Horner doesn’t predict a straight weekend in China: ‘That will be a challenge’

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner expects that Ferrari will also be the closest competitor in China. Horner saw that the Scuderia was very competitive in Australia and Japan also had good race pace, which could lead to a battle in China. Getting back on track in Shanghai will certainly be a challenge.

Red Bull have won three of the four races so far, but Ferrari suffered a blow in Australia when Max Verstappen retired due to a problem with his brake caliper. However, the Dutchman still left Melbourne as the leader in the championship and managed to extend his lead again in Suzuka. Ferrari has also been on the podium in every race so far. The next race weekend will be held in China. Formula 1 returns to the Shanghai International Circuit after five years, with racing on the programme. “We saw that Ferrari was very competitive at Albert Park, and also in Japan,” Horner said international media.

“We expect that he will probably be our closest competitor in China,” Brit continues. ‘It’s a beautiful song. The first corner seems to take a long time, and with the next fast corner section, it’s always very hard on the left front tire,” Horner says. It’s also the first time that Formula 1 has run on the Chinese circuit with standard cars. 2022. In addition, Shanghai has been revived and a sprint race is also being organized. ‘The first race of the year there, that is a challenge. There are many points to be gained, so it will be interesting.

The text continues below the image.

Drivers are not very happy with sprint races in China

However, the drivers are not very enthusiastic about the first race of the year. For example, Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez said after the Japanese Grand Prix that they did not think it was wise that Formula 1 had scheduled the first weekend of the race in China. It will be difficult to set up the car properly, although from this year there will be two sessions at Parc Fermé, which should prevent cases like last year’s United States Grand Prix.

Then Mercedes and Ferrari could no longer do anything to the car before the race, causing the underbody to wear so badly that two drivers were disqualified. We will find out how the first sprint weekend of 2024 goes on the weekend of April 19-21. Anyone who wants to follow all the sessions will have to get out of bed early, just like in Japan, as the sprint starts at 5:00 am Dutch time.

Would you like to discuss? Click here to register!