In no time at all we are at round 3 of the Formula 1 World Championship which takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.

The circuit is characterized by the smooth surface, one very long straight,, a mixture of medium to high speed corners and the tightening radius turn 1 which is almost a full circle.. The circuit is a front limited circuit which means that the front tyres and front end grip is important at this track. Cars need a quick turn in to rapidly change direction.

According to Pirelli the cars spend 80% of the lap cornering which means there is a tremendous amount of energy going through the tyres. It is for this reason that Pirelli have nominated the white medium and yellow soft compound tyre for the race. With temperatures remaining relatively cool during the race weekend the one problem that drivers may face is the graining of the tyres. The graining affects the grip and increases the rate of degradation on the tyres.

With the northern hemisphere coming out of winter, the temperatures will be on the cold side for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. Temperatures are not expected to go higher that 21 degrees Celsius. The forecast is partly cloudy for the entire weekend with a 10% chance of rain expected on race day. The conditions will change throughout the weekend though.

This is the complete opposite to the scorching temperatures teams experienced two weeks ago. It will be interesting to see if Ferrari can maintain their momentum while Mercedes have come out guns blazing in the battle with Ferrari. McLaren have said that they will have trouble getting heat into their tyres in the colder temperatures while Red Bull are looking to get further up the field after a disappointing start to the season.

Below is a summary for this weekend’s weather and a live forecast of the current conditions in Shanghai which will update throughout the day.