Thunderstorms, like at Sepang, are not expected, but rain should be taken into account by the teams when setting the race strategy on Sunday. The Chinese weather bureau also revealed some showers are also expected to hit the Shanghai International Circuit from as early as Saturday, likely to affect the qualifying session too.
The only sunny day at Shanghai, as forecasted, will be Friday – when scheduled the free practice sessions.
The Chinese circuit's officials did not issue any official statement regarding the Sunday race, as the rain is not expected to turn into a race-wrecker, as it did in Sepang. Also, considering the unchanged starting time of the race, the risk of twilight racing can also be ruled out.
The rain caused a major upset in the Malaysian Grand Prix two weekends ago, as the Sepang race was officially red-flagged due to thunderstorm after only 31 laps. The Top 8 drivers were then awarded half points in the overall classification, being the first time this has happened in F1's modern history.
The clear sky on Friday will, however, give the chance to teams like Ferrari and BMW Sauber to test their new features for the Chinese Grand Prix. Ferrari are reportedly debuting some new front wing changes at Shanghai, while BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica will test the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System for the first time this season.
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