As F1 returns to China after a long hiatus, Ferrari would want to change its record at the Chinese Grand Prix. It has been 11 years since the Italian stable won at the Shanghai International Circuit. The last time Ferrari won the Chinese GP was on 14th April 2013. On that occasion, Fernando Alonso got his 31st Grand Prix win.
Many users on Twitter (now X) posted an ‘On This Day’ throwback about the 2013 Chinese GP that saw Alonso and Ferrari triumph in Shanghai. It was a classic 2010s race where multiple drivers were in the hunt for the win.
Lewis Hamilton was in pole position, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Alonso. Meanwhile, championship leader Sebastian Vettel was starting in P9. The race began well for Hamilton, as he led from both the Ferraris of Alonso and Felipe Massa.
Meanwhile, Raikkonen had a slow start. However, as the race unfolded, both Ferraris passed Hamilton. The lead changed hands multiple times with Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, and Vettel taking turns to lead the Grand Prix.
Eventually, after the Spanish driver’s final stop on Lap 41, he settled into the lead ahead of Raikkonen and Hamilton. On the other hand, Vettel pitted about 10 laps later to have a late charge at Hamilton’s podium position. But, the Briton managed to hold him off. Nobody could catch Alonso, as he cruised to the chequered flag, claiming his 31st career win.
Since 2013, Ferrari have been on the podium every time at the Chinese GP. However, they could never challenge for the win in this duration, as either Mercedes or Red Bull always had the upper hand to take the victory.
The last edition of the Chinese GP took place in 2019. It was Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes who won that race, en route to his sixth world championship.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have kept the Chinese GP off the F1 calendar since then. So, the 2024 race in China will witness a return of the Shanghai track to the F1 season after five years.
Apart from Fernando Alonso, who else has a taste of driving at the Chinese GP?
Many drivers from the current grid have been around to have raced at least once in China. Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, and Fernando Alonso himself are previous winners of the Chinese GP.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, and George Russell are among the many others to have raced in Shanghai. The list of drivers having a debut race in China is very short.
Only Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Oscar Piastri, and Logan Sargeant will race at the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time in their F1 careers. Provided that the Shanghai track has long straights and tight braking zones, it could catch some racers out, especially those who will drive around this circuit for the first time.
Moreover, the Chinese GP weekend will also feature this year’s first sprint race. Thus, that could add to the jeopardy for even the experienced drivers, as they return to this track after five long years.
Nonetheless, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are expected to take the win again. Their dominance would be difficult to stop even though Ferrari and McLaren would hope to pose some sort of challenge. Both these teams have seemed the most likely to challenge the Austrian team so far this season, and the Maranello team already did so in Australia.
