If one of the best aspects of sprint weekends is that the lack of practice time leaves teams in the dark heading into competitive sessions, then one clear criticism of the format is how it can rob much of the mystery from a grand prix.
After a qualifying session on a Saturday, all the intrigue should be about whether Sergio Perez can challenge team mate and pole winner Max Verstappenfor victory, or if Fernando Alonso and the McLarens behind him could put pressure on the Red Bulls ahead over the grand prix.
But in the form of Saturday’s sprint race, we’ve already seen what is effective a 19-lap extended preview of what we can expect to see on Sunday – and it was not encouraging viewing for Red Bull’s rivals.
It took Verstappen eight laps to catch Lewis Hamilton one more lap to pass him then 11 more to build a lead of 13 seconds by the chequered flag. Verstappen was the only driver running in the 1’41s by the end of the race, having started on a set of three-lap-old used mediums. Rather than back off and cruise to the end, Verstappen gained more useful data for the grand prix by keeping his pace up. And the signs were encouraging for his chances of victory.
“It definitely gave you a bit more of an idea with the deg, what to look at, what to work on for tomorrow,” Verstappen said. “I think if the car is even half as good as what it as in the sprint I think we will be alright.”
Weather
The Shanghai weather has already been a wildcard factor this weekend, helping to shake up the grid for the sprint race. However current projections are a dry grand prix is all but assured, meaning that all that sprint race data will be relevant heading into Sunday.
But while cloudy skies and ambient temperatures around 22C are to be expected again, what could be different is how the wind behaves. The cars have proved particularly sensitive to wind around the relatively flat and wide open spaces of the Shanghai circuit, with some indication that a tailwind down the long back straight may have contributed to at least a handful of drivers locking up under braking for the hairpin at crucial points, notably Hamilton.
Front row starter Perez says Red Bull factored changes in wind speed into their set-up adjustments before the sprint race that they will carry over into Sunday.
“The change in wind has been quite substantial,” Perez said. “I think given that it’s quite a low-grip circuit, a bit of a change in the wind…
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