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F1 will have its first Chinese GP since 2019. The race has become an integral part of the calendar ever since the inaugural edition was held in 2004. This was until the pandemic made it impossible for the race to be held in that part of the world.
Five years later, however, we're back. The pandemic is gone now but the sport has moved on through leaps and bounds. The F1 ecosystem has changed a lot in the last few seasons, and a lot of things are not the same as they used to be.
Many things have changed since the last F1 Chinese GP, let's take a look.
F1 Chinese GP: What has changed in the last 5 years?
#1 Mercedes is not a dominant force anymore
The 2019 F1 season was Mercedes' sixth year of dominance. The team had won five consecutive championships already and was the favorite to win again. Fast forward to 2024, and that's not the case anymore.
#2 Neither is Lewis Hamilton
In 2019, Lewis Hamilton was considered the best driver on the grid. It was as if he couldn't do anything wrong and was the favorite to win the title. Neither is the case anymore as Lewis isn't the benchmark for the F1 grid nor is he a favorite to win.
#3 Sebastian Vettel has retired from F1
One of F1's favorite drivers bid adieu to racing in 2022. Sebastian Vettel was a Ferrari driver the last time there was an F1 Chinese GP in 2019. Since then, the German joined Aston Martin in 2021 and retired at the end of the 2022 season.
#4 Kimi Raikkonen has retired as well
Kimi Raikkonen, one of the sport's most iconic names, was an Alfa Romeo driver in 2019. The Finnish driver was enjoying the second half of his career where he raced for fun (and still beat his young teammate). Kimi retired at the end of the 2021 season after racing for almost two decades.
#5 Daniel Ricciardo is not a frontrunner anymore
The last time F1 had a Chinese GP, Daniel Ricciardo was considered one of the best drivers on the grid. He had moved to Renault that season and was trying to emulate Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes. In 2019, Daniel was considered a top driver on the grid, unfortunately, we can't say that in 2024.
#6 Red Bull and Max Verstappen are a dominant force now
Red Bull and Max Verstappen were still trying to figure out life after Daniel Ricciardo in 2019. Pierre Gasly was a new teammate for Max at the time and the Dutch driver was on his way to becoming a more consistent and tenacious performer.
Five years down the line, Max and Red Bull are the dominant force and favorites to win the F1 Chinese GP.
#7 Guenther Steiner and Otmar Szafnauer are not on the grid anymore
In 2019, Guenther Steiner was still team principal at Haas. However, he lost his position early in 2024. Otmar Szafnauer is another name who lost his position as team principal first at Aston Martin/Racing Point in 2022. Then, in 2023, he lost his position at Alpine as well.
The grid will feature neither of the two this weekend.
#8 Fernando Alonso was not on the grid in 2019
As always, however, Fernando Alonso continues the age-old tradition of bucking the trend. The Spaniard was not in F1 in 2019 as he had taken a sabbatical from the sport. He will, however, be on the grid in the 2024 F1 Chinese GP.
#9 Toro Rosso to AlphaTauri to Visa Cash App RB
What if we told you that the last time we had an F1 Chinese GP, the Red Bull sister team was still called Toro Rosso? In 2019, the team had Alex Albon and Daniil Kvyat as the drivers.
Since then, the team has gone through two name changes. It was AlphaTauri until last season and is now called Visa Cash App RB.
#10 Esteban Ocon is back on the F1 grid
The other driver who missed the F1 Chinese GP the last time we raced there was Esteban Ocon. A late-season takeover of the Force India outfit in 2018 meant that the French driver would be replaced by Lance Stroll at the newly named Racing Point team. Ocon will make a comeback in 2020 with Renault and replace Nico Hulkenberg.
