Formula 1 is back for a second weekend in a row as Round 2 of the Chinese Grand Prix Weekend has already begun. With a practice session and Sprint Qualifying session in the books, let's take a look at how the rest of the weekend is shaping up!
Before we get into the preview, a couple of things to mention:
Authors Note 1: The Formula One Season has two main championship competitions. The first is the Drivers' Championship, which is a competition between the individual drivers. The drivers who finish in the top 10 each weekend will score points (the higher you place, the more points you get). These points are added up, and whichever driver finishes with the most points at the end of the season will win the Drivers' Championship. The next is the Constructors' Championship, a competition between the teams. The number of points the drivers within a team get each race is combined, creating the total points for the team (E.g., Lando Norris has scored 25 points, and Oscar Piastri has scored 2 points, giving the McLaren team 27 points in the Constructors' Championship). The team whose drivers accumulate the most points combined for their team will win the Constructors' Championship.
Author's Note 2: This weekend's race was a sprint-style format. A Sprint is a race with fewer laps that gives the drivers an opportunity to score some extra points. It is meant to not only help the drivers, but also give the fans more racing action. Instead of the normal weekend format (Three practice sessions, qualifying, and the race), a sprint weekend format is a little different. There will be only one practice session, and two qualifying sessions (one for the sprint race and one for the main race). The sprint race will occur between the sprint qualifying session and the main race qualifying session.
Authors Note 3: Six drivers will be listed as "NC" in the Drivers' Standings. This means "Not Classified", indicating that they have not completed a race yet this season, thus they cannot be given a position among the standings.
Now, here is a look at the standings for both Championships:
Drivers' Championship Standings:
Lando Norris 25 points
Max Verstappen 18 points
Geroge Russell 15 points
Andrea Kimi Antonellii 12 points
Alexander Albon 10 points
Lance Stroll 8 points
Nico Hulkenberg 6 points
Charles Leclerc 4 points
Oscar Piastri 2 points
Lewis Hamilton 1 points
Pierre Gasly 0 points
Yuki Tsunoda 0 points
Esteban Ocon 0 points
Oliver Bearman 0 points
N.C. Jack Doohan
N.C. Fernando Alonso
N.C. Gabriel Bortoletto
N.C. Isak Hadjar
N.C. Liam Lawson
N.C. Carlos Sainz
Constructors' Championship Standings:
McLaren 27 points
Mercedes 27 points
Red Bull 18 points
Williams 10 points
Aston Martin 8 points
Kick Sauber 6 points
Ferrari 5 points
Alpine 0 points
Racing Bulls 0 points
Haas 0 points
Standings were found at F1.com.
Alpine
Alpine has gotten off to a rough start in China, as they secured 16th (Jack Doohan) and 17th (Pierre Gasly). Though Alpine said after Sprint Qualifying (SQ) that both drivers' laps were ruined by other drivers in the way, they did not show the pace that we were expecting.
I think Alpine can definitely bounce back from their poor start. Their car still looks solid, and if what they said after SQ was true, then they should have no problem at least getting into Q2 on Saturday.
In terms of pace, though I do not think Alpine has enough to truly compete within the midfield, it is very possible they could be in the mix. We have yet to see their true pace this weekend, however, based on what we have seen, it seems like points might be a little too far out of reach.
Prediction
Ceiling: 10th-12th place finish for Gasly and 13th-15th place finish for Doohan
Floor: 14th-16th place finish for Gasly and 17th-20th place finish for Doohan
Aston Martin
Aston Martin has already started to quietly exceed expectations this weekend. A 10th (Lance Stroll) and 11th (Fernando Alonso) place start in the sprint is quite impressive, all things considered. Stroll has surprisingly come out of the gates strong in two straight weekends, while Alonso, though not making SQ3, Showed some promise within some of his laps.
