ThePitcrewOnline

8th April 20173rd July 2017

Mackenzie On Fire In Supersport Opener

Photo courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Media.

Tarran Mackenzie kick-started his 2017 British Supersport campaign with a win in Sunday’s race, in a thrilling race-long battle with Alistair Seeley, Ben Currie, Andy Irwin, David Allingham and replacement rider, Keith Farmer.

The McAms Yamaha rider was in the 4th and 5th for the majority of the race, as the Gearlink Kawasaki pairing of Ben Currie and Andy Irwin did battle with the Team Spirit Moto2 bike of Alistair Seeley, as the three swapped places numerous time each lap.

David Allingham battled with EHA Yamaha teammate Ross Twyman until he broke clear and bridged the gap to the leading group. Jack Kennedy on the MV Agusta also came through the pack and joined the crew at the head of the field.

On the penultimate lap, all hell broke loose as Seeley and Irwin went side by side through the Old Hairpin and Starky’s before Tarran Mackenzie took both of them into McClean’s. Into the Melbourne Loop, Irwin nearly knocked Mackenzie off as he went for the inside, whilst former Superstock 1000 champion Keith Farmer barged his way through past Seeley.

On the final lap, Tarran Mackenzie capitalised on the shenanigans between the Gearlink riders and broke clear by over a second to secure victory on the last lap, ahead of Seeley and Irwin, although Seeley didn’t score any points. Currie held off Allingham and Kennedy whilst the aggressiveness and flamboyancy of Keith Farmer only managed to get him 7th on the road. Ross Twyman, Joe Francis and newcomer Keenan Armstrong rounded out the top 10.

A scintillating race in the Supersport class made up for the disappointment and sadness of Saturday, following the cancellation of their sprint race due to the untimely death of Ducati Tri Options cup rider, Mick Whalley. The sun-soaked crowd got a treat as Supersport provided some seriously entertaining racing.

The action and drama continues in a fortnights time at Brands Hatch Indy where you can expect a fast and furious pace as the riders tackle what is one of the most physically demanding tracks on the calendar. Will Tarran Mackenzie repeat his efforts of round one and take victory or will the opposition fight back to restrict him an early lead in his bid to retain his Supersport crown? Only time will tell.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

8th April 20173rd July 2017

Hickman Hopeful of ‘Strong’ Year Ahead

Road Racing specialist and BSB race winner Peter Hickman is hoping for strong season ahead after a good start to the year at Donington Park. I caught up with him briefly in the paddock as he joins his third team in as many seasons, with Smith’s BMW.

How have you fitted in so far with your new team?

I’ve moved to the Smith’s BMW Racing Team and everything’s going alright so far. Testing went really well, although testing is one thing and racing is another. The first day on track in England with everyone else and hopefully we can have a strong year.

Does riding the BMW in 2015 give you an advantage?

Actually, it’s completely different to be fair. The bike is meant to be the same but everyone has a different idea of how they want to build it. Each bike you ride, although the manufacturer might be the same, it’s actually very different. We’re running Ohlins suspension which no one has run on a BMW in the UK. It is very different but I am happy with it all so far and we will just have to wait and see.

What is the plan with you regarding road racing in 2017?

I will be doing the roads with this team, all of them too. We will be riding the Triumph in the Supersport category and the Smith’s BMW in the Superbikes class, which I’m really looking forward to.

Can we expect to see you in the Showdown?

Haha! Well that is definitely the plan and that’s what we are gunning for. The championship gets stronger every year; we say that year on year but it just seems to be the case with the new additions. I think we will be in for good year this year.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

8th April 20173rd July 2017

Halsall: I wasn’t enjoying BSB

Martin Halsall left the BSB class last season but is more than up for success on the roads and in British Supersport, with William Dunlop and Joe Farncis respectively. Again, a thoroughly entertaining interview with an owner who is without doubt one of the friendlies and most accessible in the paddock.

