NEW for 2015

Engine regulations

The current set of technical regulations was introduced at the start of last season and is entering their second year.

That is to say, the rules are still fairly fresh and all the outfits are still rapidly optimizing their package and finding significant gains. It explains, in part, the big performance gaps we are seeing between teams.

A main area of focus for development is in the engines. Since the introduction of the new turbo V6 engines last year, Mercedes has been the dominant force and the pressure is on Ferrari and Renault to catch up quickly or doom their works and customer teams to a fight for bread crumbs. Even though engine development is supposed to be frozen, a loophole was found over the winter, which effectively allows engine manufacturers to develop their engines this season. Ferrari and Renault will be trying to make the most of this but time is not playing in their favor.

Early form suggests Ferrari has made a significant step forward and is now second in the pecking order, and following Vettel’s impressive display in Malaysia, could be giving Mercedes a run for its money. However, things are bleaker at Renault who has pushed for an aggressive development and so far paid the price with spotty reliability and poor drivability. Nevertheless, the season is still very long so Mercedes can’t take anything for granted.

Honda returns

The other big news this season is the return of Honda to Formula 1 as an engine supplier for the McLaren team. This particular association brings back memories from one of F1’s greatest eras when legends Senna and Prost were battling it out in the 1980s and early 1990s.

But the brutal truth is that Honda will have a lot to do to catch up. They are effectively a year behind the other engine builders and still at a very early stage of development. Their winter testing has been marred by teething and reliability issues that have severely limited the track time they desperately need.

Last year, Japan’s top-flight single-seater championship, called Super Formula, for which Honda is an engine supplier, introduced turbo 1.6L engines similar to those used in Formula 1. As it turned out, Honda struggled to match competitor Toyota throughout the year, and is just now starting to see a rise in form. That being said, we can reasonably expect McLaren-Honda to make big strides during the season and the team can count on a fantastic duo of drivers in Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, with a wealth of experience and technical expertise.

Motorsport in China

While motorsport is long established in Europe and Japan, it is still in its infancy in China. The main reason is that the country started seeing widespread car use only recently and there is no culture of car racing yet.

The foundation of motorsport lies in passion, and for many in the country, cars are still only seen as either a functional transportation vehicle or as a status symbol. This situation is obviously evolving and more and more young Chinese have developed a taste for sports cars, but too many still perceive car racing as just a rich man’s hobby and not a serious sport.

Some international, and a few domestic, car manufacturers are helping changing mentalities by investing heavily but motorsport still needs time to grow in China.

In fact what is still missing in China is grassroots work to bring the youth into the sport at an early age. The Chinese Automobile Federation should be doing more to establish a racing ladder where the local talents can go from karting to international car racing. Hopefully this is a work in progress and we can soon see a Chinese driver at the highest level of motorsport, based on merit only.

As of now, some manufacturers have detection schemes in place: Porsche offers a scholarship for Chinese drivers with an opportunity to race in Europe after competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. Audi and Volkswagen offer similar incentives but it is still too little to nurture the motorsport talent that this country undoubtedly possesses.

Challenges

The sport has faced lot of challenges and criticism in recent months, which means Formula 1 is now looking at different ways to reinvent itself and launch a new era of growth. The dwindling number of teams has called the current business model into question as smaller outfits have struggled to stay afloat amid very high costs for competing (US$150 million for a midfield team). Currently, the TV revenues are redistributed to the teams but in a non-uniform fashion, with only the front running outfits receiving the main share of the cake. Formula 1 has talked about reducing costs for a long time but so far all measures have been without significant impact. The sport’s stakeholders must look at ways to help the smaller and private outfits to survive and F1 must not be too reliant on manufacturer teams.

Formula 1 is loosing some relevance as a display for the latest technology: Many car makers have started looking at alternatives, such as the World Endurance Championship, which showcases a variety of the latest technologies. As such, F1 needs to provide a technological playground that keeps making it relevant for manufacturers who want to develop and display
their technologies.

F1’s popularity has been challenged in recent years for a variety of reasons. First of all, people want more exciting races. Despite long periods of domination by a single team (Red Bull in 2010-2013 and now Mercedes), which tends to provide duller races, Formula 1 has worked hard to introduce measures to spice up the show and increase overtaking. The use of the Drag Reduction System has been a success but a more pressing issue is fan engagement: The sport is probably not doing enough to be close to its public. Teams and drivers seem inaccessible to the fans and confined to their bubble. Perhaps the sport should care more about making the fans happy, organizing more autograph sessions, and be more involved on social media. Another avenue being explored is to make the cars look more impressive and bring back the screaming noise of the engine to make the show more appealing.

Pecking order

What can we expect for the Chinese Grand Prix?

There is little doubt that Mercedes will again be the team to beat. With milder temperatures than in Malaysia, the German team should suffer much less tire degradation and have an edge on Ferrari again.

Williams seems to have lost ground but remains as the 3rd force in the championship.

Behind these three, the midfield is very competitive with Red Bull and Toro Rosso emerging as the leaders of that pack. Lotus, now powered by Mercedes, can’t be discarded as they seem to have a good car but they need to master reliability, and Sauber has shown flashes of speed.

These two and Force India will be trying to pick up points if the others make mistakes.

McLaren-Honda should make another step forward but it might not be enough yet to start fighting in the midfield.

At the tail end of the field, Manor will try to overcome the odds (they are running an old car and engine and are on the grid only thanks to an 11th hour rescue of the team) to qualify its cars and finish the race.

Tips

If you are planning to watch the race this year, here are some tricks to enjoy the event in the best possible conditions:

The best spots on the circuit to watch are the main grandstands, Turn 1 and the final hairpin grandstands.

The main stands afford a view of the start, and the pitstops, Turn 1 is always impressive and could throw a few overtaking maneuvers, while the hard braking zone at the end of the back straight is the perfect passing place on the circuit and where the cars arrive the fastest.

Don’t miss the support races. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will be on track a few hours before the F1 Grand Prix.

Many Chinese and Asian talents are competing in this high level championship.

Expect a lot of road traffic after the race. Consider taking the subway back to the city, as it will be the quickest option.

Nightlife during the Shanghai Grand Prix week is great with a lot of events in town.

If you are lucky you might even catch a glimpse of a race driver.