Before the 1st Chinese Grand Prix in half a decade could begin there was drama for Fernando Alonso who damaged the floor of this Aston Martin by taking to much kerb on his lap to the grid. Luckily for Alonso the Aston Martin mechanics did a great job of repairing the damage before the race start. Max Verstappen started on Pole ahead of team mate Sergio Perez followed by Alonso & Norris in 3rd & 4th and Lewis Hamilton had it all to do in his Mercedes after only Qualifying in 18th. The Chinese Grand PrixVerstappen & Perez got a great start but it was Alonso who got the best get away and he was straight onto the back of Perez before passing the Redbull to take 2nd place, Norris passed his Mclaren team mate Piastri for 4th place and after the 2 Ferrari's almost came together at turn 2 letting Russell and Hulkenberg through into 5th & 6th they had both dropped 2 places by turn 5 and Zhou put a great move on Magnussen to move up to 17th. The Ferrari's didn't stay behind for long and Leclerc was back past Hulkenberg by turn 14 and as the first lap ended Verstappen already had a 1.6 second lead over Alonso in 2nd. Lap 2 Russell was closing on the back of Piastri as Magnussen took 17th back from Zhou and Hulkenberg fell back as he was passed by Sainz and Sargeant. Zhou fell back to 19th when he was passed by Hamilton on lap 3. Team mates Ocon & Gasly swapped positions for 12th leaving Gasly open to attack from Albon behind them, Albon aggressive with the Alpine pushing him onto the run off but the Stewards deemed it fair after the incident was referred to them.
Lap 21 Bottas was forced to pulled on the run off of turn 11 when the engine in his Stake Sauber car blew and got stuck in gear. Initially a Virtual Safety car was called just as Lando Norris passed the pitlane entry meaning he was unable to take advantage of slow moving cars behind and pit without losing as much time, Leclerc however did make it into the pits to take his cheap stop but luckily for Norris it was taking longer than normal to recover Bottas' car because it was stuck in gear and the VSC lasted long enough for Norris to pit on the next lap and come out ahead of Leclerc before a full Safety car was brought out on lap 23. Also in Norris' favor was Redbull's decision to re pit the 2 Redbull cars(again beautifully double stacking them) bringing Max back out in the lead but more importantly Perez down in 4th behind Norris( now 2nd) & Leclerc (now 3rd).
The 2nd Safety car returned to the pits at the end of lap 31 and as Vertsappen lead the grid across the line to start lap 32 the track was finally green again. Verstappen built a decent gap by the 1st corner for Norris' not to challenge again, this time all the cars made it round without incident but the damage from his hit from Stroll was really showing itself as the Aussie fell back being passed by Hulkenberg, Ocon & Albon before retiring the car on lap 33 as Magnussen was given a 10 second penalty for his contact with Tsunoda and Sargeant was given the same penalty for over behind the Safety car when one of the Alpines was exiting the Pits.
Joanna Blackmore
Writer @f1journal.co.uk
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Its the first Sprint Race of 2024 here at the Shanghai Circuit in China and w have a new format, rather than the 'Sprint Saturday' format that saw the cars Qualifying and race the Sprint in one day in 2024 Sprint Qualifying is on a Friday after the only Practice session of the weekend and the Sprint is run on the Saturday morning before Qualifying for the Sunday Grand Prix. Sprint RaceLando Norris and Lewis Hamilton lined up on the Front row and as the lights wet green they both got a great start and were side by side round the 1st 2nd and almost 3rd corner before Norris just couldn't hold the line out of turn 3 and ran wide, on to the runoff tarmac and dropped down to 6th before Leclerc also passed him leaving him down in 7th after just 5 corners. Alonso had a good start from 3rd, fending off Verstappen through the first sequence of corners. Hamilton had a decent lead over Alonso in 2nd and Sainz was on the back of Verstappen in 3rd with Perez close behind the pair looking to pass the Ferrari. Home Driver Zhou had a safe start holding onto 9th after the 1st lap.
