Verstappen surprised by painted F1 circuit: 'Should get the better of it'

Ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, work was carried out on the asphalt of the Shanghai International Circuit to eliminate bumps as much as possible. However, the track appears not to have been resurfaced, but painted. Max Verstappen has his reservations about it.

Verstappen reserved about painted F1 circuit in China

The sight of the Formula 1 circuit caused some question marks among F1 drivers, including Verstappen. "t looks like they painted it, not resurfaced. So I don't know what that does to the grip of the track. That's something that we have to get on top of," concluded Verstappen ahead of the GP weekend in China.

The Red Bull Racing driver suspects that the programme for the first free practice might look different due to the extra layer on the tarmac. "The programme might be a little bit different to tracks where you have a sprint weekend that we have driven on the last few years. FP1 is definitely about trying to maximise the time that you have and really understanding the car as well as you can.," he explained.

The Dutchman says he has seen the coating on top of the tarmac before, albeit in the distant past. "Not in F1, but I've seen it in go-karting. It normally gives you more grip, but I don't know what it is here," he says. Asked what he thinks about the fact that the paint should be gone after the first session, Verstappen replied, "I have no good words for it."