As Daniel Ricciardo said: “It looks like they’ve painted the track or something.
“I don’t know how the track’s going to change, or if it’s going to be the same or super slippery.
A view of the track Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images “It certainly looks very particular, and something we haven’t found recently at F1 circuits.”
But research by Motorsport.com has uncovered that while the track looks like it has been painted, what has happened is actually a bitumen surface treatment that is commonly used on roads in the United States and Asia.
Bitumen is applied in fluid form to the track surface to help bind with the surface of the existing circuit.
The idea is that it helps eliminate dust, improves waterproofing and also prevent disintegration of the track.
The manner of the treatment means it will likely further be worn away over the F1 weekend, which could open the door to varied levels of grip around different parts of the track.
A weekend of graining, like in Australia, could be good news for Ferrari – whereas degradation would better suit Red Bull.
The lack of information about resurfacing in the pre-event notes from the FIA led some people to believe that the circuit had been painted over. The color of the asphalt has already faded in some areas along the racing line.
Daniel Ricciardo stated: “It appears as though the track has been painted or something.”. A surface-related action has been taken by them.
“I’m not sure how the track will evolve, if it will stay the same, or if it will become extremely slippery. That could alter the behavior of the tires, though. ****.
When teams realize that there is only an hour of practice before sprint qualifying begins, Ricciardo was not the only driver wondering what the implications would be on a weekend.
Recalling his karting days, when attempts were made to increase grip on outdated tracks, world champion Max Verstappen said he had not seen anything like it.
The Red Bull driver remarked, “It looks like they’ve painted it, not resurfaced.”.
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari clarified that the situation had left the team and drivers a little perplexed.
“I believe there are a lot of unknowns, especially because the tarmac appears to have been treated very specifically,” the man remarked.
“I don’t think the teams or the FIA fully comprehend what has been done here: whether the track has undergone a complete resurfacing or just an unusual bitumen treatment.
a panorama of the racetrack.
Photograph by Motorsport Images/Mark Sutton.
It appears to be highly unique and unlike anything we’ve seen at F1 circuits lately. “.
However, though the track appears to have been painted, research by Motorsport . com has shown that in reality, the track has received a bitumen surface treatment, which is frequently applied to roads in Asia and the US.
To help the bitumen adhere to the surface of the existing circuit, bitumen is applied fluidly to the track surface. The concept is to help reduce dust, enhance waterproofing, and stop the track from disintegrating.
It is believed that this work was completed in Shanghai last year, and the different colors surrounding the track are the outcome of the treatment wearing off during subsequent track runs.
Due to the way it was treated, it will probably wear down even more over the Formula One weekend, which could lead to varying degrees of grip in different areas of the track.
Ayao Komatsu, the principal of the Haas team, stated that some headaches may result from variations in grip caused by the presence or absence of treatment.
“It appears somewhat erratic,” he remarked. The inconsistent flow from entry to mid-corner to exit in every corner is the thing that worries me the most. That will get quite complicated if it is variable.
“It’s a sprint weekend after that, naturally. Just one hour, or perhaps three runs, will do to sort out your car’s low and high fuel levels. It will undoubtedly be a very difficult task. “.
Avoid repeating Turkey.
The dark surface layer’s appearance has unavoidably brought back memories of Turkey 2020, when drivers and teams were caught off guard by an unusually thin layer of grip on a freshly layered surface.
Sainz, however, was fairly certain that the situation would not be that drastic because, according to sources, the treatment should actually help to improve grip rather than decrease it.
He remarked, “It’s not going to be like Turkey.”. “The case of Turkey was extremely unique. That could raise some doubts about your weekend plans, though, if there’s graining and other issues all of a sudden. “.
Mercedes F1 W11; Lewis Hamilton; Sebastian Vettel; Ferrari SF1000.
Charles Coates / Motorsport Images provided the photo.
However, even though the track treatment might not cause the same kind of mayhem as what we witnessed in Turkey, it might still affect how well the tires work.
Teams are uncertain as to whether the current vehicles and tires will lean toward a weekend where front-graining is the limit or if the highest pressures of the year will result in significant degradation problems.
Red Bull would fare better with degradation, but Ferrari might benefit from a weekend of graining, similar to what happened in Australia.
According to Sainz: “To be honest, we find that graining is heavily reliant on the tarmac. Graining is highly dependent on the tarmac, which is why we spent so much time discussing the surface and the tarmac’s treatment.
“Once that is taken out of the picture, long-duration corners—of which there are many here—are something that severely strain tires.
There have been years when China has been front-limited and years when it has been rear-limited, so you have to be extremely cautious when configuring the car to meet any demand. “.
