A lot has changed since the last Formula 1 race in China.
The last Chinese Grand Prix took place in April 2019, and it was a one-two finish for then-Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel completed the podium, while competing for Ferrari, and Max Verstappen finished fourth, 27.627 seconds behind Hamilton. But by the end of the year, COVID-19 had been discovered in the country. The World Health Organization declared the disease a pandemic in March 2020.
Since then, Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen have retired (and Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kyvat and Antonio Giovinazzi have left the grid), Verstappen has become dominant and F1 has enjoyed a significant boom in popularity, thanks in part to the Netflix docuseries ” Formula 1 “. : Drive to survive. Due to China’s heavy COVID-19 restrictions and long lockdown, F1 did not return, even when compatriot Zhou Guanyu joined the grid in 2022. But that changed for 2024 and now, the first driver of Chinese F1, Zhou Guanyu, will experience his F1 grand prix at home. weekend.
The Shanghai International Circuit is located in a swampy area and parts of the complex honor Chinese culture. For F1, it was designed to resemble the shape of the character “shang” (上), which means upward. It appears no expense was spared in the design and creation of the Asian circuit, which took just 18 months to build.
Over time, it has become a favorite among F1 drivers. “China, as a racing circuit, is fantastic. I think it’s one of our favorites for everyone,” Carlos Sainz said in 2024. “It’s just a great racing track and a track that has a good overtaking opportunity.”
Before the cars launch into an endless sequence of corners at the start of the lap, here’s what you need to know about the Shanghai International Circuit.
Key specifications
Swamps and a huge budget
Located northwest of the Shanghai lights is a Hermann Tilke-designed runway that was built in 18 months and cost approximately $450 million.
The Shanghai International Circuit is based on reclaimed marshland in Jiading district and required extensive preparatory work as part of the project. According to Red Bull Racing, the swamp is thought to reach a depth of 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet) in some areas, meaning it cannot simply be drained by ditches. The circuit is built on top of thousands of concrete piles, ranging in depth from about 40 meters (131 feet) to 80 meters (262 feet), according to Red Bull. They are topped with a concrete base and 16 meters (52 feet) of polystyrene.
The paddock is also a nod to Chinese culture and is huge. The layout appears to resemble the famous Yu Garden to the northeast of Shanghai’s Old Town and next to the City God Temple, with each team having its own building on pavilions around a lake.
You got it! 🙌 We have arrived at the Shanghai International Circuit!
There are no more @F1 the paddock likes it 👀 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/qAFM5i7Y1W
– Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 5, 2017
Other series have already raced on this circuit, such as MotoGP from 2005 to 2008 and Formula E, which will take place in Shanghai at the end of May.
Points of interest
Most tracks have some sort of recognizable feature, whether it’s a nearby landmark or an exciting sequence of turns. The Shanghai International Circuit offers a few spots that fans should watch out for on race day, such as the opening turns.
“It’s always been a very, very interesting track, a very nice track to drive on and a track where there are many, many different lines possible, especially in turns 1-2-3 and all those long corners” , said Charles Leclerc ahead of the 2024 race. “There are very different ways of taking these corners, which makes it exciting for us.”
In 2018Brendon Hartley, then Toro Rosso driver, said: “I like the track, it’s very technical and very hard on the tires with such a long turn 1 – where I think there are 10 different options and lines, and there are always crazy overtakes on the track. inside, which is good for the driver and fun for the fans.
Turns 1 and 2 could eat away at the left front tire, and drivers must balance how quickly they enter the corner, especially when exiting the start/finish straight. “This combination really sucks you in as the corner lasts a long time after a very fast entry, but you lose speed afterwards as it gets tighter and tighter in a corner that seems to drag on forever before spitting you out on the descent, tight turn 3”, Nico Hülkenberg said in 2017.
From there, the circuit layout is a mix, ranging from low-speed sections (like turns 1-3) to high-speed sections (like the turns 7-8 sections), which can make it difficult to navigate. looking for a balanced car setup. Drivers enter another snail-shaped combination with turns 11-12-13 before heading into a 1.2-kilometer straight (about 4,000 feet). Hülkenberg said it’s so long that drivers “have enough time to fill out their tax returns and have an espresso, because you’re driving in a straight line with your foot down for so long and then you wake up and brake hard . »
A unique enclosure of its kind! 😍
We have arrived at the Shanghai International Circuit!#ChineseGP 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/zYoJbe41h8
– McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 18, 2024
Next comes the turn 14 hairpin, a potential overtaking point. As Esteban Ocon noted in 2024, “(The track) also opens up for good racing opportunities, just before the long straight for traction and at the end of the straight is where you have heavy braking. So I think it’s a pretty cool option for racing as well.
It is essential to remember that as we approach the 2024 Grand Prix weekend, there are many unknowns for the paddock given the multi-year hiatus. As rated by Pirelli“Five years ago, 13-inch tires were still in use, fitted to the previous generation of car, which had a flat floor and completely different aerodynamics to the current car. In fact, for the drivers, the teams and even for Pirelli, it is more about starting from scratch, given that the references are very vague.
This is a new chapter for the Shanghai International Circuit, and unknowns remain. Some changes were made ahead of the 2024 race, such as the removal of bumps in turns 1 and 8 and a resurfacing of the track. But the essential is still there. As several drivers pointed out during the 2024 press conference, he is known for his overtaking and his potential for good races.
“I think it will definitely not be a boring race this weekend,” Zhou said.
(Tracking video courtesy of EA Sports F1 – learn more about “F1 24″ here.)
(Graphics: Drew Jordan/The Athletic. Main image: Johannes Eisele/AFP, Mark Thompson via Getty Images; Design: Eamonn Dalton, Drew Jordan/Athleticism)