2025 Chinese Grand Prix [Shanghai] March 21-23

[bananapeel23]

Here's another look at the lap times from the sprint (tire age in brackets):

https://i.imgur.com/N5mCfF2.png

(For those involved in the final lap crash, I took the lap 14-18 average instead)

Track position played a part there, of course, but it gives a bit of an idea who was most affected by tire wear.

That is some incredible pace from Ferrari. I'd say almost dominant pace.

yeah, I think so too. Also no one will dangle around on 25 lap old mediums in the race, and the level of deg on the hards is a complete unknown so far. It could very well be much less of a factor.

At least some drivers expressed an uncertainty over whether it was going to be a one-stopper or a two-stopper.

If they go for a two-stopper, 25 lap old mediums could definitely happen.

Obviously I don't think Verstappen will do a one-stop, but I could see Ferrari splitting strategies and going for a one-stop with one driver in order to get some clean air.

[search]

maybe if the track improves, but in the sprint today, Sainz was 13s faster than Albon during those 8 laps after his pit stop.

[Hammerfist]

maybe if the track improves, but in the sprint today, Sainz was 13s faster than Albon during those 8 laps after his pit stop.

Which is why I feel the one stop will be impossible. I doubt the hard tire is going to be indestructible. You still need to manage it too much and will be slow as molasses.

[AR3-GP]

maybe if the track improves, but in the sprint today, Sainz was 13s faster than Albon during those 8 laps after his pit stop.

Which is why I feel the one stop will be impossible. I doubt the hard tire is going to be indestructible. You still need to manage it too much and will be slow as molasses.

Pirelli tires are unpredictable. It may be the case that hard tire goes forever.

[Hammerfist]

maybe if the track improves, but in the sprint today, Sainz was 13s faster than Albon during those 8 laps after his pit stop.

Which is why I feel the one stop will be impossible. I doubt the hard tire is going to be indestructible. You still need to manage it too much and will be slow as molasses.

Pirelli tires are unpredictable. It may be the case that hard tire goes forever.

It will not. Too many long duration high g corners that kill any tire. I think the one stoppers, if there are any, will die. This race is historically about just having the fresher tires for the last stint.

[Juzh]

For 2025 on premium plan F1TV has upped the resolution to 1080p and bitrate to ~6 Mb/s along with much better audio quality. A big improvement. Onboards looking better than ever, we now get almost official broadcast quality.

Some laps from qualifying:

P01 piastri china 2025 q3 1.30.641
https://streamable.com/aseg6e


P02 russell china 2025 q3 1.30.723
https://streamable.com/qxnnr5


P04 verstappen china 2025 q3 1.30.817
https://streamable.com/5pzkkk


P05 hamilton china 2025 q3 1.30.927
https://streamable.com/sb2t66


P07 hadjar china 2025 q3 1.31.079
https://streamable.com/w7uv5n


HF

[Downforce777]

For 2025 on premium plan F1TV has upped the resolution to 1080p and bitrate to ~6 Mb/s along with much better audio quality. A big improvement. Onboards looking better than ever, we now get almost official broadcast quality.

Some laps from qualifying:

P01 piastri china 2025 q3 1.30.641
https://streamable.com/aseg6e


P02 russell china 2025 q3 1.30.723
https://streamable.com/qxnnr5


P04 verstappen china 2025 q3 1.30.817
https://streamable.com/5pzkkk


P05 hamilton china 2025 q3 1.30.927
https://streamable.com/sb2t66


P07 hadjar china 2025 q3 1.31.079
https://streamable.com/w7uv5n


HF

Do you have an onboard Leclerc?)

[Artur Craft]

Let’s not forget, Michelin is responsible for probably the biggest tire farce in F1 history.

Michelin tyres are way faster, much more durable and consistent than anything Pirelli is able to.

Go on youtube and see comparisons videos between F1 and WEC from 2017 and 2018.

Also, in the 80s there was tyre war in F1 and Michelins were the best tyre by far, Goodyear a distant second and Pirelli was absolute trash, as it remains to be

[f1onions]

For 2025 on premium plan F1TV has upped the resolution to 1080p and bitrate to ~6 Mb/s along with much better audio quality. A big improvement. Onboards looking better than ever, we now get almost official broadcast quality.

Some laps from qualifying:

P01 piastri china 2025 q3 1.30.641
https://streamable.com/aseg6e


P02 russell china 2025 q3 1.30.723
https://streamable.com/qxnnr5


P04 verstappen china 2025 q3 1.30.817
https://streamable.com/5pzkkk


P05 hamilton china 2025 q3 1.30.927
https://streamable.com/sb2t66


P07 hadjar china 2025 q3 1.31.079
https://streamable.com/w7uv5n


HF

It's weird to see so many cars lift through turn 7, very weird considering how fast the cars are on this track.

