Chinese GP

The Ferrari Formula 1 team says excessive tyre wear from the Chinese Grand Prix’s surprise one-stop race is behind Charles Leclerc’s car being found underweight, while it admitted “misjudging” Lewis Hamilton’s skid wear.

Leclerc and Hamilton finished fifth and sixth at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, but soon after the race the Ferrari pair were disqualified due to failing post-race scrutineering.

Leclerc’s car was found to be one kilogram underweight, while Hamilton’s rearmost skid block showed excessive wear beyond what is allowed in the FIA’s technical regulations.

The double disqualification meant Ferrari lost 18 constructors’ points in one fell swoop, with the team issuing a statement explaining what it thought had gone wrong.

The team said the Chinese Grand Prix moving from an expected two-stop strategy to a one-stopper meant Leclerc suffered more tyre wear than expected, and it claimed that his worn-down rubber was behind his car being under the weight limit.

However, it made no excuses for Hamilton’s skid wear, admitting it had misjudged its calculations before Saturday qualifying, when cars enter parc ferme conditions.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Hector Retamal – AFP – Getty Images

“Following the FIA post-race scrutineering, both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons,” Ferrari stated. “Car 16 was found to be underweight by 1kg and car 44’s rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.

“Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight. With regard to Lewis’ skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin.”

The team said it had “no intention to gain any advantage” and vowed to investigate what had gone wrong and learn from its errors.

“We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again,” the statement continued. “Clearly it’s not the way we wanted to end our Chinese GP weekend, neither for ourselves, nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering.”

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly could have benefitted from Ferrari’s double exclusion, but he too lost 11th place for being below the weight limit. In his stead, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Williams driver Carlos Sainz moved into the points.

The Haas team was the biggest benefactor from Ferrari’s disqualification as Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman moved up to fifth and eighth respectively, scoring a whopping 14 points in Shanghai.

In this article

Filip Cleeren

Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

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Red Bull to crunch numbers amid Lawson/Tsunoda switch talk

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner might not be aware of it, but he was channelling his inner William Edwards Deming as he discussed Liam Lawson’s future following another disappointing outing at the Chinese Grand Prix.

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion,” the American statistician and business theorist once said – and now Horner is seemingly hanging Lawson’s position within the team on the same principle.

Having qualified 18th in Australia last weekend, Lawson was plum last in Shanghai qualifying for both the sprint race and the grand prix.

He has started both of his grands prix for Red Bull to date from the pitlane, the New Zealander crashing out in tricky conditions in Melbourne and finishing 12th in China, benefitting from other cars having issues as well as a trio of disqualifications further up the field.

Autosport reported ahead of the second race of the season that Lawson’s place at the senior Red Bull outfit was already coming under pressure from Yuki Tsunoda, who was left at Racing Bulls after the decision was taken to promote Lawson ahead of him.

“I think Liam’s had a tough couple of races, a tough weekend here,” Horner said after the Chinese Grand Prix. “We elected to take him off the grid out of parc ferme to do a significant set-up change and so we’ve managed to get 56 laps of reasonable data from that.

“Obviously we’ll take that away, we’ll have a good look at it and as a group we’ll do our best to support him.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“We’ll just continue to evaluate it. We’ll take away a stack of data to go and have a look at. That’s what we’ll do. Obviously, there’s 400 engineers in our team that are all trawling through the 600 sensors that are on the car. There’s an awful lot of information that we have.

“I think there’s so much info, how he’s adapted driving the car, what he’s getting from the car, what can we do to help, where are his major issues, what’s causing inconsistency, all of those issues.”

Horner, while refusing to comment on speculation linking Tsunoda with a move to Red Bull ahead of his home race in Japan in a fortnight, also failed to shoot down any suggestion a switch could take place.

“There’s always going to be speculation in the paddock. As I say, we’ve only just finished the race here. We’ll take away the info and have a good look at it,” he said.

“There’s nothing specific that’s been set up. I think everything is purely speculative at the moment. I think Liam still has got potential. We’re just not realising that at the moment.

“I’m not even going to comment on a change, because that would be your first headline. As I say, we’re two races into this championship. We have a sample of two.

“We have quite a bit of information. We’re going to go away and have a good look at it, and work with Liam and do the best that we can for him.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“I think the problem for him is he’s had a couple of really tough weekends. He’s got all the media on his back, a whole bunch. The pressure just naturally grows in this business, and I feel very sorry for him. You can see it’s very tough on him at the moment.

