Consecutive race weekends in F1 are hectic affairs. A two-day delay in the arrival of equipment has made it all the more tight for some of the teams ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. A technical issue with the planes transporting equipment and cars to Shanghai has left Red Bull, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Mercedes team members in a breathtaking race against time.
With just four days between the Australian and Chinese GPs, getting an early start at the new venue was crucial. With the airline snag, the teams would find it hard to set up at the Shanghai International Circuit on time.
Photographer Kym Illman, who has already arrived in China, explained that teams usually take four days to set up their garages. However, due to the delay, they will now have to cram the entire process into just a day and a half to get the operations and the cars ready for the practice sessions.
With FP1 set to begin on Friday morning, drivers including Lando Norris and Max Verstappen are gearing up for it. McLaren and Red Bull team members will be running a relentless race to provide the two championship contenders with their challengers. Sleepless nights are of the order for the crew of all four teams facing the setback.
“As things stand, those crew members who are sitting around hotel foyers and pools enjoying themselves, will no doubt be called upon to work tonight. Perhaps all the way through the night. Few hours [of] sleep. And back at the track on Thursday,” Illman said on his YouTube channel.
SHANGHAI FREIGHT DELAYS!
As a result of aircraft technical issues in Melbourne, a number of teams have not received freight for the Shanghai Grand Prix. Normally this would arrive on a Monday evening but as of now, teams have not received vital race freight with many not… pic.twitter.com/4s9PhYVGLG
— Kym Illman (@KymIllman) March 19, 2025
But that’s not all. There’s also the challenge of getting the equipment into the country — something China is notorious for. Illman believes further delays could add even more ‘drama’, with the possibility that teams might not receive their equipment until Thursday morning. That would leave them with just 24 hours to get everything set up.
Talking about the teams getting things rolling in time for FP1, which will also determine Verstappen and Norris’ participation, Illman added, “I think it will happen. I think it has to happen even if it means that everybody in those teams just works non-stop without any sleep.”
That, however, will present problems of its own.
Difficult nights ahead for teams at the Chinese GP
Assembling an F1 car is not a simple process. The chassis, the engine, and the gearbox — along with other components — all arrive in separate containers. And it takes quite a bit of time for the challenger to be assembled.
On top of that, there are other things that need to be set up in the garage. Illman suggested that Red Bull, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Mercedes crew would have to work overnight to ensure all of it is in place.
Illman, however, was worried that health and safety concerns could arise as “it [exhaustion] could lead to problems, lead to errors, and have dire consequences.”
The photographer also revealed that some teams are missing wheels — an essential component needed to start FP1 on time. The same goes for certain tools that engineers and mechanics presumably need.
All in all, with the freight arriving so late in the week, the crew of the affected teams are in for a few exhausting and chaotic nights ahead.