[Hoffman900]

Let’s not forget, Michelin is responsible for probably the biggest tire farce in F1 history.

Michelin tyres are way faster, much more durable and consistent than anything Pirelli is able to.

Go on youtube and see comparisons videos between F1 and WEC from 2017 and 2018.

Also, in the 80s there was tyre war in F1 and Michelins were the best tyre by far, Goodyear a distant second and Pirelli was absolute trash, as it remains to be

Clearly you have an axe to grind and are also bad at reading comprehension.

Pirelli is required by the FIA to produce a tire that wears. This is cited by Michelin’s CEO as the exact reason they would never come back to F1. Pirelli’s hands are tied behind their back, they know how to make better tires, but that’s not what is in the contract.

And all this to improve the “show”. As much as people think F1 is the pinnacle, souch of the rule set is around “improving the show” and even down to how the cars look.

This is not the case for WEC.

As for tire wars, they were a --- show. Even teammates didn’t get equal offerings, let alone across the grid.

Do we really want to revist that era? Because I remember it being so boring, that F1 hemoraged fans and sponsors. Most posting here are too young or weren’t even born yet for that. It sucked for anyone wondering.

[SB15]

Ant was 4 tenths slower than George and even slower than Hadjar. Not good. It seems the Italian Kimi is not as talented as the original Finnish one.

Lawson being dead last again is further evidence of Max being the best driver ever in F1

Sainz getting dominated by Albon and Leclerc not dominating his team mate highly suggests Ferrari 's former line up was not as good as previously thought.

Dude just because Antonelli is 4 tenths don’t mean anything. Kimi said he didn’t get the tyres in a good window due to warmup and whenever he did get the tyres in optimal window, he’s a 1 tenth or 2 off of a Russell.

I don’t know why you have this vendetta against Antonelli, like what did he do to you?

[AR3-GP]

It's weird to see so many cars lift through turn 7, very weird considering how fast the cars are on this track.

They don't need to lift. Most of them are doing it to save the tire a little bit for later in the lap.

[AR3-GP]

For 2025 on premium plan F1TV has upped the resolution to 1080p and bitrate to ~6 Mb/s along with much better audio quality. A big improvement. Onboards looking better than ever, we now get almost official broadcast quality.

Some laps from qualifying:


P02 russell china 2025 q3 1.30.723
https://streamable.com/qxnnr5

The Mercedes of Russell is bouncing quite badly through T7 (around 40 second timestamp). Can see it in Russell's head and you can hear it in the engine note (or maybe that's the plank hitting the ground)

There's also a hint of it on the Mclaren in the same place on piastri's run.

No sign of it on the Ferrari or the Red Bull.

[SB15]

For 2025 on premium plan F1TV has upped the resolution to 1080p and bitrate to ~6 Mb/s along with much better audio quality. A big improvement. Onboards looking better than ever, we now get almost official broadcast quality.

Some laps from qualifying:


P02 russell china 2025 q3 1.30.723
https://streamable.com/qxnnr5

The Mercedes of Russell is porpoising/bouncing quite badly through T7 (around 40 second timestamp). Can see it in Russell's head and you can hear it in the engine note (or maybe that's the plank hitting the ground)

There's also a hint of it on the Mclaren in the same place on piastri's run.

No sign of it on the Ferrari or the Red Bull.

The car is just oscillating at high speed, didn't hear the plank hitting the ground much at all. Maybe you believe it's porpoising because of the head movement, but it's more so they set their suspension softer just like the Mclaren's vs the Ferrari and Redbull, also the floor is stalling at a certain level.

[AR3-GP]

For 2025 on premium plan F1TV has upped the resolution to 1080p and bitrate to ~6 Mb/s along with much better audio quality. A big improvement. Onboards looking better than ever, we now get almost official broadcast quality.

Some laps from qualifying:


P02 russell china 2025 q3 1.30.723
https://streamable.com/qxnnr5

The Mercedes of Russell is porpoising/bouncing quite badly through T7 (around 40 second timestamp). Can see it in Russell's head and you can hear it in the engine note (or maybe that's the plank hitting the ground)

There's also a hint of it on the Mclaren in the same place on piastri's run.

No sign of it on the Ferrari or the Red Bull.

The car is just oscillating at high speed, didn't hear the plank hitting the ground much at all. Maybe you believe it's porpoising because of the head movement, but it's more so they set their suspension softer just like the Mclaren's vs the Ferrari and Redbull, also the floor is stalling at a certain level.

Okay, I don' know what the phenomena is. I can just see that there is an oscillation that is not present in the Ferrari/Red Bull.