Drivers rug up at cold Shanghai

There was no sign of Wednesday’s hail, but Shanghai remained grim and cold as F1 drivers and their engineers walked the 5.9km layout on Thursday.

After the oppressive heat and humidity of Malaysia, the sight of drivers rugged up in jumpers and coats, with collars pulled high and hands in pockets, resembled more a winter test than the forthcoming Chinese grand prix.

"It certainly doesn’t feel like spring," said Fernando Alonso, while a Swiss reporter said the Chinese city was "like Zurich".

It seems the cold weather is not characteristic of China in mid-April, with Wednesday’s 8 degrees apparently beaten only by a freezing Shanghai day back in 1873.

"The weather should be better for the race weekend but we’ll need to be ready for anything," said Ferrari’s Alonso.

The conditions are indeed expected to be better on Friday and Saturday, but there is a high chance of race-day rain.