What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years

It's been five years since the Chinese Grand Prix last graced the Formula 1 calendar, and it's probably the biggest understatement of the century to suggest that quite a lot has unfolded in that time. Since this is supposed to be a light-hearted but ultimately informative column about motorsport, we won't plunder the depths of everything that's gone on in that quintet of revolutions around the sun, but COVID is the important event of note.

Minimising the spread of coronavirus has been the reason why China has been away from F1 for so long, as its government implemented a 'zero-COVID' approach following the discovery of a new strain in late 2019. That didn't stop it getting out of the country and around the world, but restricting travel into the country ultimately necessitated the Shanghai circuit's hiatus for a few years. Even though those measures were rescinded in late 2022, it was ultimately too late to get a race pencilled in for last season.

Now, it's back. The Shanghai International Circuit, arranged in a vague approximation of the 'shang' character in the Chinese alphabet, welcomed its first F1 race in 2004 and remained a calendar mainstay until its COVID-enforced removal in 2020 and beyond. For many of F1's fanbase, which perhaps became gripped by the soap opera elements of the paddock through lockdown binges on Drive to Survive, it'll be a new experience; for others, it'll be like welcoming back an old friend. Or, if you don't view the circuit too favourably, like welcoming back that weird uncle whose whereabouts for the past five years remain conspicuously veiled.

Either way, it behooves us to revisit the Shanghai circuit's best bits and use this as an excuse to trawl through the archives. But we'll also hope to build up a picture of what to expect from 2024's festivities in coastal(ish) China, particularly as the conditions and the nature of the race weekend will offer plenty of unknown elements.

If you'd like to step thusly into our time machine, we'll head to 2004 first, and then work our way through the best races and most notable landmarks in the Chinese Grand Prix's history. Strap in, relax, and please don't press the big red button...

2004 - China's first race, Schumacher's miserable weekend

No, this isn't Schumacher about to lap Timo Glock's Jordan - starting from the pitlane, the Ferrari maestro had to pass his compatriot for position

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

Michael Schumacher had already wrapped up the 2004 title two races prior at Belgium, so it effectively rendered the last four races of 2004 as dead rubbers at the front. Still, Schumacher's first weekend of racing in Shanghai had started in miserable fashion; a qualifying spin and an engine penalty left him starting from the pitlane on full tanks. Ferrari had the pace, as Rubens Barrichello demonstrated in his run to pole position, but Bridgestone's new tyre construction had proved susceptible to graining in the early phases.

The Brazilian's start was mighty, and barely had to cover off the threat of Kimi Raikkonen's Michelin-shod McLaren behind as he stormed into the first corner. But his tyres started to struggle, giving Raikkonen a chance at making a move. Although the Finn was locked behind Barrichello in the opening laps, the Ferrari driver managed to wrestle through that initial graining phase enough to keep Raikkonen at bay.

Both drivers had opted for three-stop strategies, while BAR's Jenson Button opted to stop twice to set the cat among the pigeons. Barrichello and Raikkonen pitted together during the first round of stops, but McLaren attempted to gather an undercut during the second stops and pulled Raikkonen in two laps sooner. Barrichello had, however, continued to set the pace to cover that off, actually extending his lead ahead of the third stints.

Schumacher matched his worst ever grid position (at that time, at least) with his then-worst finishing position of 12th after an incredibly scruffy race

Button muscled his way into victory contention through his second stop, which undercut Raikkonen's third and brought him ahead of the McLaren. Raikkonen had attempted another undercut on Barrichello himself, but getting stuck behind the Honda-powered BAR set him back relative to Barrichello. Victory was thus in Barrichello's grasp, and he simply needed to repel his future team-mate to do so - and Raikkonen's failed late assault for second rather helped.

As for Schumacher, he matched his worst-ever grid position (at that time, at least) with his then-worst finishing position of 12th after an incredibly scruffy race: he made contact with Christian Klien which put the Jaguar driver out of the race, and then spun on his own a few laps later.

