2024 Chinese Grand Prix
2024 Chinese Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 5 of 24 in the 2024 Formula One World Championship
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![]() Layout of the Shanghai International Circuit | |||||
Race details[1] | |||||
Date | 21 April 2024 | ||||
Official name | Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 | ||||
Location | Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai, China | ||||
Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
Course length | 5.451 km (3.387 miles) | ||||
Distance | 56 laps, 305.066 km (189.559 miles) | ||||
Weather | Cloudy | ||||
Attendance | 200,000[2] | ||||
Pole position | |||||
Driver | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | ||||
Time | 1:33.660 | ||||
Fastest lap | |||||
Driver | ![]() | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | |||
Time | 1:37.810 on lap 45 | ||||
Podium | |||||
First | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | ||||
Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
Third | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | ||||
Lap leaders |
The 2024 Chinese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 21 April 2024 at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. It was the fifth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and the first Grand Prix weekend of the season to utilise the sprint format. It was also the first Chinese Grand Prix since 2019 as the planned races from 2020 to 2023 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Lando Norris of McLaren took sprint pole position in a heavily rain-affected sprint qualifying. Ultimately, both races were won by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who also took pole position for the main race. Zhou Guanyu became the first Chinese Formula One driver to compete at his home race.
Background
[edit]The event was held at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai for the 17th time in the circuit's history, and for the first time since the 2019 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, across the weekend of 19–21 April.[3] The Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and the 17th running of the Chinese Grand Prix.[4]
Championship standings before the race
[edit]Ahead of the weekend race, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship with 77 points, 13 points from his teammate Sergio Pérez in second, and 18 from Charles Leclerc in third. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship with 141 points, separated from Ferrari by 21 points and from McLaren by 72, in second and third, respectively.[5]
Entrants
[edit]The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[6] Zhou Guanyu of Sauber became the first Chinese driver to compete at his home Grand Prix.[7]
Tyre choices
[edit]Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C2, C3, and C4 tyre compounds (the middle three in their range) designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event.[8]
Sprint format
[edit]The weekend was the first of six in the season to follow the sprint format.[9] The FIA was criticised by some drivers for choosing to run the sprint format at a venue that had not hosted a Formula One race for some years, with drivers concerned that one practice session would be insufficient for them to sufficiently prepare.[10][11][12]
Practice
[edit]The only free practice session was held on 19 April 2024, at 11:30 local time (UTC+8),[1] and was topped by Lance Stroll of Aston Martin ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. A brief red flag period was observed after a patch of grass at the side of the track in turn 7 caught fire.[13]
Sprint qualifying
[edit]Sprint qualifying was held on 19 April 2024, at 15:30 local time (UTC+8), and determined the starting grid order for the sprint.[1]
Sprint qualifying report
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Fernando_Alonso_2024_Chinese_GP.jpg/220px-Fernando_Alonso_2024_Chinese_GP.jpg)
In a session heavily affected by rain, Lando Norris of McLaren took sprint pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.[14][15] Norris' pole position time was initially deleted due to a track limits violation at turn 17 in the preceding lap. However, the time was reinstated, as track limits violations at turn 17 did not result in an automatically invalid lap time (as defined by the race director's notes), and analysis showed that Norris lost time by exceeding track limits.[16] This marked a second consecutive sprint pole for Norris having also achieved sprint pole at the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix.[17]
The start of the second segment of sprint qualifying (SQ2) was delayed after the same patch of grass that was burned during practice again caught fire. In SQ3, Sauber drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas saw their first appearances in the final segment of any type of qualifying for the season, with Zhou going on to qualify 10th and Bottas in 9th.[14][15]
Sprint qualifying classification
[edit]Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Sprint grid | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 | |||||
