Why Red Bull face challenges in Chinese Grand Prix

It has taken five years, but Formula 1 is returning to China. After the coronavirus pandemic and its long aftermath, the Shanghai circuit is once again hosting the world's premier motorsport class. It's also a track where Max Verstappen has yet to win at. The Red Bull Racing driver is favourite for victory in China, but according to his team boss Christian Horner, there is a nice challenge ahead.

Looking ahead to the Chinese Grand Prix, Horner states: "The first corner goes on forever. It's always been very punishing on the front left tyre. But we've got a sprint race as well. First sprint race of the year. So that's another challenge. A lot of points available. It will be interesting to see how that goes."

'Chinese Grand Prix tough for everyone'

As it has been five years since Formula 1 hosted China, and therefore not with the current generation of cars and tyres, the teams have the task of finding the right set-up in a relatively short time. Moreover, the asphalt has been replaced and there were quite a few bumps on the track. All this makes China look like an interesting challenge beforehand.

Frederic Vasseur of Ferrari, therefore, expects a difficult weekend. "I think it will be a difficult one, but it will be a difficult one for everybody who will be all in the same situation," stated the Frenchman. "The biggest question mark for me will be the tarmac because the layout of the track. Compared to the last event, we will have also colder conditions. And we'll see, we don't know the roughness of the tarmac, and this will be key for the weekend."