Category: Formula 1

With so little practice running before parc ferme conditions beginning for sprint qualifying and the sprint itself, it is all too easy to get lost with the impact of any developments.

This is why, for example, Aston Martin elected to fast-track its recent upgrade package to Japan because it did not want it rolled out in China nor Miami.

But Haas elected to buck that trend this weekend in Shanghai as it brings its first big upgrade of the season – part of a wider development programme that will roll out over the next few months.

 And considering the squad’s famous Austin update late year, that did not produce the progress hoped for at a sprint, the fact that the American-owned squad has brought a change of parts this time out speaks volumes for the optimism it must have about its work.

With back-to-back comparisons not possible until Imola (given that Miami will also feature the sprint format), it has gone all-in on the steps guaranteeing progress.

Looking at the upgrades in detail, while there are a number of changes being made, none of these are new concepts that could upset the apple cart. Instead, subtle fine-tuning has been applied to solutions that have already appeared on the car this season.

Haas VF-24 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Haas VF-24 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

This starts with the floor fences, which have been optimised in conjunction with the tweaks made to the floor and edge wing downstream, in order to increase their overall yield.

The front corner of the floor provides an intersection with the tail section of the floor strakes which has been modified as part of the update and has allowed a more generous pitch to be added to the curved and straked edge wing behind.

Haas VF-24 wing mirror comparison

Photo by: Uncredited

The main mirror body has also been reprofiled in a bid to improve its aerodynamic efficiency, with the new assembly elongated to reduce its height. This has an impact on the wake turbulence that it generates and therefore provides better flow to the sidepod bodywork downstream.

At the rear of the car, there are changes to the cooling layout, as the rear outlet has been shrunken, whilst the cooling louvres on the size of the engine cover have been increased in size to counteract this.

Working in tandem to offset each other will help to improve aerodynamic efficiency at the rear of the car, without having a detrimental impact on rejecting the heat being created by the power unit and ancillaries under the cover.

Haas VF-24 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Haas VF-24 rear cooling outlet comparison

Photo by: Uncredited

The rear brake duct winglets have also been tweaked on the VF-24 in a bid to leverage the local flow structures and increase local load.

Haas is also expected to keep up the pressure on its rivals in Miami, as more parts are scheduled to arrive to help boost the performance of the VF-24.

This incredible experience is just part of the incredible prize up for grabs in the MoneyGram Monaco Dream Weekend competition with the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, which is giving fans from the UK and Europe the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

A home race for many of the F1 drivers, Monaco is like nothing else on the F1 calendar. With impossibly narrow streets, incredibly high-speed corners, cars flying past pools, yachts and luxury restaurants, Monaco provides thrill and excitement like no other location.

It has been running since 1929 – so this will be the 95th year since the first event – and it is part of motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ alongside the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans as one of the three must-win races – all must-see events for motorsport fans.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver Nico Hulkenberg said: “It is one of my favourites. We’re travelling to many special places like Miami, Melbourne, Las Vegas, Singapore, but the rodeo ride in Monte Carlo is just another level of intensity and a huge challenge.”

If you are the lucky winner of the MoneyGram Monaco Dream Weekend competition, you and your guest will be flown to Nice from your nearest major metro airport to enjoy a four-night stay at the luxurious Hyatt Regency Hotel and two days of attendance at the Monaco Grand Prix.

On Saturday, you will be transported to enjoy the action from the Ermanno Terrace, a seventh-floor covered venue located at the first corner, Sainte-Devote, offering unparalleled views over much of the circuit, from the tunnel exit and out across the harbour.

On race day, you will switch locations to the Port Hercules harbour, where you will be right at the heart of the action onboard the exclusive Eleni Superyacht, experiencing all the glitz and glamour of Monaco from a premium trackside berth between turns 11 and 12.

This incredible package provides the ultimate blend of luxury and atmosphere, with all-inclusive food bites and beverages including spirits, sparkling wine, beer, wine and soft drinks, plus live entertainment and an appearance from an F1 star.

MoneyGram will also throw in two MoneyGram Haas F1 Team polo t-shirts, a pair of autographed MoneyGram Haas F1 Team caps and €2,000 of spending money to further enhance what will be an incredible experience.

To win this incredible MoneyGram Monaco Dream Weekend prize, all you have to do is answer the question: ‘What drives your dreams?’ Head to moneygram.com and give yourself the chance to experience the ultimate Dream Weekend with MoneyGram Haas F1 team.

