In general terms, Shanghai is a tough circuit for the tyres. Not only are the front tyres heavily loaded by corners such as turn 1 (left front), 7 (right front) and 8 (left front), but the numerous slow corners mean the rear tyres are worked hard under traction, accelerating away. Turn 13 also deserves a special mention, where the front left tyre is heavily loaded through this 270-degree corner, all the while accelerating and putting high lateral and longitudinal loads through the rear tyres. It is always a difficult challenge to find the optimum solution in terms of tyre choice for this circuit.
As with many modern circuits, Shanghai includes a mixture of high-speed corners and long straights which means the level of aerodynamic downforce has to be judged very carefully to protect position on the straights, without compromising grip in the corners. Just as in Bahrain and Hockenheim, aero efficiency comes to the fore, and ideal levels of downforce are sometimes compromised in favour of straightline speed to avoid being overtaken in race conditions. The engineers will pay careful attention to the cars' relative straightline speed during practice in order to choose the optimum aero level for qualifying and the race.
In mechanical terms, it will be important to find the correct compromise that gives the driver confidence in the car's handling over the full race distance. Shanghai is a circuit that features a lot of braking from high speed, some fast corners and plenty of acceleration phases. Combined with a number of changes of direction at both high and low speed, it means we will generally run a stiffer, more reactive set-up at the front of the car - and then make the springing softer at the rear, for optimum traction and braking stability. In particular, we concentrate on making the car stable under heavy braking and on partial throttle openings, as the driver is often having to turn and brake/accelerate simultaneously, for examples in turns 1&2 or turn 8.
