Having had no notification in pre-event notes from the FIA regarding any resurfacing, the colour of the asphalt – which has already worn away on the racing line in places – left some concluding that the circuit had had a paintbrush taken to it.
As Daniel Ricciardo said: “It looks like they’ve painted the track or something. They’ve done something to the surface.
“I don’t know how the track’s going to change, or if it’s going to be the same or super slippery. But maybe that changes the way the tyres behave.”
Ricciardo was not the only driver questioning what the impact would be on a weekend when teams are mindful that there is just one hour of practice before sprint qualifying starts.
World champion Max Verstappen said he hadn’t seen anything like it since his karting days when efforts were made to improve grip on old tracks.
“It looks like they’ve painted it, not resurfaced,” said the Red Bull driver.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz explained that the situation had left drivers and team a bit confused.
“I think there are many unknowns, especially the tarmac looks like it’s been treated in a very particular way,” he said.
“I don’t think the FIA or the teams quite understand what has been done here: if it has been a full resurface or just a weird bitumen treatment to the track.
A view of the track
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“It certainly looks very particular, and something we haven’t found recently at F1 circuits.”
But research by Autosport has uncovered that while the track looks like it has been painted, what has happened is actually a bitumen surface treatment that is commonly used on roads in the United States and Asia.
Bitumen is applied in fluid form to the track surface to help bind with the surface of the existing circuit. The idea is that it helps eliminate dust, improves waterproofing and also prevents disintegration of the track.
It is understood that this work was done in Shanghai last year, and the varied colouring around the track is the result of this treatment having been worn away from track running that has taken place since.
The manner of the treatment means it will likely further be worn away over the F1 weekend, which could open the door to varied levels of grip around different parts of the track.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said differences in grip triggered by the treatment being present or not could deliver some headaches.
“I think it looks a bit inconsistent,” he said. “That…
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