The MoneyGram Monaco Dream Weekend with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team competition is for residents of the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway. Entrants must be of majority age. The competition is now open and closes on May 5, 2024, with the prize draw made on Tuesday May 7, 2024.

Three-time F1 world champion Lauda survived the crash at the Nurburgring, even though his crash helmet was torn from his head during the brutal head-on impact with the barrier, before his stricken Ferrari 312T2 was then rammed by Brett Lunger’s Surtees.

Four of his fellow drivers assisted in pulling Lauda from his burning car, which crashed on the second lap at the Bergwerk section of the track.

Before the race, Lauda had attempted to arrange a driver boycott of the event’s 14.2-mile Nordschleife track due to its poor safety standards, a lack of doctors and medical helicopters, as well as a wet weather forecast on raceday. But he failed to achieve this by one vote.

Despite suffering severe burns and respiratory damage, Lauda returned to racing at the Italian GP, a mere 40 days after the accident. He qualified in fifth place and finished fourth in the 52-lap race.

The helmet will be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars Automobilia Department at the Miami GP on Saturday 4 May, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Lauda family’s chosen charity UNICEF.

Lauda died in 2019, having gone on to run three airlines and manage several F1 teams – including Ferrari, Jaguar and Mercedes.

“We are delighted that our father’s legacy continues to provide help and assistance to those in most need,” said Lukas Lauda, Niki’s son, on behalf of the family.

“The challenges faced by UNICEF in providing humanitarian aid to children worldwide are enormous; if we can make a small contribution towards improving opportunities for others, we are delighted to do so.”

The burnt helmet of Niki Lauda, Ferrari after his accident

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Since 1976, the helmet has been privately held in notable car and F1 memorabilia collections. The helmet will be on display in the Bonhams|Cars preview tent at the Miami International Autodrome across the race weekend.

James Garguilo, Bonhams|Cars automobilia specialist, added: “We are privileged to present this historically significant helmet, as a testament to Niki Lauda’s legacy as a driver and as a champion for driver safety.

“His unyielding determination and sheer courage altered the trajectory of racing history.”

Despite his heroic comeback, Lauda was pipped to the world title in 1976 by James Hunt, a story that was retold in Ron Howard’s 2013 movie, Rush.

Lauda went on to win his second title for Ferrari in 1977 and his third, with McLaren, in 1984.

The auction will take place directly on the track in front of the podium on the south side of the Miami International Autodrome on 4 May for invited guests as well as Bonhams|Cars clients and car collectors.

Approximately 25 collector cars will be driven on to the race track for the auction and will be showcased around the Miami Campus during the weekend for race-going fans to view.

Other race-worn F1 helmets of Gilles Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Jean Alesi, Gerhard Berger and Eddie Irvine will also be auctioned.

The Frenchman was granted Alpine’s new floor upgrade initially pencilled in for Miami, as one undertray construction was fast-tracked in time for the Chinese Grand Prix.

This new floor features changes to the diffuser, heavily revised front fences, and a new floor edge wing that includes a slot towards the rear.

Although these changes should yield an uptick in performance, Ocon stated that the overall set-up of his A524 had missed the mark to break into SQ2 during sprint qualifying – and suggested that a plethora of tweaks needed to be made once parc ferme opens again ahead of qualifying proper.

“I feel like we didn’t maximise the potential of the car today, unfortunately, that’s probably the first time this year that this is the case,” Ocon lamented.

“I think there was probably more in it today. And, with only one [practice] session, unfortunately we didn’t put everything together.

“Some performance left on the side, so it’s a good thing that parc ferme opens again so we can change for next qualifying.

“We’ll try and race tomorrow like this early in the morning and then, after that, try with a different set-up in the car and see what we get.

“We’ll change quite a lot of things – until we try that, we are not going to know exactly that this is the right thing to do, but it might be worth a try.”

Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

His team-mate Pierre Gasly will have to wait until Miami before he gets his hands on the new floor, but he was much more sanguine about his chances without the upgrades.

Gasly’s practice was derailed by an ERS issue that forced a change to his power unit components, but was nonetheless happy with the balance he had and felt he had made the most of it during his run to 16th on Saturday’s sprint grid.

“We had a problem with the ERS this morning, so basically only managed to get only like three laps out of the session,” said Gasly. “And on a sprint weekend we know how important it was to get it right from the start.

“But then the guys managed to solve the issue for this afternoon, change the engine and managed to get the car out for qualifying. So that was good and I’m very pleased with the lap I put in that quali. I think it turned out to be slightly better than we hoped.

“It’s pretty tricky without the upgraded floor; it was a good effort, and it came tight to Q2. But it’s quite positive.

“I know I’ll get these parts in Miami, and that should get us through to Q2 and get a bit further to the points finishes.”

Johnny Herbert won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a Mazda 787B – a firm favourite among sportscar fans – and three Formula 1 races in Benetton and Stewart machinery. But the two cars he selects from his career are machines he failed to win in.

“The best car I drove at Le Mans was the Bentley, very nicely engineered,” says Herbert of the Speed 8 he shared with Mark Blundell and David Brabham to finish second at Le Mans and third at Sebring in 2003.

“Everyone said it was an Audi R8, but it was more than that. The engine and gearbox, yes, but everything forward was completely new. Fundamentally it was a Bentley, it looked beautiful and it was better than the R8.”

Herbert scored one of his favourite victories, at the 2003 Petit Le Mans, in a Champion-run R8, but the car he picks as his number one was nothing like as reliable as the great German endurance racer. In fact, it broke down in nearly half the events Herbert started in it.

The Lotus 107, designed by Peter Wright and Chris Murphy, arrived after the first few rounds of the 1992 F1 season and went on, in one form or another, until the middle of 1994.

Top 10: Ranking the greatest Lotus F1 cars

“The most fun and most adrenaline I got was with the 107 Lotus,” says the veteran of 160 grands prix. “We still had the massive diffusers and big fat slick tyres.

“You could attack every single corner. You could wrestle those cars and that’s how I thought it should be – you should fight these cars and they should fight back. I enjoyed that period.

Herbert took a best finish of fourth with the Lotus 107 on three occasions in 1993

Photo by: Motorsport Images

“As time went on, with the narrower tyres – I hated grooved tyres – the sensitivity went up and my sensitivity couldn’t go up with it [because of his foot injuries from his 1988 Formula 3000 crash at Brands Hatch].”

Herbert also liked the 107’s predecessor, the 102, but the 107 had more potential: “The 102 was actually a bloody good car – you could chuck it everywhere – but my it was slow! It was good in the wet, very forgiving, but the 107 was a car you could attack.”

Interestingly, despite (or because of) developments, such as the active suspension pushed to the forefront by Williams, it’s the earliest version of the car that Herbert liked most. That’s despite the fact that he scored three fourth places in the 1993 B-spec version on his way to ninth in the drivers’ standings, a position that could have been higher with better reliability.

“You could wrestle those cars and that’s how I thought it should be – you should fight these cars and they should fight back” Johnny Herbert

“The 107 lasted about 25 years – that’s what it felt like!” he says. “It got worse. It went active in 1993 and we had a good race in Brazil, but it just wasn’t there.”

Herbert continued to race the car, now in C-spec, for the first four rounds of 1994 after Lotus traded Cosworth for Mugen V8s that were hardly an improvement.

A pair of seventh places at Interlagos and Aida, that didn’t net any points due to the scoring system of the time, were the underwhelming highlights before Lotus introduced the 109 in Barcelona. But his fortunes didn’t improve and he scored no more points for the moribund team that collapsed at season’s end, by which point he had switched to Benetton.

Herbert bowed out with the 107 after a gearbox failure at Monaco in 1994

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

Red Bull already has Max Verstappen under contract for 2025, while Perez has impressed in the opening part of the 2024 season to ensure he is likely to retain his seat at the team.

Perez stated on Thursday that, given the dynamic nature of the 2025 driver market, he expected “to know my future in the coming weeks, because everything is moving quite fast. So I think it’s important not to wait for too long.”

In response to a question asking if Red Bull was close to firming up its plans for next season, team principal Horner replied in the negative.

“Not very [close], I’m afraid,” he said. “It’s incredible that we’re at race five and there’s so much talk already about drivers for next year.

“We’re in a situation where we’re very happy with our two drivers. 

“But we don’t need to make a final decision about the line-up until much later in the year.

“Obviously Max is on a long-term contract anyway, Checo out of contract this year, but he’s been driving exceptionally well so far this season.”

Horner understood Perez’s desire for a swift resolution to contract talks for 2025, particularly as the Mexican endured much of 2023 under pressure through a string of poor performances during the middle period of the season.

However, Horner explained that he wished to determine whether Perez was able to maintain his form before the two parties could start to put pen to paper.