2007 - Hamilton's debut title dented by over-worn tyres

A tiny error had huge consequences for Hamilton's 2007 title chances - his balding tyres are clearly visible

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

The penultimate race of the controversial 2007 season, China played host to the ever-fierce title fight between McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. At this stage of the season, Hamilton was 12 points clear of Alonso, with Ferrari's Raikkonen still mathematically in with a shot of the title with a 17-point deficit to Hamilton. It was very much the Briton's to lose in a hugely impressive debut season.

In effect, Hamilton simply needed to win to claim the title on that weekend, or at least claim a podium if other results went his way. He made his ambitions clear with pole over Raikkonen by just over a tenth but, with a damp track and rain due to strike, the field began on the intermediate tyre in preparation. This did not deter Hamilton, who started to gap Raikkonen; the Finn had his team-mate Felipe Massa operating as a highly effective tail-gunner, and the Brazilian kept Alonso at bay.

The circuit had dried slightly as the rain had subsided, but both Hamilton and Raikkonen kept the same set of worn intermediates during their first fuel stops as more showers were expected. By comparison, Hamilton was struggling more than Raikkonen and this left him susceptible to heavy pressure - culminating in Hamilton going wide at Turn 9 to open the door for Raikkonen to take the lead. At this juncture, Hamilton's tyres were shot and had to pit, and therein lies the sliding doors moment.

As he struggled to turn his car for the sharp left-hander at the pit entry, Hamilton washed out into the gravel and beached his McLaren; the marshals could not break him loose, leaving team principal Ron Dennis to hopelessly wave his hands upon the pitwall. Hamilton was out of the race, and Raikkonen cut the arrears to seven points to plant himself into a three-way title showdown in the Brazil finale. And we know how that played out.

2009 - Red Bull's first F1 win as Vettel prevails

Vettel earned Red Bull's first victory and was capably backed up by team-mate Webber in 2009

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

The start of 2009 had been about one team: Brawn GP. Its fairytale rebirth from the ashes of Honda had produced more than just a few column inches in stories, and the farrago surrounding its double diffuser had started to come to an end as it was declared legal prior to the Chinese race - prompting other teams to hurry their own versions into service later on. Despite Red Bull's concerns about the decision, it mattered little as Sebastian Vettel clinched pole over Renault driver Alonso - the first in F1 for the Milton Keynes' squad.

Heavy rain permeated the Shanghai skyline, prompting the race to begin under the safety car two weeks after the Malaysian Grand Prix had been called off early due to monsoon conditions. Even though it remained very wet and visibility was poor, the race got off to green-flag running on the ninth lap with Vettel leading the field away.

Vettel, followed by team-mate Mark Webber, briefly gave up the lead to Brawn's championship leader Button through scheduled stops, but the Briton made his own stop on the cusp of another safety car period; Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) had attempted to use Jarno Trulli as a launch pad and knocked off the Toyota's rear wing to leave a trail of debris.

In attempting to hunt down Vettel and claim a third victory on the bounce, Button went long into Turn 14 after mistiming his braking to give Webber back second place

This got Button ahead of Webber, while Vettel managed to avoid being taken out by Sebastien Buemi when the Toro Rosso man clipped the Red Bull RB5's rear along the back straight. In attempting to hunt down Vettel and claim a third victory on the bounce, Button went long into Turn 14 after mistiming his braking to give Webber back second place.

This ensured that the Red Bulls had a largely clear run to the finish, and Vettel claimed the team's first win in treacherous conditions. Webber converted into a 1-2 finish as Button and Barrichello could not coax their Brawns back towards the front.

Red Bull has now won 116 times in F1, fourth on the all-time wins list for a constructor - and it all began on that rainy day in Shanghai.

PLUS: The curious case of Red Bull's place in F1 history

2012 - Rosberg's first F1 win as Mercedes reaches the front

Rosberg took the first Mercedes win of the modern era with a controlled display from pole in 2012

Photo by: Sutton Images

Thanks to the enigmatic Pirelli tyres developed for 2012, the start of that year's season began in thrilling fashion as results proved hard to predict: Button had won the Melbourne opener for McLaren, while Alonso (Ferrari) won out in his duel with Sauber's Sergio Perez for victory in Malaysia. The season was to get even more surprising than that.

