F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen aims to mark new ground at race that faces fresh challenges on its return to China

Another win on Sunday would mean the Dutch driver has won half of all the F1 races held since Shanghai’s last appearance on the calendar

Also, the weekend will host the first sprint of the season, with teams having only one hour of free practice to fine-tune the cars and do tyre assessments

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has won three championships since he last raced in China but he has never won the Chinese Grand Prix. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:57pm, 18 Apr 2024Updated: 5:30pm, 18 Apr 2024

Formula One returns to China for the first time since 2019 with even world champion Max Verstappen facing a new challenge at a circuit that provided his Red Bull team’s first grand prix victory 15 years ago.

The weekend will host the first sprint of the season, with only one hour of free practice on Friday to fine-tune the cars and do tyre assessments, and the teams have only simulator data to go on.

The last time they raced at the Shanghai International Circuit, the cars had 13-inch tyres and a flat floor instead of the current 18-inch Pirelli rubber and ground-effect aerodynamics.

The track has also seen little use since 2019 and could be bumpier than before.

The Shanghai International Circuit has seen little use since 2019 and could be bumpier than before. Photo: AFP

“It’s going to be quite hectic anyway with the Sprint weekend,” Verstappen said, after winning in Japan two weekends ago for his third victory in four races. “So, yeah, only one practice session to really get into it again. So I think it will be quite interesting.”