If Aston Martin learns from what the Sprint shows them, and sets the car up accordingly for qualifying and the Grand Prix, I think Aston Martin has a very good chance of scoring points this weekend. I cannot believe I am saying this, but Stroll has looked quite good since the season started, maybe even better than Alonso. Do I think that will be sustained in the future? No, definitely not. However, Aston Marton should ride the Stroll wave for as long as it lasts. Expect Aston Martin to be a points contender this weekend.
Prediction
Ceiling: 8th-10th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 13th-15th place finish for both drivers
Ferrari
I mean, what a turnaround!
Ferrari should be extremely excited about how the week has started for them. In what is a signature race for Lewis Hamilton, he showed dominance once again in Sprint Qualifying. With Hamilton getting pole position and Leclerc getting 4th, Ferrari could not only be on for good points in the sprint but also the race.
It is a night and day difference with Ferrari compared to last weekend. The way they have come out of the gates firing is extremely promising. Hamilton seems to like the car setup a lot more this weekend compared to last, while Leclerc is right there in lap time. Hamilton also set the fastest lap ever driven on this track, posting a blazing 1 minute, 30.849 second lap.
I think both drivers have a chance to score double-digit points this weekend, and maybe even compete for a race win. All there is to see is if their qualifying pace will translate to race pace.
Just don't mess up the race strategy this time...
Prediction
Ceiling: Race win for either driver
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for both drivers
Haas
Coming off a nightmare of a weekend in Australia, Haas have already seemed to turn things around. However, their car still is not quite there yet, with exhibit A being Esteban Ocon qualifying 19th for the sprint.
Based on what I have seen so far, Ocon seems to still be adjusting to the car. Of course, Ocon is a talented and experienced driver, however, his performance thus far has shown otherwise. I do think Esteban will eventually improve as the year goes on, but for right now, going into this weekend, it does not look too promising for Ocon.
With that said, Ollie Bearman had a fantastic Sprint Qualifying session. Starting 12th for the sprint exceeded all expectations going into the weekend. Yes, last weekend was tough for Ollie, but I think that was more of him still learning how to adapt to wet conditions than his talent or skill. We have seen multiple times that Bearman has pace, and outqualifying his teammate by a significant margin is a testament to that.
It is tough to say whether or not Ocon will improve, but I do think Bearman has a very good opportunity ahead of him. As I said, the car is just not there in terms of pace, so any result outside the bottom 5 would be outperforming the car. Bearman has done that up to this point, but we'll see how Haas does in the sprint and how the weekend moves forward.
Prediction
Ceiling: 12th-15th place finish for Bearman and 13th-15th place finish for Ocon
Floor: 16th-18th place finish for Bearman and 18th-20th place finish for Ocon.
Kick Sauber
Kick Sauber is also off to a solid start this weekend, however I do not expect that to continue.
Gabriel Bortoletto once again out-qualified his teammate Nico Hulkenberg (14th vs. 19th) and will be starting in a decent position for the sprint. Hulkenberg was unable to put a solid lap together, which is something we aren't used to seeing out of a qualifying specialist like Nico. Bortoletto's qualifying pace has been extremely promising, however, I do think he will drop places in the sprint. With the likes of two Alpines and an RB behind him in the sprint, I think they will pose a significant challenge for Bortoletto.
Come the race, Kick Sauber should aim for a Q2 appearance from both drivers and a finish outside the bottom five. Both have shown they can outperform the car and do this, it is just a matter of doing it at the same time.
Prediction
Ceiling: 14th-16th for both drivers
Floor: 18th-20th for both drivers
McLaren
I feel like every time we as fans get comfortable with a team, something happens. Going into this weekend in China, most predicted another dominant weekend from McLaren, but that was not the case. Instead, they are starting in 3rd (Oscar Piastri) and 6th (Lando Norris) in the sprint.
There is 100% still a chance for McLaren to recover and win the sprint, but it was weird seeing how much both drivers were struggling in SQ3. Norris explained after SQ that the car was too difficult to drive, while Piastri could not find enough pace to improve more than the two ahead of him. I would still bet on McLaren to qualify for the main race well and execute in the main race, but in a much easier way than I had once thought. McLaren will really have to fight if they want to gain maximum points in China.