1 | 4 | ![]() | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:36.384 | 1:36.047 | 1:57.940 | 1 |
2 | 44 | ![]() | Mercedes | 1:37.181 | 1:36.287 | 1:59.201 | 2 |
3 | 14 | ![]() | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:36.883 | 1:36.119 | 1:59.915 | 3 |
4 | 1 | ![]() | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:36.456 | 1:35.606 | 2:00.028 | 4 |
5 | 55 | ![]() | Ferrari | 1:36.719 | 1:36.052 | 2:00.214 | 5 |
6 | 11 | ![]() | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:36.110 | 1:35.781 | 2:00.375 | 6 |
7 | 16 | ![]() | Ferrari | 1:36.537 | 1:35.711 | 2:00.566 | 7 |
8 | 81 | ![]() | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:36.542 | 1:35.853 | 2:00.990 | 8 |
9 | 77 | ![]() | Kick Sauber-Ferrari | 1:37.112 | 1:36.056 | 2:01.044 | 9 |
10 | 24 | ![]() | Kick Sauber-Ferrari | 1:37.544 | 1:36.307 | 2:03.537 | 10 |
11 | 63 | ![]() | Mercedes | 1:37.310 | 1:36.345 | N/A | 11 |
12 | 20 | ![]() | Haas-Ferrari | 1:37.033 | 1:36.473 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 27 | ![]() | Haas-Ferrari | 1:36.924 | 1:36.478 | N/A | 13 |
14 | 3 | ![]() | RB-Honda RBPT | 1:37.321 | 1:36.553 | N/A | 14 |
15 | 18 | ![]() | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:36.961 | 1:36.677 | N/A | 15 |
16 | 10 | ![]() | Alpine-Renault | 1:37.632 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
17 | 31 | ![]() | Alpine-Renault | 1:37.720 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
18 | 23 | ![]() | Williams-Mercedes | 1:37.812 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
19 | 22 | ![]() | RB-Honda RBPT | 1:37.892 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
20 | 2 | ![]() | Williams-Mercedes | 1:37.923 | N/A | N/A | 20 |
107% time: 1:42.837 | |||||||
Source:[18][19] |
Sprint
[edit]The sprint was held on 20 April 2024, at 11:00 local time (UTC+8), and was run for 19 laps.[1]
Sprint report
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Sprint_Grid_Top_3_-_Chinese_GP_2024.jpg/220px-Sprint_Grid_Top_3_-_Chinese_GP_2024.jpg)
Verstappen won the sprint ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez.[20] Sprint polesitter Norris dropped down to sixth behind Leclerc and Sainz of Ferrari in fourth and fifth, respectively.[20] Alonso, who started in third, retired from a puncture after a collision with Sainz.[20]
Following the sprint, Alonso was given a ten-second penalty for the collision.[21][22]
Sprint classification
[edit]Notes
- ^1 – Fernando Alonso was classified as he completed more than 90% of the sprint distance. He also received a post-sprint ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz Jr. The penalty made no difference as he was already classified in the last position.[22]
Qualifying
[edit]Qualifying was held on 20 April 2024, at 15:00 local time (UTC+8), and determined the starting grid order for the main race.[1]
Qualifying report
[edit]Verstappen set the fastest lap time in all sessions, earning Red Bull Racing's 100th pole position in their history.[23] He was joined by teammate Pérez in the grid's front row ahead of Alonso and Norris in third and fourth respectively.[24] The session was red-flagged in Q2 after Sainz spun out to the barriers in the last turn, breaking off his front wing and was able to continue but change for a new one until Q3 started.[24] Hamilton exited in Q1 for the first time since the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.[25][26]
Qualifying classification
[edit]Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
1 | 1 | ![]() | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:34.742 | 1:33.794 | 1:33.660 | 1 |
2 | 11 | ![]() | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:35.457 | 1:34.026 | 1:33.982 | 2 |
3 | 14 | ![]() | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:35.116 | 1:34.652 | 1:34.148 | 3 |
4 | 4 | ![]() | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:34.842 | 1:34.460 | 1:34.165 | 4 |
5 | 81 | ![]() | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:35.014 | 1:34.659 | 1:34.273 | 5 |
6 | 16 | ![]() | Ferrari | 1:34.797 | 1:34.399 | 1:34.289 | 6 |
7 | 55 | ![]() | Ferrari | 1:34.970 | 1:34.368 | 1:34.297 | 7 |
8 | 63 | ![]() | Mercedes | 1:35.084 | 1:34.609 | 1:34.433 | 8 |
9 | 27 | ![]() | Haas-Ferrari | 1:35.068 | 1:34.667 | 1:34.604 | 9 |
10 | 77 | ![]() | Kick Sauber-Ferrari | 1:35.169 | 1:34.769 | 1:34.665 | 10 |
11 | 18 | ![]() | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:35.334 | 1:34.838 | N/A | 11 |
12 | 3 | ![]() | RB-Honda RBPT | 1:35.443 | 1:34.934 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 31 | ![]() | Alpine-Renault | 1:35.356 | 1:35.223 | N/A | 13 |
14 | 23 | ![]() | Williams-Mercedes | 1:35.384 | 1:35.241 | N/A | 14 |
15 | 10 | ![]() | Alpine-Renault | 1:35.287 | 1:35.463 | N/A | 15 |
16 | 24 | ![]() | Kick Sauber-Ferrari | 1:35.505 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
17 | 20 | ![]() | Haas-Ferrari | 1:35.516 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
18 | 44 | ![]() | Mercedes | 1:35.573 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
19 | 22 | ![]() | RB-Honda RBPT | 1:35.746 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
20 | 2 | ![]() | Williams-Mercedes | 1:36.358 | N/A | N/A | PL1 |