Mercedes appeared to have won at tyre roulette in China in locking out the front row, as Nico Rosberg took pole over his team-mate Schumacher by 0.57s; Hamilton had been relegated from second to seventh through a gearbox penalty. The two Silver Arrows forged ahead and looked relentless, although Schumacher was stopped in his tracks moments after his pitstop as his right-front wheel was not secured properly. Martin Brundle, commentating for Sky Sports, quipped that he hadn't "been that disappointed since Shrek 2" as Schumacher had looked at his finest since his 2010 comeback.

The high wear rates of the 2012-spec Pirellis had enforced a vast array of pitstop strategies, but Rosberg stuck gamely to a two-stopper as long as he could manage his tyres through a longer final stint. McLaren was bullish, however, and gave Button a three-stop strategy to work to as the Briton proved rapid throughout the grand prix - and reckoned that its man could catch and pass Rosberg even with an extra stop.

But it hadn't gambled on a scramble at the left-rear wheel during the stop as the wheel gun didn't work properly, leaving the Somerset native stranded in the pits longer than expected. This cemented Rosberg's first F1 win, Mercedes' first as a works team since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix and the first for the Silverstone-based team since its Brawn days. Button held on over Hamilton for second, but was over 20 seconds adrift at the flag.

2016 - The legend of the "torpedo" is born

Vettel made clear his displeasure with Kvyat after their first corner near-miss in 2016

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

The 2016 edition of the Chinese GP proved to be a routine win for Rosberg, as the German opened the season in scintillating form to begin his title quest in earnest. There was also the return of the usual three-stage qualifying format, as the timed elimination trial in the opening two races had bombed and was subsequently discarded.

Rosberg's victory aspirations were helped when his team-mate Hamilton failed to set a time in qualifying thanks to an MGU-H issue, and the German grabbed pole by over half a second from Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian opened his race on the super-soft tyre, however, which gave him much more impetus off the line to claim the lead at the start.

Behind them, Vettel was stuck behind Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen and the two moved to the left into the long-radius right hand Turn 1, opening a space for Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat to exploit. Vettel was attempting to close that line and hadn't seen the Russian coming, reacting slightly too late, which created contact with Raikkonen. Incensed, Vettel branded Kvyat as "suicidal" - but more was to come in the post-race cooldown room.

It was a box-office argument between a white-hot Vettel and a bewildered Kvyat, one that bestowed the latter with a nickname that eventually preceded him

Ricciardo's hopes of victory were dashed by a puncture, giving Rosberg the lead once more. Either side of a series of pitstops under the safety car, produced by Ricciardo's tyre debris, Vettel forced his way past a gaggle of cars sluggishly meandering around the pit entry and later dispatched Kvyat to claim second.

"You came in like a torpedo," Vettel angrily growled to Kvyat as the Russian was just settling in for his first visit to the F1 podium. "I was racing," Kvyat protested. Vettel continued his confrontation, suggesting that "if I keep going the same line, we'll crash". "Then don't keep going," came the riposte. It was a box-office argument between a white-hot Vettel and a bewildered Kvyat, one that bestowed the latter with a nickname that eventually preceded him.

2018 - Ricciardo "licks the stamp and sends it" to create win from nothing

Bottas looked set for victory in 2018 until a well-timed pitstop for Red Bull brought Ricciardo into play

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar

Even in the years of Mercedes dominance, the Brackley team could occasionally turn up to races a little off-the-boil. And it began 2018 slightly off of it compared to Ferrari, as Vettel clinched the opening two victories of the season.

In China, the German had claimed pole over Raikkonen for a Ferrari front-row lock-out, while Valtteri Bottas led the line for Mercedes on the second row. To continue the Noah's Ark-iness of the front three rows, Red Bull claimed fifth and sixth on the grid: Max Verstappen outpaced Ricciardo in Saturday's qualifying to start ahead.