Prediction
Ceiling: Race win for either driver
Floor: 3rd-6th for both drivers
Mercedes
Mercedes have struggled a little bit to start the weekend, but that was to be expected. Sprint Qualifying was not particularly what they had hoped for, as George Russell starts 5th and Kimi Antonelli starts 7th. Though both drivers are still in the top 8, their pace seems to be off that of the Ferrari, McLaren, and Max Verstappen.
There is still plenty of time to turn things around for Mercedes this weekend. The sprint should give them a lot of data, which will hopefully serve as a push to improve the setup of the car come qualifying and the main race. What is promising though is that Antonelli is not far off Russell's pace in terms of lap times. Especially in the early part of the season, this should be the goal for Mercedes. Once both drivers are on the same pace, the results will get better as the car improves.
As for this weekend, Mercedes will absolutely be in contention for points, but will have to get either lucky or aggressive if they want the most out of the weekend.
Prediction
Ceiling: 3rd-5th place finish for Russell and 5th-7th place finish for Antonelli
Floor: 6th-8th place finish for Russell and 8th-10th place finish for Antonelli
Racing Bulls
A brilliant show of teamwork allowed RB to once again exceed expectations by having a car comfortably reach a third qualifying session. Isak Hadjar, knowing his lap was ruined, gave his teammate Yuki Tsunoda a huge tow and slipstream, which allowed Tsunoda to make it into SQ3 without any doubt.
RB has looked really good so far this year, and I think that will carry on this weekend. Yuki has a chance for points in the sprint (starting in 8th), while Hadjar has shown promising signs of pace throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, Hadjar did not get the chance to post a lap time due to a mistake he made on turn 1, but making it into SQ2 without any real challenge is a great sign. I would not be shocked if RB came out of the weekend as challengers to Williams for the best team in the midfield.
Prediction
Ceiling: 7th-9th place finish for Tsunoda and 11th-13th place finish for Hadjar
Floor: 11th-14th place finish for Tsunoda and 15th-17th place finish for Hadjar
Red Bull
Oh, Liam...
It could not be a more polar opposite start to the weekend for the Red Bull drivers. On one hand, you have Max Verstappen, who has driven brilliantly thus far, and secured 2nd in Sprint Qualifying. On the other hand, you have Liam Lawson, who is going to be starting last in the sprint. LAST!!
Yes, Lawson is still getting used to the car, and the car in general is not great, but Lawson is in a Red Bull. You cannot be qualifying last ever, no matter what type of qualifying it is. No one expects Lawson to beat Max, or compete for podiums yet, but we do expect him to at least make it close to the top 10. There is still plenty of time for Liam to redeem himself, and if he does well in the main race qualifying and the main race, we will probably forget all about this; but as of right now, Red Bull should be seriously concerned about the pace disparity between their two drivers.
With that said, the way Max has outperformed the car so far this weekend has been tremendous, and something I think will continue. Somehow, Someway, I have a feeling that Max could at minimum get a podium finish in China. As for Liam, just please don't finish last again...
Prediction
Ceiling: 1st-3rd place finish for Verstappen and 13th-15th place finish for Lawson
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for Verstappen and 17th-20th place finish for Lawson
Williams
Williams yet again has impressed, producing a promising result in Sprint Qualifying and showing pace to compete for points. Alex Albon brought the momentum from Australia right over to China, finishing in 9th in SQ. Carlos Sainz unfortunately had problems with his seat, which prevented him from getting any higher than 13th in SQ.
Having seen Williams' pace in both a qualifying and race setting, it is clear that they are the 5th fastest team right now. Albon has looked absolutely incredible, while Sainz is primed to bounce back as the weekend unfolds. Williams has done a great job preparing the car for this season, and I think they will reap the rewards of their hard work again in China.
Prediction
Ceiling: 6th-8th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 9th-12th place finish for both drivers
Stay tuned for more F1 content, and be sure to check out fansonlysportz.com for more sports media content posted daily.
Until next time!
-Matt Hylen
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