The place where Scuderia emerged victorious for the last time in 2013 with Fernando Alonso as the triumphant driver. They will be looking to achieve the same feat 11 years later, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Leclerc leading the way. However, this time they will face an additional challenge in the form of the Sprint race weekend format, which is being introduced this year.
Before the next race in China, the order of classification is clear: Red Bull is well ahead, with Ferrari closely following, and then the rest of the teams behind them. Therefore, Fred Vasseur’s team will be looking to disrupt Red Bull’s dominance, just as Sainz did for Ferrari in Australia.
In the Scuderia’s preview for the upcoming Grand Prix weekend, Vasseur expressed the difficulties they will face: “Returning to Shanghai after several years will undoubtedly make this weekend very challenging for everyone. We will have to navigate through various factors, as this will be the first time the current generation of cars will race on this circuit.”
“We only have one practice session before competing for grid positions for the Sprint Race. Another major concern is the condition of the track surface, which may have become rougher since our last visit,” said the Ferrari F1 team boss.
Vasseur continued: “As always, with this weekend format, preparation plays a crucial role, and in our case, this includes improving our qualifying lap preparation, an area where we have been less than perfect recently.”
“With Carlos and Charles, our goal is to extract the maximum potential from the car and achieve a solid result while putting pressure on our competitors,” declared the Ferrari boss.
At the top of the list of competitors are the current Formula 1 world champions, Red Bull, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez leading the charge. The RB20, designed by the talented Adrian Newey & Co, has proven to be a formidable creation.
Verstappen has already secured three victories this season and, along with Perez, they have achieved three one-two finishes. Based on their current performance, stopping the Red Bull machine will be a huge challenge for Ferrari and the other teams.
The team highlighted the challenges that lie ahead at the Chinese Grand Prix: “The last time Formula 1 raced in Shanghai was several seasons ago (2019) before the current generation of ground effect cars, so teams do not have recent data to rely on.
“This means that the work done in the factory and in the simulator is even more crucial than usual when preparing for this event. Charles and Carlos have been working hard with the team in recent weeks and now it’s time to put their preparations to the test,” Ferrari’s preview concluded for the weekend in China.
