Drivers have expressed unease that the forthcoming Grand Prix at Shanghai will feature a Sprint.

The last time F1 raced at the circuit was in 2019 and drivers are concerned that following a four-year absence they will have just one hour of practice to prepare for the Sprint Shootout, with the Sprint taking place the following morning.

Adding to their fears is the fact that since the last race there the track has been resurfaced, and the lack of fresh data could cause teams to run their cars too low which could in turn lead to excessive plank wear and possible disqualification, as was the case with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at last year's United States Grand Prix.

"What we said in the drivers' briefing, we said to the FIA and Formula 1, with these kind of cars to go to a track with one hour of practice and straight into qualifying, with the regulations that they put us under, with the plank wear and things like this, and how tricky one bump could make the car, I think it's not a good choice to choose to hold a sprint after four or five years absence," said Carlos Sainz.

"We also heard there's been resurfacing going on, so Istanbul 2.0 maybe on the cards," he added, referring to the issues drivers faced when a resurfaced Istanbul Park was brought back to the schedule in 2020 as F1 sought to put a calendar together in the wake of COVID. "I hope not.

"It just shows the uncertainty," he continued. "Maybe for you guys at home it's exciting, but for engineers and drivers, it's something that for me, in my opinion, we shouldn't take the risk and have a normal weekend.

I think Shanghai as a race circuit is a great one," he insisted, admitting that he is only against a Sprint at the track because of the long gap since F1 last raced there. "I think it's one of our favourite ones for everyone, it's just a great racing track and a track that offers a good possibility to overtake, so a sprint makes sense to have it there."

"I just hope that there are no issues with the track, any drain holes, any issues like that," said Sergio Perez. "That will just put us out of sync.

"For the show, probably it's a good thing," he added. "But I think from the preparation side, it's going to be definitely one that is going to be really hard.

"I've never raced there, for example, with Red Bull so it's going to be quite a lot to do in a single practice."

"When you have been away from a track for quite a while, I think you never know what you're going to experience, right?" added teammate, Max Verstappen, who is no fan of the Sp[rint in the first place. "So it would have been better to have a normal race weekend there.

"On the other hand, it probably spices things up a bit more, and that's maybe what they would like to see. But purely from a driving perspective, the performance perspective of the sport, I think it's not the smartest thing to do.

"We'll see what we get there. I always loved driving there so hopefully we can hit the ground running as well as we can, and hopefully we don't need to fine-tune too many things on the car."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by West York, 13/04/2024 23:03

"@tom / @Burton - From SkySport:
"The new running order will still see cars go into parc ferme when the first competitive session - Friday's Sprint Qualifying - begins, but they will then be released from the restrictions after Saturday's Sprint.

Teams will have the chance to use the knowledge they've gained to alter setups ahead of full Qualifying, at the start of which they will once more be locked in for Sunday's race.""

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2. Posted by Sam 66, 13/04/2024 17:49

"For goodness sake, it's a race track - not the pot holes us every day commuters have to deal with in the UK. If the "pinnacle of motorsport" can't handle a track just because they haven't raced there for four years and it's been re-surfaced, to smooth out the bumps, sums up today's F1. It's not just Liberty, the drivers are getting brain washed into the excuses as well. "

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3. Posted by kenji, 12/04/2024 1:27

"For the majority of posters who are sprint opposers....Would you rather see an event discarded because some teams run their plank a few millimetres lower than others? Teams must, as always, take conditions such as those dubiously proposed, and choose their own solutions...relatively speaking. My suggestions are for the 'Sprint Unconvinced' to broaden their respective outlooks and embrace the six additional races we are getting sensibly interspersed over the length of the season. Some additional fun and a worthwhile reduction of boring FP! By comparison it's a no brainer. IMO."

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4. Posted by Burton, 11/04/2024 18:12

"@Tom2681 You're right, my bad for assuming the WMSC meeting of late February had rubber-stamped parc fermé modifications. I guess the teams didn't get what they wanted..."

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5. Posted by Tom2681, 11/04/2024 17:23

"@Burton: don't Parc Fermé rules kick in after FP1? Can they still raise the plank after that?"

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6. Posted by Burton, 11/04/2024 11:55

"Eh, they still have 3 sessions...FP1, Sprint Qualifying (FP2) and Sprint Race (FP3)."

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7. Posted by kenji, 10/04/2024 22:51

"Looking forward to the first sprint race of the year. Nineteen laps, no tyre changes , minimum fuel, just racing. At this early stage of the year teams will be trying to collect as many points as possible so should be competitive.Look upon it as a prelude to the main act on Sunday. A plate of oysters prior to the 'filet mignon'. "

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8. Posted by Endre, 10/04/2024 18:01

"Now that Liberty owns MotoGP, perhaps next year we can see sprint events where MotoGP bikes race against F1 cars on tracks where neither of them have ever been. Imagine that show! I am sure that Liberty will not disappoint us with their ideas."

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9. Posted by ffracer, 10/04/2024 15:41

"Valid points regarding plank wear. Teams will keep eyes on the planks more than ever. Speaking of excessive wear, wonder if James Vowles will start both Williams cars from the pitlane ..."

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10. Posted by Spindoctor, 10/04/2024 15:03

"@KKK Quite agree, but think of the extra excitement when there's lots of penalties, appeals & DTS aggro & maybe a couple of juicy crashes...."

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11. Posted by KKK, 10/04/2024 12:13

"Why bother with a pointless "sprint". Just get rid of it, Media Liberty only have it to produce more income. Its not F1"

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Drivers admit concern at Shanghai Sprint

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