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McLaren boss predicts battery impact at Chinese GP after Melbourne chaos

Photo: Race Pictures

10:01, 10 Mar

byTobia Elia

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has spoken about how and to what extent energy deployment will be a factor at the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix.

“I would say that would be a more similar racing to what we were doing before, because you drive the car in a more traditional way”

- Andrea Stella

Super clipping was one of the dominant themes throughout the Melbourne weekend, with drivers visibly forced to lift off the throttle to avoid running the battery too low, given the limited heavy braking zones available to recharge it.

Speaking to GPblog after the race in Australia, Stella believes China should represent a step closer to a more traditional form of racing and one less dependent on the battery.

“I think the fundamental points of attention, they still stand. If anything, what is affected by the circuit layout, like if you go back to Bahrain, I would say that would be a more similar racing to what we were doing before, because you drive the car in a more traditional way.

“You harvest in braking, you deploy in exit, as you go on power. on the accelerator pedal. Here the driving is much different to a traditional way here in Australia, to a traditional way because you need to drive the battery using lift -off using super clip, using like not pushing in high speed. So here is more of an artefact from a driving point of view and a racing point of view. But the three points of attention, they are independent of the circuit.”

Photo: Race Pictures

F1 2026 Chinese Grand Prix: Full schedule as first Sprint weekend kicks off

Formula 1 moves straight on from Melbourne to Shanghai, where the Chinese Grand Prix will host the second round of the 2026 season.

The time difference means European fans will once again have to follow much of the action during the night. However, the schedule is slightly more favourable than it was for the Australian Grand Prix, with Sprint Qualifying, Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s race all taking place at more manageable times.

Below is the full timetable for the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

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