A number of Formula 1 teams have had their freight from Australia to China delayed, causing a knock-on effect in their respective preparations for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
It is known that at least four teams – McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Aston Martin – have been victims of the delays, caused by cargo flights from Melbourne to Shanghai being delayed by eight hours.
This meant that the teams in question took receipt of its freight late on Wednesday afternoon, thought to be around 4pm local time.
The FIA also confirmed that tyre manufacturer Pirelli also received its own freight late, but has now also arrived.
Given the nature of the problem, the sport’s governing body has also taken the decision to allow the teams affected to break its mandatory curfew for working on cars, giving them an extra period of time – thought to be 30 minutes – to work on their cars should they need it.
An unnamed team member told Motorsport.com: “There are no worries about free practice, but these days will be some late nights for our mechanics.
“The only free practice session of the sprint weekend starts at 11:30 local time, which means teams still had a day and a half to prepare for the opening session.”
The issue will take its toll on the respective teams’ personnel, who will have made a 10-hour flight from city-to-city and will now be working overtime to ensure cars are ready for FP1, with this weekend’s race also including the added stress of a Sprint Race being added to the schedule.
The Shanghai International Circuit is hosting a Sprint for the second time, having initially done so upon its long-awaited return to the F1 calendar last year, after a four-season-long hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.
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Ii wonder which team bribed the longshoremen to slow down their rivals freight…..