P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Behind the Red Bull front row, the Chinese Grand Prix grid order is slightly unusual. Mark Hughes explains why
“During the Chinese Grand Prix, the grid order was untypically shuffled with Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin placing third ahead of the Ferraris in sixth and seventh. Mercedes had a disastrous day, with George Russell starting eighth and Lewis Hamilton way back in 18th position. The unusual grid order can be attributed to a distinct driver of performance emerging over the first two days on the Shanghai track after a five-year break. The track conditions have led to a rear-limited setup, causing cars to handle differently than in typical race weekends where rear thermal degradation is a key factor. The balance shift due to rear tire stress has impacted the performance of teams like Red Bull and Ferrari, while benefiting others like McLaren and Aston Martin. The sprint race results indicated that teams with under-temperature tires in qualifying excelled during the race, showcasing the importance of tire management in changing conditions.”