“I think he’s a young guy. We’ve got a duty to look after him and we’re going to do the best that we can to support him. And, yes, Liam’s still a very capable driver. We know that. We’re just not seeing it for whatever reason. We’re not seeing him able to deliver that at the moment.”

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In this article

Mark Mann-Bryans

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Horner to crunch numbers amid Lawson/Tsunoda Red Bull switch rumor

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner might not be aware of it, but he was channelling his inner William Edwards Deming as he discussed Liam Lawson’s future following another disappointing outing at the Chinese Grand Prix.

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion,” the American statistician and business theorist once said – and now Horner is seemingly hanging Lawson’s position within the team on the same principle.

Having qualified 18th in Australia last weekend, Lawson was plum last in Shanghai qualifying for both the sprint race and the grand prix.

He has started both of his grands prix for Red Bull to date from the pitlane, the New Zealander crashing out in tricky conditions in Melbourne and finishing 12th in China, benefitting from other cars having issues as well as a trio of disqualifications further up the field.

Read Also:

Motorsport.com reported at the second grand prix of the season that Lawson’s place at the senior Red Bull outfit was already coming under pressure from Yuki Tsunoda, who was left at Racing Bulls after the decision was taken to promote Lawson ahead of him.

“I think Liam’s had a tough couple of races, a tough weekend here,” Horner said after the Chinese Grand Prix.

“We elected to take him off the grid out of parc ferme to do a significant set-up change and so we’ve managed to get 56 laps of reasonable data from that.

“Obviously we’ll take that away, we’ll have a good look at it and as a group we’ll do our best to support him.

“We’ll just continue to evaluate it. We’ll take away a stack of data to go and have a look at. That’s what we’ll do. Obviously, there’s 400 engineers in our team that are all trawling through the 600 sensors that are on the car. There’s an awful lot of information that we have.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“Look, I think there’s so much info, how he’s adapted driving the car, what he’s getting from the car, what can we do to help, where are his major issues, what’s causing inconsistency, all of those issues.”

Horner, while refusing to comment on speculation linking Tsunoda with a move to Red Bull ahead of his home race in Japan in a fortnight, also failed to shoot down any suggestion a switch could take place.

“There’s always going to be speculation in the paddock. As I say, we’ve only just finished the race here. We’ll take away the info and have a good look at it,” he said.

“There’s nothing specific that’s been set up. Look, I think everything is purely speculative at the moment. I think Liam still has got potential. We’re just not realising that at the moment.

“I’m not even going to comment on a change, because that would be your first headline. As I say, we’re two races into this championship. We have a sample of two.

“We have quite a bit of information. We’re going to go away and have a good look at it, and work with Liam and do the best that we can for him.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“I think the problem for him is he’s had a couple of really tough weekends. He’s got all the media on his back, a whole bunch. The pressure just naturally grows in this business, and I feel very sorry for him. You can see it’s very tough on him at the moment.

“I think he’s a young guy. We’ve got a duty to look after him and we’re going to do the best that we can to support him. And, yes, Liam’s still a very capable driver. We know that. We’re just not seeing it for whatever reason. We’re not seeing him able to deliver that at the moment.”

Photos from Chinese GP – Race

In this article

Mark Mann-Bryans

Formula 1

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Lawson accepts he ‘won’t be around’ at Red Bull if he doesn’t perform, but wants time

Liam Lawson accepts that he must perform to keep hold of his Red Bull Formula 1 seat, but notes that he needs time he doesn’t necessarily have to get acquainted with the team’s 2025 car.

The Kiwi racer qualified last for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, which Red Bull used as an opportunity to break parc ferme and kit him out with a series of changes to his RB21 – and he thus ran a different aero spec to Max Verstappen. Lawson reckoned that few of these changes worked out.

He ultimately finished 15th, moving up two positions late on when Yuki Tsunoda’s front wing broke and Jack Doohan was encumbered by a 10-second penalty for nudging Isack Hadjar off the road.

Read Also:

Lawson says that he needs time to get a greater understanding of the RB21; asked to elaborate on time, he explained that, with no in-season testing and a triple-header on the horizon, he does not have the luxury of time behind the wheel to get used to the car.

“We knew it was going to be tough and we started from the pitlane to try something with the car, and it unfortunately just didn’t work the way we wanted,” Lawson said. “What was really just a hard weekend was just a bit harder today.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“Unfortunately, I don’t really have time to get used to it, but I need to figure it out quickly. I don’t have time to test the car and get used to it, but we’re in the season already, so each race we’re losing points. That’s more or less what I mean when I don’t have time.

“But I’m also not stupid and I know that, obviously, I’m here to perform – and if I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be around. I’m just focused on getting used to the car as quickly as I can.”