Vettel rather threw Raikkonen to the lions at the start, leaving the Finn to battle against a fast-starting Bottas and Verstappen in the opening corners as the then-championship leader bolted. Ricciardo, in the meantime, was left to battle against Nico Hulkenberg's Renault and narrowly prevailed.

As the first stops shook out, Mercedes opted to pit Bottas early to claim an undercut over the Ferraris, which put him ahead of Vettel after the latter's own stop. On fresh tyres, Bottas hunted down the later-stopping Raikkonen and swept past him on lap 27 to assume the lead, and just about kept Vettel at bay after the Ferraris switched places at Turn 6.

The race was then interrupted for a safety car, called for a debris sweep as Pierre Gasly careened into Toro Rosso team-mate Brendon Hartley at Turn 14. Red Bull responded immediately to bring both drivers in, ensuring that they were on fresher tyres to attack in the final 20 laps.

On fresher soft tyres, Ricciardo moved up to fifth with a move on the medium-shod Raikkonen, moving up behind team-mate Verstappen. The Dutchman, then a much more impatient driver compared to today's powerhouse, attempted to move past Hamilton at Turn 7, but ran out of road and had to skip over the run-off to hand Ricciardo another position.

Ricciardo showed his younger team-mate how it was done, getting a tow with DRS a lap later to cruise past Hamilton from a long way back into Turn 15 - flirting with divebomb territory. Vettel was next on his checklist, although the move past at Turn 15 was a lot less risky as the Ferrari had already been cleared into the braking zone. Verstappen attempted to do the same, and ended up clouting Vettel to precipitate a pair of spins on the exit.

It was lap 45 where Ricciardo made his biggest play. Bottas half-heartedly covered the inside line for Turn 6, leaving just enough of a gap for a Red Bull to fit. Ricciardo duly obliged and shoved his car into the void. "Sometimes you've just got to lick the stamp and send it," Ricciardo mused after claiming an excellent victory, in a performance he has yet to repeat since leaving Red Bull at the end of that season.

2024 - What to expect from this year's GP

Drivers will have to be wary of contact at the tight hairpin which ends the lap, where Verstappen clouted Vettel in 2018

Photo by: Sutton Images

Like 2004, graining is expected from the new track surface. This'll mean that the drivers will have to manage their cars through the long-radius corners and hope not to wash out, which will leave them susceptible to overtakes. If that's the case, Ferrari is expected to have an edge if its form in Melbourne was anything to go by, as the SF-24 seemed more adept at contending with situations when the tyre rubber starts to pill.

The start will be challenging, as the nature of the opening corners will force cars to coalesce in the transition between Turns 2 and 3, so it will be very important for the drivers not to take too much of a gung-ho approach. Sure, it worked for Kvyat in 2016, but only because Vettel was able to react in time.

Getting a good exit out of Turn 3 will be crucial in wheel-to-wheel battles into Turn 6, as Ricciardo proved in 2018 that it's very possible to overtake in this area. Graining phases, should they emerge, might start to create clear differences in pace - which might make this a more fruitful overtaking zone.

DRS is available for the final two-thirds of the long back straight, so expect to see lots of drivers defend by expending their energy through the exit of Turn 13 to repel a straight-line advantage

That said, the cars are very different to how they were in 2019, so expect the longer-radius corners to be taken more quickly thanks to the efficacy of the ground-effect floors. Watching the cars come through Turns 7 and 8 will test this, and it might be a difficult part of the lap for the Mercedes duo should the high-speed weaknesses persist.

DRS is available for the final two-thirds of the long back straight, so expect to see lots of drivers defend by expending their energy through the exit of Turn 13 to repel a straight-line advantage. Owing to the tightness of Turn 14, there'll surely be a couple of instances of contact too; the profile of the corner lends itself to a switch-back defence if a driver can just about hang on around the outside, but it's also an incident pinch-point.

In terms of laptime, anyone that can contend with both high- and low-speed performance should be set for a good result in Shanghai. So, that's Red Bull - but can anyone else challenge?

Red Bull is once again favourite for this weekend

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images