'It was like driving on thin ICE,' Max Verstappen blames slippery conditions for disappointing P4 finish in Shanghai Sprint Qualifying 

Hence, Verstappen pointed out that the circuit was completely slippery. The reigning world champion struggled to get the tires in the right temperature frame and had an extremely hard time keeping the car on the track.

It was incredibly slippery. I just struggled a lot to get temperature into the tyres. That was why it was so difficult to keep the car on track. It [the tyres] never really switched on for me. Max Verstappen said during the post-session interview.

The 26-year-old openly admitted that driving on the re-painted track felt like ‘driving on ice’. Hence, the team only managed a P4 start to the sprint race. Verstappen who is exceptional in wet conditions struggled to manage his car. Therefore, Verstappen mentioned that the P4 start is ‘well deserved’ for the constructor. The Dutchman further admitted that the RB20 wasn’t working for him in the wet despite being competitive during dry conditions.

It was like driving on ice, and that is why, its quite deserved where we are in qualifying. It was not really working for me in th wet, and in the dry, we look quite good. Max Verstappen noted.

Charles Leclerc expects to close in on Max Verstappen in terms of performance at the Chinese GP

Ferrari has been the tight competitor to Red Bull and Verstappen since early 2024. Carlos Sainz even became the non-Red Bull driver to amass a victory during the recent Australian weekend. Hence, Charles Leclerc expects to close in on the dominant runner in F1.

The Monegasque explained that Ferrari had been really close to Red Bull in most of the races. As a result, Maranello needs to be on top of their game to be able to win races.

Overall, so far they've been really close to us at most of the races, We really need to be on top of our own game to be able to win the races. Charles Leclerc said, as reported by skysports.com.

Apart from this, the Monegasque driver highlighted that Ferrari was much closer to the Austrian constructor as compared to the previous season. Hence, the Maranello-based outfit might challenge Red Bull for the victory in the Chinese GP if the latter continues to face issues. The Monegasque expects the race to be very close to Red Bull. However, not racing at the Shanghai for the past five years has caused uncertainty to Leclerc.

 I definitely think it's closer than last year, and of course that naturally makes it a bit harder. I think in the race we will be closer yes. But let's see. It's been a very long time since we drove here. Charles Leclerc noted.

Ferrari hasn’t brought any major upgrades to the SF-24 challenger at the Chinese GP. Additionally, the sprint qualifying session was unfortunate as the 26-year-old spun out mid-way. Leclerc has also been outshone by Carlos Sainz ever since the beginning of the 2024 season. Hence, the Chinese GP could be a chance at redemption for the Monegasque as he could provide a tough battle to Max Verstappen and others.