Track Layout
Shanghai International
Shanghai International Circuit
Track Sectors
The famous spiralling Turn 1-2-3-4 complex, tightening on entry then unwinding — one of the hardest sequences in F1 to judge.
Long right-hander Turn 7 and a pair of medium-speed corners where the car is on the edge of understeer all lap.
Enormous back straight feeding a tight left-right, then the final long corner onto the pit straight — a double DRS zone.
About Shanghai
The Shanghai International Circuit is one of Hermann Tilke's most ambitious designs, with a layout loosely based on the Chinese character "shàng" (上, meaning "above" or "upward"). The signature feature is the Turn 1-2-3-4 complex, a spiralling right-hander that tightens progressively before opening out again. Combined with the long back straight into a heavy braking zone at Turn 14, Shanghai offers some of the clearest overtaking windows on the calendar.
Built on reclaimed marshland on the outskirts of the city, the track sits on a complex foundation of styrofoam blocks to prevent sinking. The elevation change is minimal but the width is generous, which encourages multiple racing lines and strong defensive driving.
Recent Grand Prix Winners
Circuit History
Rubens Barrichello won the inaugural 2004 Chinese Grand Prix from pole. The race ran every year until 2019 before a five-season absence during and after the pandemic, returning to the calendar in 2024. It also became the first sprint-format weekend of the 2024 season, back on the schedule after significant resurfacing work.
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