Red Bull’s aspirations for pole position in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race were dashed after a disappointing conclusion to sprint qualifying.
Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s advisor, disclosed that Max Verstappen encountered an unexpected issue during sprint qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix. He noted that Verstappen’s car experienced a peculiar situation where it nearly lost temperature.
While it’s common for tires to lose temperature on a wet and cold track surface, such as the conditions at the Shanghai International Circuit, experiencing a loss of car temperature is considerably unusual.
The onset of rain in the final moments of SQ2 led to the fitting of intermediate tires in SQ3, making it crucial to achieve the optimal temperature range for the tires.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez both struggled in the challenging conditions, leading to their respective fourth and sixth place qualifications for Saturday’s sprint race. While Perez’s difficulties were attributed to errors during SQ3, Verstappen faced a more daunting challenge, as elaborated by Marko.
Marko emphasized the importance of achieving the correct tire temperature, stating, “The crucial thing was that you get the temp in the tires,” during an interview with Servus TV.
“Best example, Hamilton, at first he slipped around hopelessly, then changed tyres, probably with higher air pressure, suddenly competitive. We had almost identical air pressures in both cars.
“Nevertheless, Checo improved with every second, he was also competitive, could have been at the front without slipping up. But Max just didn’t get any temp, we don’t know why.”
The prospect of rain over the weekend instilled significant apprehension among the paddock, especially considering the Shanghai International Circuit’s limited usage since the last F1 race held there in 2019.
A layer of bitumen coating the circuit surface exacerbated concerns, as rain could transform the track into an ice-like surface, reminiscent of the challenging conditions encountered during the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix.
While the presence of bitumen could account for the loss of tire temperature, it fails to provide a satisfactory explanation for why Max Verstappen’s RB20 experienced a temperature drop.
“The track has not had any decisive races with rubber abrasion for 5 years,” Marko stated.
“Still, it’s inexplicable to us why a car’s temps rise as they should, but with Max it’s almost the opposite, it almost dropped.”
Problems with the Dutchman’s car surfaced during the free practice sessions preceding sprint qualifying. Nevertheless, these issues were promptly addressed, and the subsequent adjustments proved effective, especially in dry conditions.
This success bolstered the confidence of the Milton Keynes-based team, instilling belief that they can contend competitively regardless of the prevailing weather conditions on Saturday.
“In the dry sessions, we were at the front,” remarked Marko, underscoring the team’s performance. He also noted, “[We] found errors in Max’s car, also changed small things, [which] had a positive effect.
“So optimistic that if tomorrow’s qualifying will be wet that we’ll find a reason why we couldn’t get the tyre temps right.”