Lap 11 Alonso was at the head of a growing DRS train as Max disappeared into the distance from Hamilton pulling out a gap of almost 4 seconds just 2 laps after he passed Hamilton. Russell (the only man to start the race on the Soft tyres) was starting to reap the rewards of his controversial tyre Strategy as he began to lap almost half a second faster than the Mclaren of Piastri ahead of him and occupying the last points paying position.
As lap 17 began Leclerc was looking to pass his team mate on the start finish straight after almost coming together at turn 15, Leclerc made his move in to Turn 2, Sainz went wide almost drifting the Ferrari trying to keep it on the racing line but Leclerc was up the inside and ahead by turn 4, promoting him to 4th as Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin picked up a puncture forcing him to pit and ultimately retire the car, gifting Norris 6th place and Russell 8th and the final point of the morning after not making it into SQ3 yesterday.
Grand Prix QualifyingQ1
Q2
Q3
Joanna Blackmore Writer @f1journal.co.uk Max takes a dominant sprint win in china as Lando fails to keep his top spot longer than the first corner. After complaining about battery performance only 3 laps in Verstappen went on to finish 13 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in 2nd and teammate Sergio Perez in 3rd. Verstappen who started in 4th caught Alonso on lap 7 of the 19 lap sprint as he began his hunt for a win. Lewis Hamilton who took the lead off Norris managed to hold off the Redbull for only a few laps before locking up and allowing the dutchman with in DRS of his Mercedes. Max taking the lead on lap 10. Fernando Alonso became the real loser of the sprint as an exciting battle for 3rd went from leading the DRS train to a race ending front right puncture on lap 17, a result of clipping the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. Sergio Perez who saw his opportunity over took Sainz and Alonso coming out in front eventually leaving the Ferraris to continue to battle behind him. Charles finishing in 4th with Sainz and the Mclarens following. Further down the grid home hero Zhou Guanyu just missed out on points as he finished in 9th after starting 11th. But now the focus looks to qualifiers in just over 2 hours. Bronwen Jones
Writer @ F1 Journal Practice
Hamilton was in an aggressive mood, diving up the inside of Hulkenberg into turn 15 and pushing the HAAS almost 4 wheels off the track before almost coming together with Piastri at the last corner forcing Hamilton to bail into the pit lane narrowly avoiding Hulkenberg who was still just behind the Mercedes, Hamilton was given a Black and White flag by the stewards for the incident. 31 minutes to go Leclerc went fastest on the soft tyres followed by his team mate Sainz in 2nd 0.252 behind him. Ocon seemed very comfortable in his Alpine going 5th fastest on the Softs in front of Norris in 6th. Fernando Alonso misjudged the tail wind & the pit entry, overshooting the left hand turn into the pits and had to weave his way through the bollards to find his way to his pit box, Piastri did a similar thing a few minutes later but chose to find Reverse to get back to the pit entry.
Sprint QualifyingAfter a dry practice Qualifying began with the threat of rain on the horizon but many varying reports on when during the Sprint Qualifying it would start to fall if at all. SQ1- Mediums Tyres for All
SQ2 All on Medium Tyres
SQ3 Top 10 Shoot Out- All on Intermediate tyres
Our 1st day of action back in China was a brilliant one and only served to inflate the already enormous anticipation for this weekends racing! Day 1 Mclaren are top.