107% time: 1:41.373 | |||||||
Source:[27][28] |
Notes
- ^1 – Logan Sargeant qualified 20th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane as his car was modified during parc fermé conditions.[28]
Race
[edit]The race was held on 21 April 2024, at 15:00 local time (UTC+8), and was run for 56 laps.[1]
Race report
[edit]Logan Sargeant started the race from the pit lane after his Williams team broke parc fermé conditions.[29][30] As the race began, Fernando Alonso moved his Aston Martin ahead of Sergio Pérez of Red Bull Racing to slide into second place behind the other Red Bull Racing of Max Verstappen, who proceeded to create a large gap. Pérez soon regained the position as brief contact between Nico Hülkenberg of Haas and Alonso's Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll was observed and investigated by stewards. A similar instance between Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly of Alpine was also investigated.[31]
The drivers began their first routine pit stops on lap nine. However, Pierre Gasly pulled away from his box sooner than expected, before all four tyres were fitted, causing an engineer to fall over. While no major injuries were reported, Alpine was fined €10,000 after the race for the unsafe procedure.[32] While Max Verstappen made his stop, Lando Norris stayed out, allowing him to briefly inherit the lead of the race. Soon, Valtteri Bottas' Sauber ground to a halt, his engine expiring as he went into turn 11. Marshals struggled to move the car as it appeared to be stuck in gear, facilitating double-waved yellow flags before it was decided that a virtual safety car period was required. During this period of time, numerous drivers who had not yet made their pit stops opted to change their tyres as the virtual safety car period transitioned into a full safety car period. During this period of time, drivers decided to box once more, with Zhou Guanyu in particular suffering a slow stop.[31]
The safety car was called in on lap 26. During the restart, Alonso locked up into turn 14, creating a concertina effect which culminated into Lance Stroll hitting the rear of Ricciardo's car, pitching it upward from the impact and pushing it into the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Both Ricciardo and Piastri suffered major damage to their diffusers, with the former being forced to retire a few laps later. Piastri carried on but with reduced performance. Stroll was given a ten-second penalty and two penalty points by the steward. In an interview following the race, Ricciardo, who had a chance to score his first points of the season, revealed that he was displeased with the crash, criticising Stroll's lack of responsibility regarding the incident.[33] After the restart, RB's Yuki Tsunoda was sent into a spin by Kevin Magnussen in turn 6. Tsunoda suffered terminal rear-right damage and retired on the spot, and marshals also had trouble moving the car. Magnussen continued and completed the race at 15th place, but was demoted to 16th after being given a 10-second penalty for causing the collision[34] Stewards investigated a safety car infringement involving Sargeant and Hülkenberg, penalising the former with a ten-second penalty.[31]
The two incidents facilitated a second safety car period, with drivers opting to change their tyres once more; Alonso took the soft tyres over hards, so he had to stop once again later on to swap to mediums. Ricciardo overtook Nico Hülkenberg during this safety car period; stewards imposed a ten-second penalty for Ricciardo, turned into a three-place grid drop as he could not serve the penalty, in the following Miami Grand Prix.[35] The safety car period ended on lap 31, with Verstappen leading the race ahead of Norris and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. During this period, Alonso's car snapped at the final straight, but swiftly recovered to gain DRS, and Stroll and Magnussen, who both had ten-second penalties, had a brief battle for sixteenth. Stroll won the battle after he passed Magnussen on the first two turns. Meanwhile, Zhou and Gasly battled against Sargeant, with Gasly displeased with Sargeant's defence. Zhou passed Magnussen to finish fourteenth in his first home race and received a celebratory parking spot in his honour after he finished.[31]
The race was won by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, with Lando Norris behind him and Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez completing the podium. Fernando Alonso achieved the fastest lap of the race.[31]
Race classification
[edit]Notes
- ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.[37]
- ^2 – Kevin Magnussen finished 15th, but received a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda.[36][39]
- ^3 – Logan Sargeant received a ten-second time penalty for overtaking Nico Hülkenberg under safety car conditions. His final position was not affected by the penalty as he was classified last.[36][40]
Championship standings after the race
[edit]
