At the rate we are going, it would not be surprising if Liberty Media adopted that crazy idea of ​​Bernie Ecclestone, the former boss of Formula 1, who even proposed artificially wetting the circuits while the race was underway, to try to increase the number of overtaking. “Why not cause rain for 20 minutes depending on what tests? The suspense would be guaranteed,” the British dared to comment. More than a decade has passed since that statement and, apparently, times are different in the championship. However, the promoters of the Chinese Grand Prix have decided to get on the bandwagon of Cantinflesca initiatives in the return of the Shanghai circuit to the calendar, after five years of absence.

In a burst of imagination, those responsible for the track decided to apply a layer of bitumen to darken it, a basically cosmetic measure that left everyone paddock offside. Basically, because the information that the teams had about the characteristics of the asphalt, that which they entered into the simulators, was of little use. The treatment was apparently carried out last year, with the intention of eliminating dust and improving the impermeability of the mixture. The different color tones that exist are the result of the tests that have been held since then, which have worn some areas more than others.

Normally, the teams receive a prior notification from the International Automobile Federation (FIA) with all relevant changes that may have been made to the circuits. In this case, the agency did not notify anything. Pirelli, the contest’s tire supplier, also found the gift upon arriving in Shanghai on Wednesday and carrying out their usual asphalt inspection. “They didn’t tell us anything either, so we were surprised on Wednesday, as soon as we arrived,” says Simone Berra, Pirelli engineer, in statements collected by Autosport. “It is evident that the surface is completely different from what it was before,” adds the technician, who made an effort to put the matter into perspective. “This has been done by the circuit managers. But it’s not the end of the world either, because the grip levels stabilized in the first free test, and the session could be completed,” continues the Italian.

The track, which will be completely repaved for next year, hosted the first sprint event of the year; a race whose tension increased as the laps passed, and which ended with the victory of Max Verstappen, and with a very colorful brawl between Carlos Sainz (he finished fifth) and Fernando Alonso, who was forced to abandon after a friction with the man from Madrid, which caused a puncture in the right front tire of his Aston Martin. As soon as he finished, Alonso reproached his compatriot for not leaving him room in an overtaking maneuver, during the heat of the battle they fought against each other. Sainz, for his part, described the Asturian’s defensive maneuver as soon as he was overcome as “somewhat optimistic.” “I attacked Fernando and managed to overtake him well. Then, I think he made a somewhat optimistic move to give it back to me, and that cost him and me the race, because it caused a lot of damage and I went backwards,” lamented the Ferrari driver, who also had trouble. with Charles Leclerc, his partner in the Scuderia, who finally overtook him and finished third. “Carlos is a very intelligent guy and after the race he will understand that he has been a little too aggressive, in the same way that I have sometimes been too,” agreed the Monegasque. After the testimonies from the parc ferme, the stewards sanctioned Alonso with a ten-second penalty, and with the loss of three points on his license.

The first round left many accounts pending that can be settled this Sunday, in the long race (09:00 hours, Dazn), in which Verstappen will start from the polethe man from Oviedo will be third and Sainz, seventh.

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