Shanghai’s Return | F1 Chinese Grand Prix

On The Gravel

Round 5 of the Formula One World Championship took us to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time since 2019. And a worthwhile wait it was, F1’s first sprint weekend of the year paired with some well timed rain set up for some masterful qualifying moments and good racing throughout the field. Lance Stroll’s incident with Daniel Ricciardo was not one of those moments, but one of high discussion with Stroll blaming someone who was clearly the victim in the situation. While it was a straightforward win for Verstappen in both races, the battle for the podium was enthralling in both. Other news this week in the paddock revolved around Tsunoda being on Audi’s shortlist as well as them bringing the German National Anthem back to F1, Liam Lawson potentially looking out of Red Bull, and worries that the 2026 regs may hinder the peak performance of an F1 car. On top of this, the impact report for 2023 was released, Red Bull is potentially in talks with Sainz, and a new points system may be on the horizon to bring more value to the midfield battle. The week finished bright and early with the 6h of Imola in WEC which was a rollercoaster ride that saw Toyota Gazoo take the flag first and leave us fully pleased after a satisfying week of racing On The Gravel!