Teams have been greeted in Shanghai for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix with a unique-looking asphalt.
Ground away in some areas to remove bumps, a coating has also been applied to the racing surface, leaving drivers to question the level of grip they’ll have available when they take to the track for opening practice tomorrow.
“This is really throwing it back, but when I raced in remote-controlled cars, often the tracks were painted in sort of black paint, and it actually looks quite similar to that,” said Oscar Piastri when asked about the surface.
“I don’t know if it will be grippy or not. I think if it’s wet, it’ll be a big unknown.
“You can kind of see where the cars have driven on track days or whatever it’s worn away the blackness, let’s say, in it.
“It doesn’t look resurfaced, it just looks like it’s had some bits ground away and then paint over the top.
“I’m sure it’s not going to be super slippery but it might just be a bit might behave a bit differently to what we’re used to.”
The surface was not mentioned by race director Niels Wittich in his pre-event notes when detailing the changes to the venue since F1 last visited in 2019.
However, FIA has offered insight into the treatment of the racing surface and confirmed that it has indeed been painted.
“A bitumen paint has been used as a coating to preserve the tarmac to ensure the stone remains in the asphalt,” a spokesperson told Speedcafe.
“It is expected to increase the grip level and protect the tarmac from long-term degradation. The paint was applied last year.”
The Shanghai International Circuit had lost its Grade 1 license during the COVID-19 pandemic after it expired at the end of 2019.
Work was carried out around the venue, including repairs to tyre walls and the track surface itself, which saw it regain its Grade 1 licence in May last year.
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