Starting Grid 2018 Chinese F1 GP

Starting Grid 2018 Chinese F1 GP
14 April 2018 by    2 min read

Event: Chinese Grand Prix
Track: Shanghai International Circuit

F1 Grid 2018 Chinese GP

PosNoDriverTeamLap Time1st Gap
15Sebastian VettelFerrari1:31,095
27Kimi RäikkönenFerrari1:31,1820,087
377Valtteri BottasMercedes1:31,6250,530
444Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:31,6750,580
533Max VerstappenRed Bull1:31,7960,701
63Daniel RicciardoRed Bull1:31,9480,853
727Nico HülkenbergRenault1:32,5321,437
811Sergio PérezForce India1:32,7581,663
955Carlos SainzRenault1:32,8191,724
108Romain GrosjeanHaas1:32,8551,760
1120Kevin MagnussenHaas1:32,9861,891
1231Esteban OconForce India1:33,0571,962
1314Fernando AlonsoMcLaren1:33,2322,137
142Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren1:33,5052,410
1528Brendon HartleyToro Rosso1:33,7952,700
1635Sergey SirotkinWilliams1:34,0622,967
1710Pierre GaslyToro Rosso1:34,1013,006
1818Lance StrollWilliams1:34,2853,190
1916Charles LeclercSauber1:34,4543,359
209Marcus EricssonSauber1:34,9143,819

Note - Ericsson penalised five grid places for ignoring yellow flags in qualifying, but was already last.

2018 Chinese Grand Prix Tyre Compounds

Starting Grid 2018 Chinese F1 GP

The season’s third race presents the first nomination of the year with a gap between the selected compounds – medium, soft and ultrasoft – and in China there’s always a chance of the Cinturato wet weather tyres appearing as well. The Shanghai circuit offers a roughly equal mix of straights and corners, with the corners themselves additionally offering a wide range of speeds and radii. It’s one of the races where strategy has often made a particular difference in the past.

The circuit from a tyre point of view

  • Turns 1 and 13 are the most demanding corners for tyres. Turn 1 is a decreasing radius
    corner leading straight into Turn 2, while the long Turn 13 is taken at high speed.
  • There’s a very long straight that can have the effect of cooling the tyres, meaning that drivers
    need to pay attention to the braking area: this is also a key opportunity for overtaking.
  • The circuit isn’t used much during the year, which can make it quite ‘green’ and slippery.
  • The 2017 strategy was influenced by rain and safety cars. Lewis Hamilton won with a twostopper,
    starting on the intermediate and then completing two stints on the soft.
  • It’s quite a fast and flowing circuit, with lateral forces (cornering) more predominant than
    longitudinal forces (acceleration and braking).
  • In cold weather, some graining has been observed in the past: especially in free practice.
  • The surface is quite smooth, making it easier to find a consistent set up: the main challenge
    is to identify the best compromise between downforce and drag to find the right wing level.

Here you can see the tyres each driver has used and which tyres they can choose for tomorrow's race.

Starting Grid 2018 Chinese F1 GP

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