“Of course, he would like to make an announcement tomorrow, undoubtedly, when we as a team aren’t in a particular rush,” said Horner.

“We’re in a fortunate position where many drivers would obviously like to drive for the team, but we’re happy with the pairing that we have.

“We just want to make sure that the level of consistency that Checo started with this season maintains. And in due course, we’ll evaluate those options.

“But, at this point in time, we’re very happy with the line-up that we have.”

Touching on the prospect of RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, who had been earmarked as a possible Perez replacement should the Australian regather his momentum in F1, Horner noted there was still time to turn things around.

Yuki Tsunoda, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

He also remarked that reserve driver Liam Lawson, who impressed while covering for an injured Ricciardo last season, was “champing at the bit” to get a race seat – but that priority was with the current race drivers.

“I think that it’s very much in Daniel’s hands. He needs to show the kind of head-turning form to make not only ourselves, but potentially others, take notice,” Horner added.

“We’re only at race five. This is a track that’s gone well for him previously, he’s got a sprint race as well, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can really kick his season off here. 

“Liam Lawson is champing at the bit to get an opportunity, but there’s nothing preordained as to when, and even if, that would take place.

“The priority is for sure for the drivers that are in the race seats at the moment and we’ll see how that pans out.”

With F1 teams having done a lot of pre-event work in the simulator based on information from both Pirelli and the FIA, they were caught out when they arrived at the circuit on Wednesday by the visibly different track surface.

While drivers said it looked like the track had been “painted”, it emerged that it was actually a liquid bitumen surface treatment that had been applied last year to help reduce the degradation of the old asphalt.

With the circuit having been used since, elements of this treatment had been worn away on the racing line – which has given the surface a two-tone appearance.

But beyond it looking different, the treatment has impacted grip levels – especially with there being a contrast between areas where the bitumen remains in place and where it has been worn away.

While the FIA normally informs teams ahead of race weekends of any material changes to the circuit, no notification about this treatment was included in documents that were sent to teams and Pirelli.

Furthermore, Pirelli normally sends engineers in advance of an F1 meeting to deliver up-to-date data on the track conditions, but this was not done this time because the Italian company had none of its F1 personnel free to do it.

It was only when it arrived at the circuit on Wednesday with its engineers that the issue emerged – triggering some surprise.

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Asked about how much communication there had been with the FIA about the treatment, F1 chief engineer Simone Berra said: “We didn’t get any indication, so we were surprised as well.

“We noticed it on Wednesday when we were doing the usual track inspection, and it was quite clear that this surface was completely different from the old one.”

Autosport understands that the lack of warning over the surface was discussed in Friday morning’s team managers’ meeting with F1 race director Niels Wittich.

Sources suggest that while Wittich admitted to being aware of the work having been done, he did not consider it necessary to inform the teams because it was not a change that should have materially impacted the track’s performance level, nor require any change of homologation.

While the grip changes were certainly not extreme enough to have a scenario as bad at Turkey 2020, Berra added that in the future it was clear the circuits should make it more obvious, especially with the FIA, of the impact of any works done at F1 venues.

Asked what had gone wrong with communication over the matter, Berra said: “I think you need to ask the FIA, but it’s not a track change that needs rehomologation, or a check by the FIA.

“It was done by Chinese circuit management, and they could have done this without informing anybody.

“But I would say it’s not the end of the world in the end because in FP1, let’s say, the grip level improved after a few laps, and then the drivers were able to complete the session.

“I think that, for the future, the FIA will try to work a little bit closer with the circuit to understand this kind of information in advance.”

The surface treatment issue will disappear for 2025 with Shanghai set to undertake a complete resurfacing this summer prior to next year’s race.

Sainz qualified fifth and team-mate Charles Leclerc seventh as the Ferraris struggled to get their tyres warmed up in a rainy end to Friday’s sprint qualifying.

Leclerc went off when it started raining, bending his steering rack, which Sainz admitted could have easily happened to him too.

“With the intermediate tyres we waited a long time at the pitlane exit, they got cold, and then Charles and I struggled a lot on that outlap to warm up the tyres,” Sainz explained. “I’m lucky I didn’t suffer the same [spin].

“We couldn’t do a good SQ3, but I think I saved the day with fifth. This is a very difficult track to get to and almost go straight into qualifying.”

But with practice time limited on F1’s return to Shanghai, Sainz said he couldn’t get his SF24 set up to his liking in dry conditions either.

