WEEKEND WARM-UP: Can Ferrari take the fight to Mercedes in the first Sprint of the year in China?

Formula 1 has moved straight from Melbourne to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix, and there were plenty of hot topics to delve into during the media day.

Mercedes proved that their return to the top is well and truly underway, with George Russell taking an early lead in the Standings thanks to a confident drive at the Australian Grand Prix. But the thorn in his side was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who put his all into a nail-biting battle for the lead in the opening laps.

Although it’s impossible to say whether a different strategy would have swung things in the Scuderia’s favour, they are undoubtedly determined to prevent another period of Silver Arrows dominance, trialling new concepts like a ‘flip-flop’ rear wing in this weekend’s FP1.

On the topic of Practice, there’s just one hour of it in Shanghai as opposed to the usual three, with the circuit playing host to the first Sprint of the season. Will Mercedes carry the momentum from their 1-2 finish forward, or could Ferrari close down the gap under the increased pressure?

Further down the grid, McLaren and Red Bull didn’t unlock their full potential in Australia as both Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar failed to finish the race – in Piastri’s case, he crashed before lights out, while the Red Bull driver suffered a reliability issue, leaving them both with something to prove in Round 2.

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were also left frustrated by their showing down under as they took P5 and P6 respectively, with the Dutchman storming from 20th on the grid after an unfortunate Qualifying crash. They’ve had less than a week to review with their teams exactly how to improve this weekend, which takes place on a wildly different circuit.

Hit go on the video player above to join Betty Glover, Jolyon Palmer, Ruth Buscombe and Alex Jacques as they explore these talking points and much more ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.