Chinese GP Tech update
One of the biggest challenges for the teams at the Chinese Grand Prix is understanding tyre behaviour. The nature of the fast flowing circuit subjects the tyres to a large amount of lateral stress and with the cooler conditions seeing track temperatures of 16°C, teams invest a lot of time in determining their tyre warm up strategy. Once in the optimum window, the trick is to then maintain this temperature, which is difficult due to the cooling effect of the long straight, whilst managing the level of wear and graining.
One of the ways to warm up the tyres is to direct the heat from the brakes to the tyres through clever ducts and vents The fast corners such as Turn 1 and 2, require maximum downforce, so teams often run a lot of aero at this circuit. However, the conditions have not only been quite windy so far, with wind speeds reaching 16.6kph in FP3, but the winds have been gusty, which can suddenly effect the aero balance of the car; making it particularly difficult for the drivers to manage.

 

Aerodynamic update

Tyre update

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