Throw Some Brats on That Track Fire. It's Time for the Formula 1 Shanghai Grand Prix 🏎 🏆 🇨🇳
Yes, I will continue using this picture for all races that interrupt my ugly sleep.
The Sprint Shootout
- After 5 year hiatus. I’m excited as I haven’t seen a Chinese GP in the modern „era“ since I discovered this soap opera
- Baby FOM are laying it on thicc for the sprint promo
- starting SQ1 Zhou takes the first out lap / Sprint out lap
- Watch out Adele, Shanghai set fire to the rain!
- Hamilton pulls the first purple second sector while Zhou pulls the first puprle third sector
- Alonso edges out Leclerc by 3 thousandths of a second but it was taken away by Moody Stroopwafel
- Magnussen impedes Sainz on the apex
- Eliminated: GAS - where is it?, OCOnsistently bottoming out ALB, TSU, SAR
- In SQ2: We wait for the brats to cool before we start the second session
- Even with the Prancing Horses, Alonso brings the first purple sector
- Ugh get Tom Skilling to do F1 forecasts
- Russell at risk for the late outlap due to impending rain
- Eliminated: RUS, MAG, HUL, RIC, STR
- Chuck E. Clair in the barriers but is able to recover … sorta
- Verstappen exceeded track limits
- Lando Norris apologist here to let you know he delivered a purple sector while slippery
- Perez clears the field by 2 seconds but wait Bottas said he runs these streets
- Girl he done slipped again then Norris apologist gets sad while the psychopath gets P1
- But nature heals as Lewis hits the top
- I cry because a googol of a nanosecond of joy is what I experience with Lando but then I get it back
- Fire qualifying literally and figuratively
Resulting grid and imminent heartbreak:
https://instagram.com/p/C578gLcorYK
Sprint
- Lap record still belongs to The Michael - 👏🏾 I 👏🏾 know 👏🏾 that’s 👏🏾right (okay it look like they had to update and it’s Vettel and I love him but we’ll ignore it)
- McLaren gworls past and present line up for top 3 spots on the grid
- My heart broke the opening lap as Norris went wide and dropped like 30,000 spots
- Verstappen complains of a low battery as Sainz has DRS
- On lap 7, Verstappen overtakes Alonso
- Lewis says the car is difficult to turn in slow speeds
- Verstappen takes the lead after Hamilton locks up. Man, let someone else have fun
- Sainz after a chase makes a battle with Alonso and then Checo just blasted right by them great spectacle though
- Then the Prancing Horses battle with some contact Leclerc was ahead on the apex but Carlos doesn’t have a contract lined up so 🤷🏾♀️
Standard Quali
- C2 - C4
- Russel pulled the first purple sector while Tsunoda reports his DRS is not working
- Verstappen is P2 behind Alonso
- Alex got out of the way of Checo but Checo managed to go even wider which impeded his lap
- Piastri gives the first double purple sectors of the session taking him to the top spot
- Norris at the top! I’m milking this please let me have this one thing
- Zhou hits at P8
- Hulkenberg hits P4 🫨
- This is chaotic. Hamilton is knocked out by the Alpines 🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨
- Eliminated: ZHO, MAG, HAM, TSU, SAR
- As Verstappen puts in a purple sector Sainz pushes it and spins hitting the barrier and a missing front wing, causing the red flag. It’s reported his teammate said: "'Karma' - Fernando Alonso"
- Shouts out to that repair team cause Sainz was back on the track
- Bottas last minute saves himself from elimination
- Eliminated: STR, RIC, OCO, ALB, GAS
- Verstappen puts in a purple middle sector while Alonso put in a purple first sector splitting the Red Bulls
- Both McLarens hits gravel while putting in decent laps with P4 and P5
- You get a P2! You get a P2! You get a P2! You get a P2! You get a P2! You get a P2!
Here's today grid
https://instagram.com/p/C5-jIcusZO4
Sources: Sprint Grid | Feature Race Grid
Be on the lookout, bringing back F1 trivia/predictions for the remainder of the season starting at the Miami GP (May 4th).