Joanna Blackmore Writer @f1journal.co.uk We are back in China!! This weekend is an unknown for many reasons, not only because we haven't raced here in 5 seasons but also because of Weather, Track surface and the new Sprint layout that sees the Sprint Qualifying now happen on a Friday and the Sprint Race is now held on a Saturday morning before the Qualifying for the Grand Prix. Lets hope we see some great racing and the pack closer again to the rapid Redbull's. Race Stats
Weekend ScheduleTrack StatsTimes Held- 16 First Time Held- 2004 Laps Raced- 894 Finishing Percentage-84% Pole Record- 1'31.095 VET 2018 Lap Record- 1'32.238 SCH 2008 Winners- 9 Pole Sitters-6 Podium Finishers-16 Most Driver Poles- HAM 6 Most Team Poles- Mercedes 7 Most Driver Wins- HAM 6 Most Team Wins- Mercedes 6 Most Driver Podiums- HAM 9 Most Team Podiums- Ferrari 13 Most Fastest Laps(Driver)- HAM 4 Most Fastest Laps(Team)- Mercedes 3 Most Consecutive Wins(Driver)- HAM 2 Most Consecutive Wins (Team)- Mercedes 4 Most 1-2 Finishes- Mercedes 3 Times Won From Pole- 9 Times Won from Front Row-11 Lowest Starting Position to Win- 6th SCH 2006 & RIC 2018 Smallest Pole Margin- 0.023 BOT 2019 Smallest Win Margin- 0.714 HAM 2015 Largest Pole Margin- 0.715 VET 2011 Largest Win Margin- 37.776 ROS 2016 Safety Cars-7/16 races have featured a safety car Red Flags- Never at Shanghai Previous Results2017
2019
Random Facts
286 cars saw the Chequered flag = 84% finishing percentage. Enjoy guys
Joanna Blackmore Writer @f1journal.co.uk Tsunoda has become the first Japanese driver, since Kobayashi in 2012, to score a point at home. After two previous attempts Yuki finished 10th at Suzuka, managing to keep his starting position. “I’m feeling relieved. After I lost some positions on the first start, I felt a little disappointment for sure, but at the same time, I just focused on the second start. I had a good one and was able to make up a few positions.” - Tsunoda, RB media following his result in Suzuka. Three seasons into his career Yuki has collected 68 points. Before Yuki 24 other drivers represented Japan. Here are the impressive few that have scored points for Japan: Kamui Kobayashi 2009 - 2012 (125 points) After being a test and reserve driver for Toyota in since 2017, Kobayashi finally made his formula one debut at the 2009 Brazilian grand prix and Abu Dhabi. Finishing off the season after replacing Timo Glock due to an injury sustained in free practise the previous weekend in Japan. After an impressive debut and withdrawal from Toyota, Kobayashi was signed by Sauber for the 2010 season. Murray Walker stated at the end of the season that Kobayashi is "without a doubt Japan's best [F1 driver] yet" due to his aggressive and confident driving style that saw him out brake drivers car lengths ahead of him. Sauber signed Kobayashi for the next two season which eventually saw the Japanese driver gain his maiden podium Infront of a home crowd in 2012. Kobayashi is one of three Japanese drivers to stand on the formula one podium however was not signed for the 2013 ending his formula one career. Takuma Sato 2002 - 2008 (44 points) Although most famous for becoming the first Asian driver to win the Indy 500, winning the event in 2017 and 2020, Sato is one of three Japanese formula one drivers with a podium. Maiden points were picked up during Sato’ at his home race where he finished 5th in his Honda powered Jordan. In 2004 British American (BAR) signed Sato to a seat after having him as a team test driver in 2003. 2004 became Sato’ most successful season, collecting his third place podium at the US Grand Prix, finishing in the points 9 out of 11 race. Sato finished the season in eighth, helping BAR secure second in the constructors’ championship. After a disasters 2005 season that saw BAR banned from two races, including Monaco due to being under the car weight regulations, and another two race disqualifications Sato moved to Super Aguri to spend his final three season, as financial issues forced Aguri to withdraw for the sport. Satoru Nakajima 1987 – 1991 (16 points) Being named Japans first full-time formula one driver, Nakajima picked up 7 points in his rookie season. Competing for Lotus Honda he become the first Japanese driver to score points and later the first to record a fastest lap. Nakajima went on to