It has dampened his expectations for Saturday morning’s sprint, which is expected to be dry, but on the positive side the new parc ferme rules allow teams to work on their cars again ahead of grand prix qualifying later on.

“The sprint race is in the morning, then parc ferme opens and we can change the car,” he added. “I would like to be able to make a couple of adjustments to the car after the sprint race, because I don’t feel comfortable.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“I have a couple of ideas to improve the car for qualifying. In the sprint we will have to survive with what we have and fight from fifth place.”

Team principal Fred Vasseur hopes the team’s tyre gambit in free practice will pay off in the sprint race.

“We were the only ones who left one more set of medium and hard tyres this morning,” he explained to Sky Sports Italy.

“We have the advantage of still having a set of new medium tyres for tomorrow, while our rivals will have to use a set of used mediums. This means that we will have a wider choice in terms of tyres for tomorrow.

“But, like everyone else, we’re a bit blind. It’s not an easy choice, we only did a few laps this morning. We will have to choose the compound well tonight, because we have to consider that it can be a starting point for Sunday.”

Explaining his off, Leclerc added: “It was very difficult to switch on the tyres, I tried to be a bit aggressive, but obviously I lost it out of Turn 8.

“That compromised a little bit our qualifying because then the steering was a little bit bent. But all in all, I don’t think there was any miracles. There wasn’t much more we could have done.”

F1 has altered its sprint race schedule once again, with sprint race qualifying shifting to Friday and the sprint race moving to Saturday. The race weekend format then reverts back to a traditional schedule for grand prix qualifying on Saturday afternoon with the grand prix on Sunday. Here’s how the latest sprint race format changes will work. 

In sprint race qualifying, McLaren’s Lando Norris grabbed pole position but only after having his best lap time initially deleted and then reinstated for track limit breaches. 

Q3 of sprint qualifying was hit by rain which made conditions extremely difficult and slippery, triggering multiple offs, including Charles Leclerc’s glance off the Turn 9 barrier.

Lewis Hamilton will join Norris on the front row of the grid for the Chinese GP sprint race, ahead of Fernando Alonso in third and championship leader Max Verstappen in fourth.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start fifth in front of the sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez and Leclerc, while Oscar Piastri dropped to eighth having hit neutral with a gearbox issue during his final Q3 lap.

It was an impressive showing for Sauber with Valtteri Bottas ninth and home hero Zhou Guanyu in 10th as he becomes the first Chinese driver to compete at his home grand prix.

Zhou Guanyu, Kick Sauber C44

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

What time does the sprint race start for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix?

The sprint race for the Chinese GP starts at 11:00am local time (4:00am BST), covering a distance of 19 laps or 60 minutes.

Date: Saturday 20 April 2024
Start time: 11:00am local time – 4:00am BST

What time does qualifying start for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix?

Grand prix qualifying for the Chinese GP starts at 3:00pm local time (8:00am BST), using the traditional Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.

Date: Saturday 20 April 2024
Start time: 3:00pm local time – 8:00am BST

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, except for the British GP which is shown live on both Sky Sports and Channel 4, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

How can I watch F1 Chinese GP sprint race and grand prix qualifying?

In the United Kingdom every F1 practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with Chinese GP sprint race coverage starting at 3:25am BST on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports F1, and grand prix qualifying coverage starting at 7:00am BST on Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports F1.

Channel: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports F1
Start time – Sprint Race: 3:25am BST Saturday 20 April 2024
Start time – Qualifying: 7:00am BST Saturday 20 April 2024

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the sprint race and grand prix qualifying here. 

When can I watch the highlights of F1 Chinese GP sprint race and grand prix qualifying?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the sprint race and grand prix qualifying for the Chinese GP at 12:15pm BST on Saturday afternoon. The full programme will run for 90 minutes, covering both sprint race and grand prix qualifying and wrapping up the major talking points of the race weekend so far.

For the entire 2024 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

Channel: Channel 4
Start time: 12:15pm BST Saturday 20 April 2024

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Will F1 Chinese GP sprint race and grand prix qualifying be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2024 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website.

Coverage of Chinese GP sprint race will start at 3:55am BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.

Coverage of Chinese GP qualifying will start at 7:55am BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.

What’s the weather forecast for the sprint race and grand prix qualifying in Shanghai?

Cloud and dry conditions with a low chance of rain is forecast for all of Saturday in Shanghai. The temperature is set to reach highs of 22 degrees Celsius at the start of the sprint race and 23 degrees Celsius at the start of grand prix qualifying.