Bruno Famin, Team Principal: The last race in Japan underlined how big a challenge we have on our hands to improve our performance level. We must develop the performance of the car in order to fight for higher positions.

The level must be raised across all areas so we can get ourselves out of this difficult moment. While it was good to bring the first updates to the car in Suzuka, we must do more. The team has been working extremely hard and we have been able to bring an upgrade to one car this weekend, one race earlier than planned. Next up is the return to Shanghai this weekend for the first Sprint event of the season.

It has been five years since Formula 1 raced in China. That's a long time in Formula 1 and that will bring some unique challenges to all teams and drivers this weekend. The cars are completely different to the 2019-spec, so preparation has been different to normal. It's a good track with long straights, some very long corners, which, in the past, has brought high tyre degradation. Matched with the fact it is a Sprint event, we have less preparation and therefore it is crucial to be dialled in from the get-go. Both drivers were in Enstone last week on the simulator and putting the time in to be best ready for the challenge.

Esteban Ocon: The race in Japan was a tough one for the team. The car seemed more competitive in Qualifying, where we again managed to advance to Q2. However, that was only a small consolation given how the race eventually panned out. Ultimately, we lacked the pace to compete and, even without the performance loss, it would not have drastically changed the outcome of the race. The upgrades we brought to Suzuka were in line with our expectations, and I know the team is working extremely hard back at base to bring more performance to the car in the coming races.

This weekend feels a little bit like going to a new circuit, as it has been five years since Formula 1 last raced in China. I was on the simulator at Enstone last week, working hard with the engineers to prepare for the weekend, especially given it's a Sprint weekend with less track time for practice. It was nice to familiarise ourselves with the track and evaluate a variety of different set-up options. The track in Shanghai has an interesting mix of low, medium, and high-speed corners, as well as having a kilometre-long back straight. Therefore, there's naturally a compromise between downforce for corning, versus reducing drag in a straight line. Shanghai is a circuit that I like to drive, and it's a place I've had some good battles at in the past. It's nice to be going back to China, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Chinese fans again in the grandstands!

The race in Shanghai marks the start of two Sprint weekends in a row and the first of the 2024 season. We've seen in the past that Sprint weekends tend to provide different variables and open up new opportunities. The pattern in recent races has shown that we're more competitive in Qualifying over a single lap, therefore we need to assess how we can make the most of the revised Sprint format. Traditionally tyre degradation has been quite high in Shanghai, which leads to mixed strategies and some interesting battles in the latter stage of the race. So, as a team we need to carefully assess tyre strategy for each session, and make sure we put ourselves in the best possible position both for the Sprint and the Grand Prix.

Esteban has been waiting one year more than most of the drivers when it comes to racing at the Shanghai International Circuit, as his last appearance at this track was in 2018.

Pierre Gasly: Japan was a tough race for us where again we finished far from scoring points. We sustained damage to the car at the second restart, which set us back a bit and we lost performance as a result. Even so, we are not where we want to be - that was highlighted in Suzuka - and we have to keep pushing to make improvements. There are also positives we can take, though, having introduced our first upgrades to the car, which is a step in the right direction. We just need to continue those efforts across all areas of the car. The team is continuously working hard to bring updates to find more performance as we're not anywhere near where we want to be at this stage. I had a good couple of days at Enstone last week visiting the team and preparing in the simulator. I see so many motivated people and we will keep going together.

I'm looking forward to going back to China after five years away. The track is quite unique as it has long straights and some very long corners. There are many challenges and it will be interesting to see the conditions of the track given it's been so many years since Formula 1 has raced there. And it is a Sprint Weekend, the first of the year, and the first with a slightly new format, so we will be looking to maximise any opportunities, which present themselves. We have to be on it straight away right from the very first Practice session in order to boost our chances over the race weekend. Our main focus is to keep on pushing as hard as we can, stay focused and motivated to catch up to the rest of the field.

Pierre set Fastest Lap during the last Chinese Grand Prix back in 2019, which also marked the 1000th Grand Prix in Formula 1 history.