Asked where his deficit to Verstappen was, particularly over a qualifying lap, Lawson explained that the differences over a lap were generally quite slim and the key points he lagged behind were “normally just a couple of places”.

He added that, in the key positions where the RB21 is at its most tempestuous, the Dutchman can get much more out of it and “be on the limit everywhere”.

Lawson was defiant when asked about the idea of Red Bull conducting a swap between him and Yuki Tsunoda, which Autosport understands will be a topic of discussion at the team ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

“I’ve raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him – and I did in F1 as well, so he can say whatever he wants,” Lawson stated.

Fact check

Yuki Tsunoda, Jenzer Motorsport with Liam Lawson, MP Motorsport

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images

Lawson beat Tsunoda in the 2019 Euroformula Open championship, finishing second in that year’s standings to Tsunoda’s fourth, but the Japanese driver outscored him in that year’s F3 championship and earned a move up to F2 ahead of Lawson for 2020.

Tsunoda also outscored Lawson in their 11 races together at AlphaTauri/RB, and outqualified him 10-1 (sprint qualifying not included).

Lawson also had the edge over Tsunoda in their 2020 Toyota Racing Series campaign, finishing second ahead of Franco Colapinto and his fellow Red Bull junior in the New Zealand-based winter championship.

In this article

Jake Boxall-Legge

Formula 1

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Ferrari’s Leclerc and Hamilton disqualified from F1 Chinese GP

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have both been excluded from the Chinese GP after falling foul of the technical regulations, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also thrown out of the results.

During post-race scrutineering Leclerc’s and Gasly’s cars were both found to weigh 799kg after fuel was removed, one kilogram below the minimum weight limit. In Leclerc’s case, his damaged front wing was replaced by a spare example during the weighing.

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Explaining Leclerc’s case, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported: “After the Race, car number 16 was weighed and its weight was 800.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1,” FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer’s report said. “As the front wing was damaged (the missing FW endplate was recovered and weighed with the car), the car was re-weighed with an official spare front wing assembly of car 16 and its weight was 800.5 kg. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.0 litres of fuel were removed.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Clive Mason/Getty Images

“The car was weighed again on the FIA scales (with the official spare front wing assembly of car 16) and the weight was 799.0 kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. For information the spare front wing was 0.2 kg heavier than the damaged one used during the race. As this is 1.0 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the Competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration.”

The scrutineers also took issue with Hamilton’s rearmost underbody skid block showing excessive wear beyond the 1mm wear limit. Hamilton’s blocks were down to 8.5 to 8.6mm thickness depending on the measuring point, with the minimum limit set at 9mm.

“The rearmost skid was measured according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 L, item 1.2 b) i). Measurements were taken along the stiffness compliant area at three different points of the periphery (inner arc). The recorded measurement were 8.6 mm (LHS), 8.6 mm (car centerline) and 8.5 mm (RHS). As this is less than the 9 mm minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e), I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration,” the FIA noted.

In their separate stewards’ hearings neither Ferrari nor Alpine representatives made excuses for the oversight: “During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly,” the stewards noted in each individual case. “The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.”

Leclerc and Hamilton lose their double points finish in fifth and sixth respectively in a big blow for Ferrari, while Gasly had already finished outside the top 10 in 11th but could have inherited points.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

The amended result means Esteban Ocon moves up to a sensational fifth for Haas, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman are all promoted as well. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Williams man Carlos Sainz have now moved up into the final points-paying positions.

In 2023 Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, and Leclerc were also disqualified from the United States GP in Austin for excessive skid wear.

Photos from Chinese GP – Race

In this article

Filip Cleeren

Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton

Pierre Gasly

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

Alpine

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Lawson admits Red Bull future at risk if he doesn’t perform

Liam Lawson accepts that he must perform to keep hold of his Red Bull Formula 1 seat, but notes that he needs time he doesn’t necessarily have to get acquainted with the team’s 2025 car.

The Kiwi racer qualified last for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, which Red Bull used as an opportunity to break parc ferme and kit him out with a series of changes to his RB21 – and he thus ran different aero spec to Max Verstappen. Lawson reckoned that few of these changes worked out.

He ultimately finished 15th, moving up two positions late on when Yuki Tsunoda’s front wing broke and Jack Doohan was encumbered by a 10-second penalty for nudging Isack Hadjar off the road.

Read Also:

Lawson says that he needs time to get a greater understanding of the RB21; asked to elaborate on time, he explained that with no in-season testing and a triple-header on the horizon, he does not have the luxury of time behind the wheel to get used to the car.

