’ll rectify that on Sunday.
Ferrari drivers. The technical Shanghai circuit tends to wear down the front tires, which in theory should suit Ferrari well. Carlos Sainz has shared the podium with the Red Bull drivers in most races this season, so the margin for error in the Verstappen and Sergio Pérez garages is still quite slim. We can’t wait to see if Charles Leclerc can return to his poleman ways.
Lewis Hamilton. The veteran driver has six wins in Shanghai, but the Mercedes team arrives in China once again scratching their heads about their car. So far, Hamilton and teammate Russell have failed to extract the expected performance from the car. With Hamilton’s success story here, Mercedes is hoping a return to China will right the ship.
Inside the Paddock with Madeline Coleman: The Is the Chinese GP becoming “Istanbul 2.0”?
“We have also heard that redesigns are underway, so Istanbul 2.0 could be on the agenda. Yeah, I hope not.
After the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz were asked for their thoughts on China being a sprint weekend this season, the first of the year. F1 has not raced at the Shanghai International Circuit since 2019, and the sprint weekend schedule features just one practice session.
This generation of cars did not race on the Shanghai International Circuit and these cars are more sensitive to bumps. Remember, this track was built on top of a swamp.. As Sainz noted, the track has been resurfaced, raising concerns of an “Istanbul 2.0,” as Sainz noted.
This refers to 2020 Turkish Grand Prix Weekend. The track was resurfaced a few weeks before F1 returned, and between cooler temperatures (the race was in November), hard tires and a refreshed track surface, drivers struggled with grip. tires during the Friday practice sessions. According to Sky Sports, lap times were 10 seconds slower than expected speeds. Many drivers described the track surface as “an ice rink.”
THE F1 teams face several unknowns ahead of Chinese GP weekend, even with their simulators. Even though most of the grid has been on track, they have new cars and new tires compared to the last time they were here. “It’s not great to do that because when you’re away from a track for a long time, I think you never know what you’re going to experience, right?” Verstappen said in Japan. “So it would have been better to have a normal racing weekend there. But on the other hand, it probably spices things up a little more, and maybe that’s what they’d like to see. »
Outside of points
- Last week, AthleticismIt was Luke Smith who broke the news to you. Andretti’s F1 team still pushing to join grid in 2026. Today, Luke released a full report on the opening of the Andretti F1 facility at Silverstone.
- Haas boss Ayao Komatsu said the team had not “functioned as a team” in recent seasons, particularly due to communication issues.
- And F1 has published its first impact report, presenting the first results of its strategy to make sport more sustainable.
(Main photo by Max Verstappen ahead of the 2019 Chinese GP: Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)