The cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix - originally m๊eant to take place this weekend on April 16 - has resulted in F1’s longest-ever season being broken up by a highly unusual four-week gap.&n🐬bsp;

We’ve considered what the unintended pause could mean for the class of 2023 ahead of a relentless run of races to the summer when F1 resumes with the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30. 

A chance for Mercedes to catch up? 

After a lacklustre start to the season, Mercedes enjoyed a notable jump in performance last time out in Australia which provided the team with a much-needed bo𒉰ost heading into the break. 

Mercedes are buoyℱed about the potential of upgrades they have in the pipeline, though they aren’t set to arrive until the Emilia Romagna ꦺGrand Prix in late May. 

Unlike the traditional🎉 ‘summer break’ in August, teams do not have to observe a mandatory factory shutdown period, meaning they are free to continue their respective development pushes. That gives Mercedes a clear run to focus on improving their W14 car without the distrac🌱tion of having to go racing for most of April. 

"I think it's good for the team to really sit down and focus on bringing upgrades to the car,” said seven-time world champion168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Lewis Hamilton. 

"I wish we were racing personally but I'll🀅 try and make the best use of it - I haven't figured 𒊎out what I'm going to do throughout the whole time.

"But, it'll mostly be training and keeping busy.”

And168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Fernando Alonso, whose Aston Martin team have been the surprise package of 2023 thanks to a ꦜsensational transformation from midfield also-rans to front-runners, is wary about a rival fightback as F1’s development war hots up. 

“After a few events from now on, I think the cars will change a lot, i🌃n a few areas and a few developments,” Alonso said in Melbourne.

“We have to wait and see. I think very soon, from Baku or Imola, we will see the te꧟ams changing a few parts in the cars. And maybe 🗹that changes, also, how competitive you feel.”

Can Ferrari iron out their issues? 

Like Mercedes, Ferrari are also playing catch up following their 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:worst start to an F1 season si𒐪nce 2009. 

An awful start to the new campaign has left Ferrari a distant fourth in the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:championship standings, almost 100 points adrift 🔯of leaders Red Bull.&n൲bsp;

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Charles Leclerc has already suffered a hammer blow to his title hopes after failing to finish two of the first three races, leaving him with just six points. Meanwhile, teammate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Carlos Sainz is yet to better his P4 from the Bahrain season-op🍸ener. 

Can Ferrari take adva𒁃ntage of the break to make progress and address their weaknesses, including engine unreliability and tyre degradation issues?

“I think in the situation we are in as a team, we take this as an opportunity to work as much as possible during this break, in order to get upgrades as quickly as possible and be as competitive as we want sooner in this season,” s𓂃aid Leclerc.

“It’s still a very, very long seas𒈔on. We are fully motivated to get back on top and we’ll try to use these weeks [before Azerbaijan] in the best way possible.”

Will it hinder Verstappen’s momentum? 

The break could be seen as coming at a bad time for 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Max Verstappen, gꦍiven his supre🍃me form in the opening three races.

Verstappen has been unstoppable - reliabilᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚity gremlin in Jeddah qualifying aside - and looks well on his way to taking a th🍸ird consecutive world title after a pair of peerless victories in Bahrain and Australia. 

Could the four-week break hinder the Dutchman’s purple strea🎶k of momentum? 

It may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise, giving Verstappen the chance to regain full fitness after illness ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix left him feeling like he was 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:“missing a lung”. 

"It's a bit weird to have three we🥃eks off, especially that early in the season," the two-time world champion saidಞ. 

"A couple of weeks ago I would s💯ay that I was not looking forward to it but then I got really ill,🅠 and I've been struggling a bit since that time.

"So, for me ๊now, these three weeks are just [about] getting back to full fitness, getting a full programme in.

"In a way, it's pr♏obably ꩵnice now. Normally, if you just feel well, I think I would also prefer to keep racing.”

Red Bull will be mindful about the impact their punishment for breaking the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:F1 cost cap will have on t⛄heir development plans in the coming months.

What about F1’s rookie trio?

For F1’s rookies, the break will provide a rare chance tﷺo take stock and reflect on the starts they have made to the🙈ir respective careers. 

Despite McLaren’s challenging start to the year, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Oscar Piastri was able to score his first F1 points on home soil last t🐽ime out in Albert Park. 

Although he does not have the most competitive machinery at his disposal, the young Australian is already living up to the hype and looks more of a match for teammate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lando Norris than 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Daniel Ricciardo ever was. 

Things have been a little tougher for Williams’ 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Logan Sargeant and AlphaTauri’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Nyck de Vries, who are the only driv⭕ers yet to score points this season.&nb💖sp;

Sargeant has shown flashes of promise but also demonstrated that he is fallible, while de Vries has lagged behind teammate168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Yuki Tsunoda as he sꦺtruggles to adapt to the difficult-to-d⛦rive AlphaTauri. 

Both will be glad to have an opportunity to⛎ digest and resꦛet.