“We knew it was going to be tough and we started from the pitlane to try something with the car, and it unfortunately just didn’t work the way we wanted,” Lawson said. “What was really just a hard weekend was just a bit harder today.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“Unfortunately I don’t really have time to get used to it, but I need to figure it out as quickly. I don’t have time to test the car and get used to it, but we’re in the season already, so each race we’re losing points. That’s more or less what I mean when I don’t have time.

“But I’m also not stupid and I know that, obviously, I’m here to perform – and if I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be around. I’m just focused on getting used to the car as quickly as I can.”

Asked where his deficit to Verstappen was, particularly over a qualifying lap, Lawson explained that the differences over a lap were generally quite slim and the key points he lagged behind were “normally just a couple of places”.

He added that, in the key positions where the RB21 is at its most tempestuous, the Dutchman can get much more out of it and “be on the limit everywhere”.

Lawson was defiant when asked about the idea of Red Bull conducting a swap between him and Yuki Tsunoda, which Motorsport.com understands will be a topic of discussion at the team ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

“I’ve raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him – and I did in F1 as well, so he can say whatever he wants,” Lawson stated.

Fact check

Yuki Tsunoda, Jenzer Motorsport with Liam Lawson, MP Motorsport

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images

Lawson beat Tsunoda in the 2019 Euroformula Open championship, finishing second in that year’s championship to Tsunoda’s fourth, but the Japanese driver outscored him in that year’s F3 championship and earned a move up to F2 ahead of Lawson for 2020.

Tsunoda also outscored Lawson in their 11 races together at AlphaTauri/RB, and outqualified him 10-1 (sprint qualifying not included).

Lawson also had the edge over Tsunoda in their 2020 Toyota Racing Series campaign, finishing second ahead of Franco Colapinto and his fellow Red Bull junior in the New Zealand-based winter championship.

Photos from Chinese GP – Race

In this article

Jake Boxall-Legge

Formula 1

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Leclerc, Hamilton and Gasly disqualified from Chinese GP

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have both been excluded from the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix for falling foul of the technical regulations, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also thrown out of the results.

During post-race scrutineering, Leclerc’s and Gasly’s cars were both found to weigh 799kg after fuel was removed, 1kg below the minimum weight limit. In Leclerc’s case, his damaged front wing was replaced by a spare example during the weighing.

Explaining Leclerc’s case, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported: “After the race, car number 16 was weighed and its weight was 800.0kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1.

“As the front wing was damaged (the missing FW endplate was recovered and weighed with the car), the car was re-weighed with an official spare front wing assembly of car 16 and its weight was 800.5kg. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.0 litres of fuel were removed.

“The car was weighed again on the FIA scales (with the official spare front wing assembly of car 16) and the weight was 799.0kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. For information the spare front wing was 0.2kg heavier than the damaged one used during the race. As this is 1.0kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the competition, I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.”

The scrutineers also took issue with Hamilton’s rearmost underbody skid block showing excessive wear beyond the 1mm wear limit. Hamilton’s blocks were ground down to 8.5mm to 8.6mm thickness depending on the measuring point, with the minimum limit set at 9mm.

“The rearmost skid was measured according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 L, item 1.2 b) i),” the FIA noted.

“Measurements were taken along the stiffness compliant area at three different points of the periphery (inner arc). The recorded measurement were 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centreline) and 8.5mm (RHS). As this is less than the 9mm minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e), I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Clive Mason/Getty Images

In their separate stewards’ hearings neither Ferrari nor Alpine representatives made an excuse for the oversight. “During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly,” the stewards noted in each individual case. “The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.”

Leclerc and Hamilton lose their double points finish in fifth and sixth respectively in a big blow for Ferrari, while Gasly had already finished outside the points in 11th.

The amended result means Esteban Ocon moves up to a sensational fifth for Haas, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman are all promoted as well. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Williams man Carlos Sainz have now moved up into the final points-paying positions.

In 2023 Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, and Leclerc were also disqualified at the US GP in Austin for excessive skid wear.

In this article

Filip Cleeren

Formula 1

Pierre Gasly

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

Alpine

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Leclerc and Gasly at risk of Chinese GP disqualification for underweight cars

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly are under investigation for their cars being underweight after Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix, risking disqualification from the race.

Leclerc finished the Shanghai race in fifth despite a broke front wing, with Gasly ending outside the points in 11th.

Afterwards both cars were weighed by FIA scrutineers, with Leclerc’s damaged front wing replaced by a spare example. With the fuel removed from their respective cars, both Leclerc’s Ferrari and Gasly’s Alpine were measured at 799kg, 1kg below the 800kg weight limit.

