Shanghai aims for a sell-out with one million spectators in sight
The Chinese Grand Prix has quickly become one of the most sought-after events on the Formula 1 calendar. In 2026, 230,000 tickets were sold in just one day, fans were waiting for the drivers at the airport, and there is already a plan to expand the Shanghai International Circuit with new grandstands by 2030.
This year marked the 20th edition of the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, which originally debuted in 2004. Between 2020 and 2023, pandemic-related restrictions prevented the race from returning to the calendar.
For many years, the Chinese round was among the least popular for teams and staff, often referred to as “unwanted” in the paddock. Attendance was typically modest, the large grandstand outside Turn 1 was frequently covered, and overall interest in the event remained low—until 2019.
When Formula 1 returned to China in 2024, the scene had changed drastically. The grey skies and haze that had long been associated with the circuit were gone. Much of Shanghai’s mobility has shifted to electric vehicles, and greenery is making its way into areas that were previously urbanized. While this is a long-term process, the transformation is already moving at a remarkable pace.
However, the changes are not only environmental. In the past, F1 drivers were largely unknown to the general Chinese public, along with the teams and championship storylines. Today, the atmosphere is entirely different.
Outside the hotels housing the drivers, long lines of fans form early in the morning, eager to meet their heroes, often bringing gifts and seeking photographs—a scene more reminiscent of Japanese motorsport traditions than Chinese. Similar scenes were seen at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where hundreds of fans awaited arriving drivers, waving flags and wearing team merchandise. How they knew the exact Melbourne-Shanghai flight of their favorite drivers remains a small mystery.
The enthusiasm is even more apparent during the four days of on-track activity. The 230,000 tickets for the 2026 weekend sold out in under a day, exceeding the grandstands’ capacity to meet demand. In the main fan zone behind the central grandstand, a constant rush on merchandise booths was observed, particularly for products from the new F1-Disney partnership. So high was the demand that many vendors bypassed shelving the items and distributed them directly from boxes.
The local government is already looking to the future. Construction of new grandstands along the section from Turn 2 to Turn 6 is set to begin soon. The ultimate goal for 2030 is to host one million spectators over the weekend—a figure that may seem ambitious, but becomes more conceivable given Shanghai’s metropolitan population of over 30 million.
Chinese fans, estimated at 220 million, are mostly under 35 years old, with women making up around 50%. This was evident during fan-zone events, where alongside top F1 drivers, local hero Guanyu Zhou—currently reserve driver for Cadillac F1—received the warmest welcome.
Zhou has competed in only one home Grand Prix so far, in 2024, and there is not yet a fully established pipeline of Chinese drivers in Formula 1. Patience will be required. As the sport continues to grow in popularity, more children will inevitably be drawn to karting, initiating a well-known long-term development path in motorsport. This same patience has transformed the Shanghai Grand Prix over the years from a potential fleeting fixture on the calendar to an event with increasingly solid foundations and ambitious medium- and long-term goals.
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