Uncertainty for F1 teams in China: what will the tarmac be like?

Formula 1 teams prefer to leave nothing to chance. For hours before a Grand Prix, they use their simulators to prepare the set-up of their cars as best they can. For circuits where F1 returns annually, there are hardly any surprises. For the upcoming race in China, there are more uncertain factors. After all, it has been since 2019 since Formula 1 was active there. What stood out then were the considerable bumps in the road surface.

Ahead of the race in Shanghai, people are particularly curious to see how the current generation of cars perform on this circuit. With their ground effect, F1 cars are particularly sensitive to bumps, and there were plenty of those in the past. That is why, at the request of the FIA, the track has been hard at work in recent weeks to overhaul it, eliminating the potentially dangerous bumps as much as possible.

Tilke worked away the biggest bumps

This was done by Hermann Tilke and his team, renowned for the circuits they developed worldwide for Formula 1, among others. This would have eliminated many of the potential problems beforehand. But F1 teams are nevertheless in limbo. For it is unknown what the newly laid asphalt is like and what the tyre wear on it will be. In the simulator, this is difficult to estimate for the time being.

Another complicating factor is that China is a sprint weekend. So the teams only have one free practice before they need to find the right set-up.