Well it was a bit of a long way around really, to come back to where we started. Obviously, we decided not to do BSB, which was fine in 2016. We built an R6 anyway, for William (Dunlop) doing the roads. So, we ended up with the bike being surplus to requirements. We’d made the decision to come away from Superbikes, enter Supersport with a bike, which was, like I say, surplus to requirements. Joe (Francis) used to work with one of our mechanics last year with TTC Yamaha. I’ve had my eye on Joe for 2 or 3 years as I know Roger Marshall. We chatted about Joe moving forwards and the conversation came up of running him in Supersport. The fact that we had a bike ready to go made perfect sense to do it here. We’re back in the paddock and the main reason I got into bike racing was to help young riders in Supersport and to enjoy it. We’ve chosen to go back to where we started; it’s a good move and this year I expect to be getting podiums and maybe a challenge at the championship. Joe is an extremely talented rider.

Did you offer Tommy Bridewell a ride in the Supersport class?

No. Obviously, from finishing in BSB, we had to let Tommy go. We had numerous conversations out of season about us doing something and we made the decision not to. The communication as far as Tommy riding our bike finished there really. We’re still in contact with him which is good, as it wasn’t a fall out.

Do you regret not holding out a bit longer for the new Suzuki having seen how competitive it is?

No. No, definitely not. The reason I came into BSB was to enjoy it and I was getting to a point in BSB where I wasn’t enjoying it. Last year, we were promised the bike on three occasions and we knew when the bike came, that it would be a good one. We’re not saying that potentially in the future, we wouldn’t run a Suzuki because if they’re a competitive bike then I’m keen to put riders on competitive bikes. As a privateer team, that’s what that gives you – the opportunity to be competitive against the factories. With the Suzuki last year, we put a lot of work and a lot of effort into 2015 and 2016 but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. We had good seasons and Tommy did well to get two podiums last year but I don’t regret waiting. I’m happy with where we are and let someone else have a stab with it.

Are you already planning on heading back into the BSB class, when you say, “in the future”?

The thing that I needed to do was get out of it, regroup and start fresh again. Fortunately, now we are in a good position in Supersport with Joe and I can see us doing something Superbike wise in the future, we’re just not sure when.

Yamaha are one of a few manufacturers producing new Supersport bikes but you’ve opted to stay with the old Yamaha 600cc machine. Why is that?

The reason for that is because Joe was consistent last year on the R6. He rode it very well last season. We know there’s a new R6 but we aren’t going to change, we are going to stick to what we’ve got. We know it’s strong enough. Whilst other teams may opt for a new bike and try and find their feet there, they’re taking a big risk. You could hit the ground running and be lucky or you could have a bike that’s difficult and be unlucky.

Who are your sponsors?

Movuno.com are an online estate agents. The way I see it is that estate agents are predominantly online anyway with Right Move and Zoopla. They offer the same package as a high-street estate agent but with a fixed price of £599 instead of paying a percentage fee on the price of your house when selling it. They’re fabulous to work with.

How is Joe to work with?

A complete idiot (Joe just came into the truck). No, he’s brilliant! Even over the weekend, he’s acknowledged that whilst being faster in sectors one and two, he has been a bit slack in sector four. This morning, he went fastest in sector four and that shows me something within a rider that he has the ability to adapt. He has the brains to focus on where he’s not so strong. He thinks ‘I won’t focus on one or two because I’ve done that, but I’ll focus on the sectors I’m not perhaps as good at’. So, if you look at that moving forward, then you’re there or there abouts. So yes, it’s all good.

At what point did you know that BSB wasn’t happening in 2017.

There’s obviously a high level of investment needed for a Superbike team. Bennetts had pretty much chosen that they were going to go and talk with Hawk Racing to follow the Suzuki brand. So, it left us without sponsors. I’m quite happy to fund some of the gap but I’m not prepared to fund all of the gap. We did have conversations with Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell but to put a structure together and be competitive at that level, I wasn’t prepared to fund it all myself.

Do you therefore feel let down by Bennetts?

No, not really – business is business at the end of the day. They’ll go with whatever brand they want to. The way I run a team I would hope is very professional, well presented and we do things properly. We’ve always built good bikes. There’s not a lot more we can do on our side.

