Race 2018 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Full Race Replay
Race 2018 F1 Chinese Grand Prix Full Race Replay
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Race Info
Date 15 April 2018
Official name Formula 1 2018 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix
Location Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.451 km (3.387 miles)
Distance 56 laps, 305.066 km (189.559 miles)
Formula One Chinese Grand Prix 2018 What to Watch
At this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel will be looking to begin the 2018 Formula 1 season with three straight victories.
Mercedes, the defending constructors champions, will be vying for a sixth consecutive victory at the circuit, although he will probably have fierce competition from them as they have dominated Shanghai in previous years.
Since 2008, Lewis Hamilton has won five times, making him the most successful driver at the circuit. The only other drivers with multiple victories in Shanghai are Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, who is now retired.
Last year's race in China got out to a rainy start, but pole sitter Lewis Hamilton managed to stay ahead the entire time and win for the first time this year. Max Verstappen, who started 16th, made an incredible run through the field to finish on the podium, while Vettel ended in second place.
Antonio Giovinazzi, filling in for Pascal Wehrlein of Sauber, had issues on the drying track. After a similar collision in qualifying, the Italian brought out the safety car and spun out of the final corner. After starting third and then recovering to finish sixth, Valtteri Bottas made a mistake during the safety car period, spinning to drop down to 12th.
In an effort to maximize the use of an earlier virtual safety car after a collision between Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez, Vettel and Bottas had made the transition to dry tires before Hamilton. However, Hamilton lost less time than his competitors to maintain his lead since he was able to make the change later when the cars were going more slowly thanks to the complete safety car.
The event is also notable for not taking place on Friday when the medical helicopter was unable to fly due to bad weather. The drivers were only able to finish a few laps during the morning practice, and P2 was abandoned due to smog and rain.
Due to Bahrain's calendar change, the race is now one week later than it was the previous year. Other than that, the track's 2017 configuration will remain the same, and the same DRS zones will be utilized.
For the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend, Pirelli has chosen non-sequential compounds for their tires, which is an unusual move. This weekend, drivers will be able to use the ultrasoft compound in addition to the mediums and softs, rather than the supersoft that was offered in 2017.
Most of the drivers who finished the race last year had to make two stops due to the weather.
Since both softs and supersofts were utilized extensively, the teams may be forced to consider changing their approach for Sunday's race if the ultrasofts are used in place of the supers. Using the ultrasofts instead will provide the teams three compounds that are more uniformly spaced out since, according to Pirelli, the gap between the softs and supersofts isn't as large as it is between the mediums and softs.
Each driver's selection of tyres seems to indicate that the teams are unsure of which tyre would perform best throughout the race. Ferrari prefers the softest option, taking eight sets of the ultrasofts for Vettel and Raikkonen, while Mercedes is cautious, taking only six sets for Hamilton and Bottas.
Other than Mercedes, Force India is the only team to choose six ultras; however, Perez and Estaban Ocon will also have three sets of mediums, indicating that the team is concerned about tire wear. The only other driver with more than two sets of medium for this race is Charles Leclerc.
With heavy rain predicted for the entire day tomorrow, it appears that the Shanghai International Circuit may see another miserable Friday. The medical helicopter should be able to fly because visibility is expected to be moderate, but it is unclear if drivers will want to spend time in the vehicle in rainy circumstances.
Rain may persist throughout P3 on Saturday morning, but conditions should improve by lunchtime, meaning the track will be dry or drying for qualifying. On Sunday, it should be sunny and dry all day with highs of about 18°C.
For those who are unsure which of the dry compound tires they want to use during the race, having all three practice sessions wet before a dry qualifying hour and race could be a bit of a headache. If the forecast is accurate, they will primarily be running on the wets and intermediates during practice.
In China, Mercedes and Mercedes-powered vehicles usually do well. McLaren's most recent victories at the track mean Mercedes engines have won the race eight times in the last ten years, while Mercedes has won five of the last six races in Shanghai. After poor performances in Australia and Bahrain, Force India and Williams will be hoping to move up the field, while Mercedes should be hopeful of ending their winless start to the season.
Less seasoned drivers, like Giovinazzi last year, may suffer due to a lack of dry running in practice.
In qualifying, the Sauber reserve driver was caught off guard by a damp patch beneath the bridge on the pit straight and wrecked on his first lap on a dry surface.
In China, being qualified for pole position is a significant advantage. The winner on Sunday has been the fastest driver on Saturday nine times in the 14 previous races at the Shangai International Circuit, and the winner has never started lower than sixth. Drivers can move up the pack at this track, as demonstrated by Verstappen's performance the previous year and Mark Webber's podium finish in 2010 after starting 18th.