The matter is now referred to the FIA’s race stewards, with both drivers all but certain to face disqualification from the race.

“After the Race, car number 16 was weighed and its weight was 800.0kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1,” FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer’s report said. “As the front wing was damaged (the missing FW endplate was recovered and weighed with the car), the car was re-weighed with an official spare front wing assembly of car 16 and its weight was 800.5kg. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.0 litres of fuel were removed. The car was drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality document.

“The car was weighed again on the FIA scales (with the official spare front wing assembly of car 16) and the weight was 799.0kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. For information the spare front wing was 0.2kg heavier than the damaged one used during the race. As this is 1.0kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the Competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

On Gasly’s car, the FIA said: “After the Race, car number 10 was weighed and its weight was 800.0kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1. After this, a fuel mass check was carried out and 1.1kg of fuel were removed. The car was drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality document. The car was weighed again on the FIA scales and the weight was 799.0kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. As this is 1.0kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the Competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration.”

If Leclerc’s and Gasly’s disqualification is confirmed, Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll is set to move into the points by moving up from 12th to 10th.

In this article

Filip Cleeren

Formula 1

Pierre Gasly

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

Alpine

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Haas bounces back from “shock” opening race, but F1 car problems not solved

Haas Formula 1 boss Ayao Komatsu has hailed the “amazing reaction” from his team to recover from a disastrous Australian weekend and achieve a double top-10 Chinese Grand Prix finish.

Esteban Ocon finished seventh at Shanghai, while Oliver Bearman made the most of an alternate tyre strategy to reach 10th from 17th on the grid.

This was in contrast to Haas’ Australian struggles, where the team appeared to have the slowest car and its racers only finished 13th and 14th after several drivers crashed out ahead of them.

“It was an amazing reaction from the whole team,” Komatsu told F1 TV of the response.

“Australia was a shock to us, not something we were expecting based on Bahrain testing – but, man, what a reaction.

“Everybody – people in Italy, the UK, US, and trackside, working together within the space of several days… Honestly I’m so happy with the way we’ve been working since that shock to get the result here.

“Everyone has a failure, right? But failure shouldn’t define you. What defines you is how you get up from that failure – and I think as a whole team we showed that.”

In Australia, Haas discovered a fundamental aerodynamic flaw in the VF-25 that hadn’t manifested itself in Bahrain testing because of that circuit’s characteristics, where slow and medium-speed corners predominate. The high-load corners at Albert Park provoked bouncing, which forced the team to compromise its set-up.

The Shanghai circuit dates from the same era of track architect Hermann Tilke’s thinking as Bahrain: most corners are slow or medium-speed, with camber changes thrown in to try to provoke mistakes. Cynics in the mid-2000s, when these tracks were built, believed the paucity of fast corners was a deliberate tactic to slow the cars down and make the sponsor decals more visible.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

This weekend Ocon qualified 11th, missing Q3 by just 0.03 seconds, then passed Alex Albon’s Williams at the start to run 10th early on. Pitting for the hard tyres at the end of lap 11 then entailed a long second stint to make a one-stop strategy work, but it enabled him to undercut the Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Bearman was eliminated in Q1 so the team opted to start him on the hitherto untried hard-compound Pirellis from 17th on the grid. He pitted at the end of lap 26 and fed out back in 17th place, and had to balance pushing to exploit the better theoretical performance of the mediums with making them last another 30 laps.

“I wasn’t expecting to do a one-stop, I was quite shocked when we went on to mediums,” Bearman told Sky Sports F1.

But Komatsu has cautioned this rebound is likely to be circuit-specific, since the car’s aerodynamic issues have yet to be resolved. If they are ‘baked in’ to the VF-25’s characteristics, then the team’s season is likely to be defined by having to secure maximum gain at tracks that flatter the car.

“I’m not kidding myself to say we solved the problem – we haven’t,” said Komatsu.

“So certain circuits we go to, we’re still gonna have a big problem – but, when we can operate the car in the way we want, thanks to the circuit characteristics, this is what we can do. We delivered today.”

Bearman added: “It’s the type of track which on paper is good for our car. It’s very smooth, not many bumps, and that’s what we’re looking for at the moment. We’d smooth all the other ones if we can…”

Photos from Chinese GP – Race

In this article

Stuart Codling

Formula 1

Esteban Ocon

Oliver Bearman

Haas F1 Team

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Haas boss hails “amazing reaction” to secure double points in China