Can you win the Supersport championship and be successful on the roads this season?

Yes, we can. I think that there’s a main combination to win championships. The rider has to be right, the bike has to be right and the team have to be right with the right structure and I do think we have that. Joe is an extremely talented rider who will go a long, long way. From what I’ve already seen, he has an amazing attitude towards racing and an amazing attitude to growing within racing. The rider is the right rider. The bike is competitive and proven. The team is a great team and we all work very hard. Within all that as well, you put all that effort in and hopefully get a little bit of luck too. I think the roads will be a little bit different. It’s the same combination as on the short circuits. William is an extremely talented rider, whether he will be there winning at the TT, I’m not so sure. That’s not me not having belief in my rider – I do have belief in my rider but I’m also realistic. I know who else is out there in the competition. My choice with William was ‘potentially he isn’t going to win it but he’s a great brand to have on board’ and that’s the choice we made.

Do you miss Tommy Bridewell?

We miss Tommy massively. He’s a very close personal friend and he’s been up to the house and spent the day with us, with his wife Stacey. We are extremely close to Tommy and Movuno are still sponsoring him personally. He is an extremely talented rider. Last season, we were on an old bike and he proved what he could do. Back to the three combinations, the thing that was missing was the bike because it was an old bike. No problems with the team or the rider, the problem primarily was the bike. If Tommy has the full package then I think he could really show what Tommy Bridewell is made of.

Did you have an idea about coming down to Supersport with two riders?

Originally, it was only going to be the Road Racing with William but through circumstances with the R6, we had a conversation with Joe. I didn’t think to do Supersport, it was just we had a bike that was surplus to requirements and that we may as well give Joe a chance. There was a chance to look at putting William on the short circuits but we haven’t followed that up and he will be remaining on the roads.

Photo credit to Gareth Davies of Full Factory Media.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

7th April 20173rd July 2017

Gladwin: Everyday is a School Day

On Friday afternoon, I caught up with Sheffield’s finest Brent Gladwin, the owner of GR Motorsport Team WD40 in the British Superbike paddock. We discuss the team, their choice of rider in 2017 and also their future.

Regarding the Superbike class, you’ve been quite unlucky. Why is that and can it change in 2017?

With the Superbike, it’s just a big learning curve. Every day is a school day. We’ve tried hard in the past to develop young riders and that hasn’t worked. We’ve taken riders from other classes and that hasn’t worked. So, we decided for 2017 we would add Moto3 and Superstock 1000 to Superbike trying to bring riders on that way. In Moto3 we have started a new project with Reynolds Engineering of Milton Keynes to manufacture a chassis for that class which is quite exciting and have 16-year-old Liam Delves riding that. In the National Superstock 1000, we have Mason Law on the all new Kawasaki ZX10RR. In Superbike, as everyone knows, we’ve gone for Tommy Bridewell because for the last five years, he has been in the top 10 in the championship and three times in the showdown. We know we have a great crew and we know we have a great bike we needed to add the right rider and then sometimes, you just need a little bit of luck on your side.

How have you found the adaptation to the new Kawasaki easy or more difficult?

I think that any new motorcycle is a learning curve but the ZX10-RR is just an evolution of the one before. It’s got some fantastic new systems to it that we must learn, like the flyby wire. People have been playing with this system everywhere on all the new bikes and it’s not easy with the MOTEC we all have to use in BSB. The guys we have on electronics help, but it is still learning and it’s also about rider feel. Tommy hasn’t used flyby wire before so he’s having to understand the difference between cable and electronics. Leon (Haslam) had the same issue last year, and Rea and Sykes had the same problems. It’s our first round and we can only do what we can do on a day-by-day basis.

How has as reducing the team down to one rider affected you?

Everything is about sponsorship. As a team, we deliver fantastic advertising value and reach out across social media. However, things affect you – such as Brexit. What we’ve decided to do is focus, and with Tommy, we’ve found something that is a good way of focussing. We decided to go for three classes. I think that focussing on one is not a bad thing, as we focussed on Tarran last season and won the British Supersport championship; we focussed on Joe Francis and won the title in the past and on Karl Harris in the European Stock 1000 series where we also won the championship. So, with Tommy, we like what we have and we like the team and hopefully, by the end of a long season, we will be in the showdown and see what we can do.

How come you have pulled out of the British Supersport category after Tarran won it for the team last season?

It’s a purely commercial decision really for us and the rest of the world. The 600cc is finishing, they don’t sell road bikes anymore, for example if you want a brand new ZX6R then there are non-available. We won the title for Kawasaki for the first time in 26 years so our decision was to come out of that class early and go back to the 1000s. Also, with the manufacturers in the 1000s bringing out new models, the class becomes a win on Sunday, sell on Monday class again, making it more important for the manufacturers.

Do you think Tommy’s experience will see you nearer the top of the time sheets?

I think that Tommy is absolutely not a one trick pony. Some riders are, because for example, if it’s not a Yamaha, then they can’t win. With Tommy, he’s rode five bikes in five seasons, with the Honda, BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha and now he’s back to Kawasaki and each time he’s been successful. For me, if you have a rider with an open-minded approach like his, then you can try something different. I believe that last year, having spoken to his team, Tommy doesn’t give up. He didn’t give up on the Suzuki when other riders wouldn’t ride it. Far too many other riders want to cry in the caravan about all sorts of things. That’s not Tommy he wants to do his best always.

Do you see yourself going into Road Racing?

I personally have a great history of road racing. For me, going racing on the roads is a personal challenge for the rider. It’s your choice. I like the organisers of the Isle of Man TT and the NW200 but right now it isn’t for us. We want to concentrate on this side of things. Adding the Roads to BSB makes for an incredibly busy season and there’s enough of a work load on for us right now. After three rounds, we will evaluate where we are and whether we can go and watch the boys at the TT – which is a great holiday – or if we need to work through that period in preparation for round four. It has benefitted us in the past.

Does Assen cost you more and is it an inconvenience financially?

Not really, but the issue is the cost of travel and the time needed with a couple of days extra each side of the meeting. For a lot of the guys in the paddock, who take time off work, it’s the added time off-work that puts the pressure on the teams. The ferry is good and a lot of fun goes on but it’s a round trip of 1000 miles so it is longer than Knockhill, I sometimes question these things but after a think about it, with races at Knockhill, Thruxton which have rubbish facilities etc., we may as well go to Assen. Having said that, there are some great positives: – The British sports fans and BSB aficionados are some of the best in the world and those guys will get on their bikes or in their cars or take a plane and come and watch us at Assen! MSV have bought a circuit in France. Are we going to be going to Europe more often in the BSB series, difficult to call – we’ve had Brexit. Do we need to add costs to go to these tracks? No, we don’t however, a bit of spice never hurts anyone.

Would you like to see a return to BSB of some of the older circuits, e.g. Croft or Mallory Park?

I like those circuits. The trouble is they don’t have the infrastructure or safety any more. They can’t cope with the size of BSB Paddock and most importantly, if a rider falls and is seriously hurt, are you going to be happy? The thrills of motorcycle sport are very important – When a rider crashes we all want to see them get back up and not with an ambulance parked next to him. I know Mallory are doing a good job, trying to bring it into the 21st century but it still won’t be able to cater for the whole BSB paddock. It is a huge paddock. I don’t know how it would work at all. You can’t just take one or two classes. If you get rid of the support classes for a round, who is going to turn up and just watch a couple of races?

Will you be in the showdown with Tommy this year?

I really hope so! Getting in the showdown would be great for our sponsors, however big or small; they will all get fantastic value from his successes. Nobody is shy of success and I am expecting to pay Tommy quite a lot in bonusses and one of them is for him to get in the showdown.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

7th April 20173rd July 2017

Chinese Grand Prix: Long straights in a long season

Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China.
Friday 07 April 2017.
World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _ONZ3441

So Lewis Hamilton wasn’t wrong! Ferrari didn’t bluff in testing days. In fact, in the opening round of 2017 F1 season, Sebastian Vettel and his Italian team won the race, showing the great level they reached, not only in terms of speed and reliability but in team strategy too. Yes, because their victory was helped by a well-timed pit call—and maybe also by Mercedes making the strategy mistake this time..

Anyway, we are now sure that we can have a two-team battle this year. With that, we are heading to Shanghai, China—a circuit where the engine will make the difference on the very long straights, but where aerodynamics too will play a key role in the many different corners.

For all teams China is a very challenging race, with the different demands of the straights and corners making it difficult to find the right setup balance. It’s as if they really need two cars, one developed for the long main straight, the other for the tight turns of sector one.

Mercedes will face the weekend with a big hunger for revenge and I think they have every advantage to overturn the first race result. The best engine, the

best chassis (maybe…) and a very good couple of drivers. Besides Lewis Hamilton, we saw Bottas already a perfect fit within the team, including into the number two role.

The same can be said for Ferrari, but I think it will be harder this time to beat Silver (and Green) Arrows. For this circuit I think we will see the little gap they still have…but it’s very, very little, believe me.

And what about behind them? Pay attention to the Mercedes-powered teams, Williams and Force India. With the right set up I really think they can reach interesting positions, battling for fourth place.

But all could still be strongly mixed up by the weather. Rain is expected for Friday, but not for Saturday so we should have an unsurprising qualifying. But the rain will return on race day, so we could see all the car(d)s mixed on the table and the drivers could really make the difference. So, how much will we miss Jenson Button in our first wet race of the season? It really will be a different F1 without him.

But my greatest fear is another one, and its name is: McLaren-Honda. I really hope for them, and for their glorious name, that they found some more speed for that long China straight—otherwise their Chinese Grand Prix, and the rest of their season, will seem even longer…

Massimo Trapanese, F1 correspondent

7th April 20173rd July 2017

Red Bull hoping to bounce back in China

Red Bull will be looking for a better performance in Shanghai after a disappointing result at the Australian Grand Prix.

Home favourite Daniel Ricciardo struggled in qualifying as he started in tenth position on the grid due to crashing his car in third practice.

Things didn’t get much better for the 27-year-old as his car stopped on the way to the grid, and although Ricciardo was able to eventually start the race, after just thirty laps his RB13 stopped on track and brought his day to a close.

Ricciardo started on the front row in China last year, and hoping for a good showing this time around he said: “When I first went [to Shanghai] it wasn’t one of my favourites and I wasn’t normally that competitive but since I’ve been with Red Bull Racing the circuit has been a real strength of mine and I’ve had some good results. Now I enjoy the circuit and going back there.”

Max Verstappen in 2016 finished the race in eighth position for Toro Rosso prior to his move to Red Bull: “I always enjoy to go back to China as it’s a special place and it’s a very nice track.

“I’m just looking forward to going there at this early stage of the season as everything is still very new and nothing has really been decided yet.”

Dominic Rust, F1 correspondent

6th April 20173rd July 2017

Haas F1 focused on balance in Shanghai

Haas F1 will head to Shanghai International Circuit for Round 2 of the 2017 F1 Season. Built in 2004 the 5.451 kilometer circuit is shaped like the Chinese character Shang, meaning “above” or “ascend”, and is recognizable by its two massive media towers overlooking the pit straight with connecting bridges from the giant grandstands to the pit side. Pirelli will offer P Zero White mediums, Yellow softs and Red supersofts for the unique Shanghai circuit, two of which must be used. Turns 1-4 and 11-13 are extremely slow spiral sections with the cars going down as low as 2nd gear, while the back straight of the circuit is the longest in Formula 1 at 1.4-kilometers (0.869 of a mile) with cars reaching speeds over 320kph (200 mph) before a turn 14 hairpin.

With such contrasting elements, the team will need to focus on a balanced downforce setup for the very low and high downforce situations the car will encounter. The long back straight will present the first opportunity of the season for a true battle between the new Ferrari power of the Haas VF17 against the Mercedes powered Force India and Williams which are known straight-line speed in previous years.

Guenther Steiner made news earlier last week with his comments on the new Ferrari power unit:

“With the engine, there is not just one area that is better, it’s the whole package that has improved from last year. It’s now as competitive as a Mercedes engine, if not better. Ferrari won in Australia, but everybody is developing and trying to get better. It’s always going to be a development race. They’ve made a good step, and without that help from Ferrari, we wouldn’t be where we are.”

If Haas are able to not lose time from this straight it’s an indication the VF17 has made a significant step forward from its predecessor, something the team feels it was unable to prove it has done after a team best sixth in qualifying and seventh-place running in Australia that ended in DNFs for both cars.

Romain Grosjean has five career F1 starts in Shanghai, finishing three times in the points with a best sixth-place result in 2012, while Kevin Magnussen has two starts with a top finish of 13th in 2014. Going into China, both drivers feel confident:

“I felt comfortable all weekend long in the car,” Grosjean said. “Qualifying was, of course, a good moment with the new tires and the new cars running on full power with an empty tank, everyone just going for it. It was pretty exciting in that aspect. I was very pleased with how the car was. Even on high fuel in the race the car felt good.

“It’s a shame we did not finish the race, but things are good and we keep our fingers crossed that she’ll be as good in China as she was in Australia.”

Despite his admittedly poor weekend Magnussen also felt positive about the car:

“The car was there, it was performing, it was just on my side I had a bit of a tough weekend. I didn’t get enough track time and there were too many issues with reliability that meant I didn’t have a good weekend. It’s positive, though, that the car is competitive.”

Balance and precise setup will be the key this weekend for Haas in Shanghai as they look to challenge the top of the midfield.

Jeremiah Doctson

6th April 20173rd July 2017

Mir Heads the Pack as Moto3 Hits Argentina

All eyes are on Leopard Racing’s Joan Mir, as the Moto3 World Championship heads to Argentina, following his victory last time out at in Qatar.

The Mallorcan rider arrives at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit this weekend leading the championship, and knows he is now the marked man of the field. This round should suit both the bike and his riding style, as the layout of the track encourages the last of the late breakers and rewards bikes with top straight line speed. Mir has only competed once before at the Argentinian venue, securing fifth position during last year’s race. Following his success from the opening round, he can be expected to feature in the fight for top honours on Sunday.

Behind him, British Talent Team’s John McPhee will be determined to go one better than his second place finish, a fortnight ago. Nobody then was expecting great things from the new team, even those who had helped bankroll the outfit were talking about success only coming later in the season. That has now all changed, and the 22-year old will now have to deal with the expectation of consistently challenging for victory. The young Scot is undoubtedly a serious talent in the making and, with such a competitive machine underneath him, has the tools to take the fight to the front on a regular basis.

However, dare to write off the rest of the Moto3 field at your peril. The more experienced Moto3 contenders such as Enea Bastianini (Estrella-Galicia Honda), Nicolo Bulega (TeamSky-VR46 KTM) and Romano Fenati (Marinelli-Honda) will all be gunning to reclaim the top step of the podium what all three believe is rightfully theirs. The latter of these will be most desperate to return to winning ways, having not claimed the chequered flag since last season’s Grand Prix of America. With ‘race rustiness’ of the first race of the season now behind them, expect this Roman triumvirate to put on a strong showing this weekend.

Finally, we must not forget Gabriel Rodrigo who is the sole Argentinian to line up on the grid – provided he is passed fit to race. The 20-year old broke his collarbone during FP1 a fortnight ago at the Losail International circuit. It has been a difficult introduction to the ‘cadet class’ for Rodrigo, having only been able to amass a lowly 31 points from last season’s championship. Still, there’s nothing like a race in front of a home crowd to inspire one onto greater things.

The Moto3 Grand-Prix of Argentina is on Sunday 9th April, 1300 local time (1700 UK time)

Eddie Hocknull @EddieHocknull

6th April 20173rd July 2017

Melbourne a flash in the pan if Ferrari don’t back up victory

Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Sunday 26 March 2017.
World Copyright: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _W6I4899 via Pirelli Sport

Victory at the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari set the cat amongst the pigeons for the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend and beyond.