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Race". Formula1.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "F1中国大奖赛三天近20万人次现场观赛 外地外国观众占八成". Shanghai Municipal People's Government. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "F1 2024 calendar revealed: Saturday night Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to kick off record 24-race season". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "China". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Japan 2024 – Championship". Stats F1. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "2024 Chinese Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Richards, Giles (19 April 2024). "'This journey has been not easy': Zhou relishing home debut in F1 Chinese GP". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "These are the P Zero compounds for Suzuka, Shanghai and Miami". Pirelli. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Formula 1 announces 2024 Sprint Calendar". Formula 1. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (9 April 2024). "Drivers warned F1 and FIA a sprint race at Chinese GP is "not a good choice"". RaceFans. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Verstappen: 'Not smart' to pick returning China for F1 sprint weekend". www.autosport.com. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Verstappen, Perez and Sainz question wisdom of running F1 sprint race in China after 4-year absence". AP News. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "FP1: Stroll leads Piastri and Verstappen in busy first practice as F1 returns to China". Formula One. 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Norris claims P1 ahead of Hamilton during frenetic wet Sprint Qualifying in China". Formula One. 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b Boxall-Legge, Jake (19 April 2024). "F1 Chinese GP: Norris takes sprint pole in chaotic dry-to-wet qualifying". Autosport.
- ^ Cleeren, Filip (19 April 2024). "Why Norris' China F1 sprint pole lap was deleted and reinstated". Autosport.
- ^ Nichol, Jake (19 April 2024). "Norris survives treacherous conditions and stewards scare for China Sprint pole". RacingNews365.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Sprint Qualifying". Formula 1. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Sprint Grid". Formula 1. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Verstappen beats Hamilton in dramatic Shanghai Sprint". Formula One. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (20 April 2024). "Alonso hit with penalty for Sainz clash in China F1 sprint". Autosport. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Sprint". Formula 1. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Boxall-Legge, Jake (20 April 2024). "F1 Chinese GP: Verstappen claims Red Bull's 100th pole, Perez second". Motorsport. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Verstappen seals pole position for Chinese GP". Formula One. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Ricciardo out-qualifies teammate as Hamilton suffer 'seriously painful' shock Q1 exit in 'disaster'". FOX Sports. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "'My mistake' admits Hamilton after Q1 exit in China". Formula One. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Starting Grid". Formula 1. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Official grid for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix". Formula One. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Foster, Michelle (21 April 2024). "Williams sacrifice Logan Sargeant's grid slot to 'experiment with the set-up'". PlanetF1. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Verstappen charges to victory over Norris and Perez in action-packed Chinese GP". Formula One. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Nichol, Jake (21 April 2024). "Alpine slapped with heavy fine by Chinese GP stewards". RacingNews365. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
Alpine has been fined €10,000 for a pit-stop incident involving Pierre Gasly during the Chinese Grand Prix.
- ^ Cleeren, Filip; Karpov, Oleg (21 April 2024). "Ricciardo: Stroll "making my blood boil" after China F1 contact". Autosport. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Maher, Thomas (21 April 2024). "Two drivers hit with penalty points over Chinese GP collisions". msn. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Gale, Ewan (21 April 2024). "Ricciardo hit with Miami F1 grid penalty for safety car infringement". Autosport. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
The [stewards'] report read: [...] "As Car 3 was unable to serve the penalty due to retirement, we imposed a three-grid place penalty to Car 3 for the next race in which the driver participates."
- ^ a b c "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Race Result". Formula 1. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024 – Fastest Laps". Formula 1. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "China 2024". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Infringement – Car 20 – Causing a Collision" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Infringement – Car 2 – Overtaking under Safety Car conditions" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ a b "China 2024 – Championship". Stats F1. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.