Ferrari arrived in Shanghai in search of answers. The Chinese weekend will reveal how much of what didn’t work in Melbourne can be chalked up to ‘race weekend mistakes,’ influenced by technical choices and the unusual scenario in which the race took place. The verdicts that come from the International Shanghai Circuit will be free of Australian hangovers and should provide a clearer picture of the potential of the SF-25 project.
“We are happy to be back on track so soon, less than a week after the Australian Grand Prix, because the Shanghai race gives us the chance to turn the page immediately,” explained Frederic Vasseur ahead of the second race of the season. “The Chinese track has completely different characteristics from Albert Park, and this race, thanks to the fact that it includes the first Sprint weekend of the season, offers even more points up for grabs.”
The circuit layout will be different, as will the tire compounds (C2, C3, C4), the new asphalt, and probably the temperatures. Additionally, there will be a minimal amount of free practice, with only one session on Friday morning, and then the setups will be frozen until the end of the Saturday sprint race.
There’s also the uncertainty about the condition of the track when the cars hit the track for FP1 on Friday morning. In the past, the Shanghai circuit has required several sessions before it gets rubbered in, at least on the racing line. The temperatures forecast for Friday will not exceed 18 degrees, while on the following two days, temperatures are expected to rise to 24 degrees.
“From a technical standpoint, it will be important to have prepared well for the weekend at the Maranello simulator,” continued Fred Vasseur. “As usual, we will have only one hour of free practice, which must be used at least in part to get used to the completely new asphalt in Shanghai. As a team, we will pay attention to every detail to maximize the potential of the SF-25 and support Charles and Lewis in the best possible way, as they’ve always liked this track.” – the French manager pointed out.
A small piece of good news at Ferrari came with the delivery of the material from Melbourne. In the Scuderia’s garage, everything arrived as planned, while McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Aston Martin had to wait until late Wednesday afternoon to receive the crates containing all the technical material due to an 8-hour delay from two Cargo flights.
