After a four-year absence, Formula 1 is set to return to China, with the Shanghai International Circuit once again bustling with huge F1 fans after five years to enjoy the Chinese Grand Prix.

The lack of racing at the Shanghai International Circuit for a long time caused too many bumps and fixtures on the track, which had to be fixed before the return to the Shanghai International Circuit.

According to a source, they have completed the work to fix and repair the track ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix return next week.

Formula 1 made sure the Shanghai track was in proper condition before its return after five years.

Last year, the FIA conducted an inspection, identifying several areas of the circuit that needed flattening for safe racing.

The lack of recent, relevant data about the track has left teams uncertain, treating the return of the Chinese GP as if it were a new event.

Let’s look into the matter of the Chinese GP and its track in more detail on the problem with the Chinese GP.

What are the uncertainties threatening over Chinese GP?

F1 will race in Shanghai for the first time since 2019, and it’s especially captivating because it’s the debut of ground-effect cars introduced in 2022 to drive there.

The current F1 liveries are more sensitive to bumps than older ones, so the FIA initiated an inspection of track bumps.

Repairs have been completed at various parts of the circuit to remove any bumps that could cause problems.

🚨Some impressions of the Shanghai International Circuit!
As reported by many, the track has been completely resurfaced.
Hopefully there won’t be any troubles with the drain/manhole covers and the FIA carries out its inspection thoroughly 😅#ChineseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/827iseIu6N
— FormulaUnmatched (@UnmatchFormula1) April 7, 2024

After an FIA inspection at the end of last year, Shanghai collaborated with Herman Tilke’s engineering and architectural company to smooth down and reseal areas of the track that were concerning.

Despite attempts to address the bumps, F1 teams still face significant uncertainty heading into the event due to the lack of data about the track surface characteristics.

The drivers are not happy as they are not ok with having 1 of 6 Sprint race weekends on a track that has been unknown to them for five years, overall Chinese GP has caused a huge Chaos as of now.

Pirelli Formula 1 chief engineer Simone Berra explained recently that China was effectively being treated like a new event because previous knowledge was of little relevance.

Simone Berra On Shanghai International Circuit

A conversation between Berra and Autosport took place in which he says, “It’s like a new circuit, honestly, Because we have new cars, new tyres, the 18-inch [rims]”.

“The track was really not used in five years, it was just used for one race per year or something like that.

So, it will be really green and quite dirty, although obviously, they will clean the track.”And we need to understand even from tarmac measurement pre-event how it has changed.

“In the past, it was quite rough in terms of both micro and macro roughness. We need to understand how ageing has gone in the last years.

Also read:What Are The Rules For F1 Chinese Grand Prix 2024? F1 and FIA Sprint Race

“So not much data, and even for the teams it will be a big challenge, not just for us, but for the teams even more probably.”

Shanghai officials are also working on new grandstands for the sell-out crowd, although some areas will not be ready in time for this year’s race.

Gaurang Kadam

Gaurang is a writer at the SportsOrbit covering articles related to F1,Gaurang was 14 when he cared more about playing football than studying. But when COVID hit and he had to stay home, he discovered Formula 1. It immediately caught his interest. Since then, he’s been really into Formula 1, watching every race and learning all about it. He still loves football, but now he’s also a big fan of Formula 1, especially Lewis Hamilton. Even though he loves racing, he still looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol.