Circuit atmosphere - an aerial view of the circuit. 20.04.2024. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai, China, Sprint and Qualifying Day. - www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: XPB Images
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit marks the first of six sprint weekends in the Formula 1 season. The weekend’s schedule includes a single practice session, followed by sprint qualifying on Friday, the sprint race and traditional qualifying on Saturday, and the main Grand Prix on Sunday.
Practice Session:
In the sole practice session held on Friday morning, McLaren’s Lando Norris set the fastest lap with a time of 1:31.504 on soft tyres. He was followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, trailing by 0.454 seconds, and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in third. The session experienced a brief red flag due to Alpine’s rookie driver Jack Doohan losing power on track.
Sprint Qualifying:
Sprint qualifying is scheduled for Friday at 15:30 local time (07:30 GMT). This session will determine the starting grid for the sprint race on Saturday.
Sprint Race:
The sprint race will take place on Saturday at 11:00 local time (03:00 GMT), covering 19 laps of the circuit. Points earned in the sprint race will contribute to both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Traditional Qualifying:
Following the sprint race, the traditional qualifying session is set for Saturday at 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT). This session will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s main Grand Prix.
Main Race:
The main Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday at 15:00 local time (07:00 GMT), consisting of 56 laps around the Shanghai International Circuit.
Notably, this weekend’s sprint format presents a unique challenge, offering drivers only one practice session to fine-tune their setups before competitive sessions commence. This condensed schedule emphasizes the importance of maximizing track time and data collection during the limited practice period.
As the weekend unfolds, teams and drivers will need to adapt quickly to the circuit conditions and optimize their strategies to capitalize on the sprint format’s opportunities.