complete 80 grand prixs and 4 seasons in formula one however his rookie season would be his most successful, finishing 12th in the standings. Kazuki Nakajima 2007 -2009 (9 points) Following in his fathers foot steps, Kazuki Nakajima took part in two full seasons. Making his debut at the Brazilian GP for Williams next to Nico Rosberg in the 2007 season finale, following Alexander Wurz retirement. Soon after finishing 10th in Brazil Williams signed Nakajima as a full-time driver in 2008 and later retained him for the 2009 season. Nakajima did not have the luck for formula one as a delay in the pit lane lost him points at the 2009 Turkish GP and poor pit strategy compromised a points finish the British GP. Rubens Barrichello replaced the Japanese driver in 2010, ending Nakajimas F1 career. However, he went on to be successful in endurance racing, winning 24hrs of Le Mans three times! And winning the 2019 FIA World Endurance Championship. Aguri Suzuki 1988 – 1995 (8 points) The first to stand on the podium for Japan. Becoming the 8th driver from Japan, Suzuki made his debut in 1988 in Suzuka for Larrousse-Lola. After failing to pre-qualify in 1989 with Zakspeed, Larrousse picked him back up again for the 1990 and 1991 season, which led him to third place at his home grand prix. Also setting the 2nd fastest lap. However after his podium, Suzuki did not see much more success as he was out performed by his following team mates at Footwork and the again in Ligier. Suzuki ended his career as it started in at home in Japan, 1995, as he announced his immediate retirement following a crash that caused a neck injury. Ukyo Katayama 1992 – 1997 (5 points) Katayama, although competing in six season of formula one only classified as a championship finisher in 1994, placing 17th, where he picked up his five points. Japan Tobacco arranged a seat for Katayama with Tyrrell for 1993 after his original seat with Larrousse left him with an unreliable car and a team-mate that saw the significant portion of the teams’ resources. Tyrell not providing much better. Tyrrells car remained unreliable in the 1994 season, with the Japanese driver only season the chequered flag four times. However, the improvements made helped Katayama become a consistent top six runner. Katayamas’ form declined in the following season before announcing his retirement at his home GP in 1997. Later he announced that he had been diagnosed with back cancer early on in his career, causing pain. His racing delaying his treatment. This diagnose allegedly denied him a seat with a top team. Shinji Nakano 1997 – 1998 (2 points) A short but sweet Formula one career, Nakano, collected 2 points with Prost Grand Prix team in 97’, each point form finishing sixth. Bronwen Jones
writer @ F1 journal I LOVE THIS RACE TRACK. Suzuka is a law onto it's self and has become a hub of brilliant 2 & 4 wheel racing. There have been so many controversial, monumental and truly saddening moments here and its hard to come here without thinking of Jules Bianchi and his tragic accident that lead to his passing. But we race in his honor and hopefully the racing will be up to its normal top notch standards. Race Stats
Weekend ScheduleTrack StatsTimes Held- 33 First Time Held- 1987 Laps Raced- 1704 laps Finishing Percentage- 71% Pole Record- 1'27.064 VET 2019 Lap Record- 1'30.983 HAM 2019 Winners- 17 Pole Sitters- 14 Podium Finishers-41 Most Driver Poles- 8 SCH Most Team Poles- 10 Ferrari Most Driver Wins- 6 SCH Most Team Wins- 7 Ferrari/Mclaren Most Driver Podiums- 9 SCH Most Team Podiums- 24 Mclaren Most Fastest Laps(Driver)- 4 SCH Most Fastest Laps(Team)- 8 Williams Most Consecutive Wins(Driver)- 4 SCH Most Consecutive Wins (Team)- 3 Ferrari Most 1-2 Finishes- 3 Mercedes/Redbull Times Won From Pole- 17 Times Won from Front Row- 29 Lowest Starting Position to Win- 17th RAI '05 Smallest Pole Margin-0.009 SCH '00 Smallest Win Margin- 0.344 BER '91 Largest Pole Margin- 1.730 SEN '89 Largest Win Margin- 27.066 VER '22 Safety Cars-11 Red Flags- 4 '94, '14 & 2022 (2 in 2022 race) Previous Results2019
2023Qualifying- 1 VER 1'28.877 2 PIA 1'29.458 3 NOR 1'29.493 Race- 1 VER (2stop) 2 NOR (2stop) 3 PIA (2stop) Fastest Lap- 1'34.183 VER L 39 LETS GOOOO SUZUKA
Joanna Blackmore Writer @f1journal.co.uk |
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