Circuit: Shanghai International Circuit
Length: 5.451km
Laps: 56
Race distance: 305.256km
Corners: 16
Races: 15
Wins from pole: 9/60.00%
Number of winners: 9
Most successful team: Mercedes, 5 wins
Most successful driver: Hamilton, 5 wins
Lap record: 1:32.328, set by Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari in 2004
Lap record average speed: 213kph, 132mph
2018 Stats
Pole: 1:31.095 Sebastian Vettel
Fastest Lap: 1:35.785 Daniel Ricciardo
Podium: Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen
When was the track built?
In April 2003, a marshland in the Jiading District of Shanghai was earmarked for Formula 1 greatness. Eighteen months and around $450 million later, the state-of-the-art Shanghai International Circuit was complete.
When was its first Grand Prix?
The 2004 season featured two new races, one of which was the Chinese Grand Prix (the other was Bahrain). If either were added to try and stop Ferrari from winning everything, however, it didn’t work – Schumacher won in Bahrain, while Rubens Barrichello triumphed in China.
What’s the circuit like?
The circuit’s pleasing form when seen from the air – it’s designed to look like the Chinese symbol for ‘shang’, meaning upwards – is equally pleasing to the drivers on terra firma. There’s a unique start to the lap as the drivers fly into the ever-tightening Turns 1 and 2, before they dart left through 3 and 4. The super-high g force Turns 7 and 8 are loved by the drivers, while the circuit also features one of the longest straights on the calendar, the 1.2km tretchhat separates Turns 13-14.
The circuit layout, which roughly mirrors the Chinese character Shang, is fairly typical of modern venues. It features medium to slow speed corners and a straight where the drivers are flat out for almost 1.4 kilometres. A distinctive feature of the track is the long right-hander which opens the lap, through which the drivers turn over 270 degrees before switching back.
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