In the only free practice session for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, Lance Stroll of Aston Martin set the quickest lap, followed by Oscar Piastri of McLaren, as teams tried to familiarize themselves with a circuit that they haven’t driven for years.
Stroll recorded the fastest lap in 1 minute, 36.302 seconds, 0.327 seconds faster than Piastri. More so, Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion for Red Bull, and teammate Sergio Perez finished third and fourth, respectively.
The discussion of the paddock preceding the session focused on how the cars of the ground effect era would perform on the track and whether or not an unexpected surface coating that caught drivers off guard would prove to be too harsh on the cars’ tires.
As the season’s first sprint is about to commence this weekend, each team only has just an hour to examine their tires and determine whether simulator data accurately reflects actual track conditions.
Stroll to success
“The first session confirmed that some of the uncertainties manifested as such… Like the grip level, it was certainly not the highest we have experienced… The tire behaviour, as well, seems to be interesting for the weekend. We have seen some high degradation,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella stated.
The cars used 13-inch tires and aerodynamic extensions on top of the vehicle to create downforce at the previous Formula One race in Shanghai. They now use 18-inch Pirelli tires and a downforce-generating design idea that involves pumping air through tunnels beneath the vehicle. Moreover, teams can work on their vehicles once again for three hours between the end of the sprint and the start of Saturday’s main race qualifying session, according to modifications made to F1 regulations.
Since then, the track has not been used much, so it might be bumpier than it was. It is to take note that the decision to hold a 100-kilometer race in China in the face of so many uncertainties has drawn criticisms and comments from several drivers.
Cover Photo: IG
Source: CNA