After overtaking Lewis Hamilton’s previously dominant Mercedes he stretched the legs of his Prancing Horse to win by 10 seconds at a canter, with Kimi Raikkonen in fourth.

However, that certainly doesn’t mean they are now the new favourites for the World Championship. Far from it.

Now is not the time to be talking about a title challenge, and after talking themselves up only to flatter to deceive in previous years, Ferrari know it.

Their win in Melbourne merely announced to the world that the tumultuous year of 2016, where nobody looked happy, was well and truly behind them.

The next two races in China and Bahrain will go a long way into showing the watching world just where the field are in comparison to the scarlet Scuderia.

Should Vettel once again find himself stuck behind a Mercedes he will certainly have a better chance of passing it, with China home to Formula One’s longest straight.

Critics were already writing the obituaries of Formula One’s new technical era after a race at Albert Park that saw little overtaking on a circuit where it is difficult to do so.

Since the first race in 2004, Ferrari have four victories at the Shanghai International courtesy of Rubens Barrichello, Michael Schumacher, Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. Vettel also has a solitary win in Shanghai.

With Vettel atop the podium in Australia and Raikkonen behind Mercedes debutant Valtteri Bottas in Australia, China will give us further answers to the questions asked after Melbourne.

Jack Prentice @JPrentice8

5th April 20173rd July 2017

Chinese Grand Prix, Can Mercedes Catch the Red Dragon?

SHANGHAI (CINA) – 17/04/2016
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO PER PIRELLI MEDIA (© COPYRIGHT FREE)Chinese Grand Prix 07-09 April

After a thrilling season premiere in Australia, where Scuderia Ferrari won after almost two years, Formula One travels to China for the second race of the season and now the pressure is on Mercedes, which must show if they have an answer to Ferrari’s performance.

The Italians followed a smart strategy which gave the opportunity to Vettel to take the lead of the race after Hamilton’s pit-stop. Mercedes were not able to follow Ferrari’s pace and Sebastian Vettel secured his first victory with Ferrari since Singapore 2015.

Shanghai International Circuit opened its gates to the Formula One fans in 2004, Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl designed the 5.4 km track, and the layout of the circuit was inspired by the Chinese character ‘Shang’.

China hosts one of the most demanding races on the calendar, it has high-speed straights, whilst the acceleration and deceleration effect the tyre behaviour and reduce the degradation of the tyres.

Shanghai International Circuit

Laps: 56

Circuit Length: 5.451 km

Race Distance: 305.066 km

Lap Record: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher – 2004)

Tyre Compounds: Supersoft (Red), Soft (Yellow), Medium (White)

Last year’s world champion was the winner of the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix, followed by the German Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat who finished on the podium with his Red Bull.

Ferrari’s last victory in China was in 2013, while the last time, which the team started from the pole was in 2004. From the other side, Mercedes dominates in Shanghai for the last couple of years.

“In Shanghai last year everyone had their eye on the tyres as wear is typically high there and we often saw graining, but it’ll be interesting to see how the new compounds perform on this type of track. The weather is often unpredictable and temperatures can change a lot over the weekend, so it’s something all the teams have to manage with the balance and set-up of the car. Shanghai is a really quirky track – Turn 1 is actually my favourite corner on the whole calendar – and it provides a good test for the driver with a high average speed compared to the street circuit of Melbourne. I’m looking forward to seeing what the new cars are capable of there, and I hope we can at least have a trouble-free race and see where we are when the chequered flag falls.” Fernando Alonso said.

McLaren is expecting a tough weekend as the circuit does not fit to their car set-up.

“We expect the Chinese Grand Prix to be even more challenging (than Australia). The track itself also places a lot of stress on the power unit with its slow- and medium-speed corners, and two very long straights. The key will be preparation and set-up.” Yusuke Hasegawa told.

Pascal Wehrlein will be replaced by the rookie Giovinazzi for the second consecutive race, as Pascal is still recovering from his crash in the Race of Champions. Wehrlein is hoping to fully recover before the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Don’t miss PitCrew’s live race coverage, which will start 30 minutes before the race.

Victor Archakis – @FP_Passion