Confident Lando Norris eyes China success as first F1 sprint beckons

SHANGHAI – Early Formula One championship leader Lando Norris knows he will face a new series of challenges at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, including the first sprint race of the season.

Warm and dry weather is forecast for the March 22 sprint and the second grand prix of the year a day later on the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit, where long turns and heavy braking zones are notoriously punishing on tyres.

The conditions will be a marked contrast to the wet and wild season-opener on March 16 in Melbourne, a race run almost entirely on intermediate wet tyres and punctuated by long stints under the safety car.

McLaren’s Norris survived a late slither onto gravel, damaging his car’s floor, before holding off a charging Max Verstappen of Red Bull to take the chequered flag.

It is a fast turnaround to China, where teams will have just 60 minutes of practice on March 21 morning to fine-tune their set-ups before the afternoon’s sprint qualifying shoot-out. The 19-lap sprint race is on March 22 morning before grand prix qualifying later the same day. March 23 sees the main race over 56 laps.

Norris finished a distant second behind Verstappen when Formula One returned to China last April after a four-year absence due to Covid-19, but the Briton is now the man to beat.

“I’m confident that when we go to China we can be very strong because we were strong there last year with not a very good car,” he said after his Melbourne victory.

Verstappen’s success in Shanghai a year ago was his fourth in five races as he dominated the early season before going on to win his fourth world championship.

However, in Australia last weekend, he was easily dropped by the McLarens once Oscar Piastri passed him for second place. The Dutchman was at one stage 16 seconds adrift before a Piastri spin and a safety car gave him a late chance to pressure Norris.

“We only have a few days before we are in China so not sure how much we will be able to find and turn around,” said Verstappen, who is seeking a fifth consecutive world title, a feat previously achieved only by Michael Schumacher.

He also won the sprint in China last season, blasting past Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes.

Now with Ferrari, Hamilton’s debut for the Italian team saw the seven-time world champion berate a car that was “a lot worse” than he thought it would be as he came home 10th in Melbourne.

The Briton and his teammate Charles Leclerc were also compromised by being left out too long by the team on slicks when rain returned. Both know they are already playing catch-up.

“McLaren and Red Bull had serious pace. So there’s work to do, but we’ll dig deep. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car in China,” said Hamilton.

He has a record six victories in Shanghai – twice with McLaren in 2008 and 2011, and four times with Mercedes in 2014-15, 2017 and 2019.

Leclerc, meanwhile, conceded: “We are disappointed, but it’s good to know we’ll be back in the car in just a few days in China. It’s a continuous process of improvement.”

Mercedes won six times in China from 2012 to 2019 and had an encouraging start in Australia, where George Russell was third and Kimi Antonelli fourth on his debut. The Italian was by far the best of the six full-season rookies, with Haas’ Oliver Bearman the only other to finish.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar was distraught after crashing on the formation lap, while Alpine’s Jack Doohan hit the wall on the first lap. Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson of Red Bull retired after 45 and 46 of the scheduled 58 laps respectively.

Hometown hero Zhou Guanyu drew huge crowds in 2024 in Shanghai when he raced for Sauber, but he has since been dumped by the team. Fans will still be able to catch a glimpse of China’s only Formula One driver, but it will be off the track in his new role as Ferrari reserve.

The country showed the biggest percentage rise in fans following the sport’s post-Covid return to Shanghai, according to data released by Nielsen Sports on March 19, while Formula One added nearly 90 million new supporters in 2024.

Nielsen put Formula One’s global fandom at 826.5 million, 12 per cent more than in 2023, with a 39 per cent increase in fan following in China over the last 12 months.

The United States, a key growth market with three grands prix, showed a 10.5 per cent expansion. Canada (+31.5 per cent), Argentina and Saudi Arabia (both +25.5 per cent) were also strong. AFP, REUTERS