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The Chinese Grand Prix () is a round of the
Formula One World Championship
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
and was contracted to return in 2023 but will now not do so until 2024 at the earliest. It is currently held at the
Shanghai International Circuit
The Shanghai International Circuit () is a motorsport race track, situated in the Jiading District, Shanghai. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Chinese Grand Prix which was hosted from 2004 to 2019 and was scheduled again fr ...
,
Jiading
Jiading is a suburban district of Shanghai. It had a population of 1,471,100 in 2010.
History
Historically, Jiading was a separate municipality/town, until, in 1958, becoming under the administration of Shanghai. In 1993, Jiading's designate ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, designed by
Hermann Tilke
Hermann Tilke (born 31 December 1954, in Olpe, Germany) is a German engineer, racing driver and circuit designer, who has designed numerous Formula One motor racing circuits.
Racing
During the 1980s, Tilke competed in touring car racing, mainly ...
. When completed in 2004, it was the most expensive Formula One circuit facility, costing
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
240 million.
Abu Dhabi became the most expensive at US$6 billion when it opened in 2009. The track is 5.451 km long and features one of the trickiest corners combinations on the Formula One calendar, comparable to that of
Istanbul Park's turn 8, also designed by Tilke. Turn 1 and 2 are a very demanding 270-degree, right-handed corner combination that requires considerable speed, in addition to a significant radius increase as the corner progresses.
History
The vision of a Chinese Grand Prix started in the early 1990s. The
Chinese government
The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...
had originally planned for an F1 circuit to be located in the city of
Zhuhai
Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pear ...
in
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
Province, southern
China. The
Zhuhai International Circuit
Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC) (simplified Chinese: 珠海国际赛车场; traditional Chinese: ) is located at Jin Ding town in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, China.
Motorsport started in Zhuhai when it hosted a race on its street circ ...
was designed and built and was provisionally added to the 1999 F1 World Championship calendar, but the track failed to meet certain standards set by the
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backs ...
and the race was cancelled. However, the Chinese government did not give up and eventually, with assistance from the organizers of the
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...
, held the first ever Formula One race in China in 2004.
In 2002, it was announced that the management of the
Shanghai International Circuit
The Shanghai International Circuit () is a motorsport race track, situated in the Jiading District, Shanghai. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Chinese Grand Prix which was hosted from 2004 to 2019 and was scheduled again fr ...
had signed a seven-year contract with
Formula One Management
The Formula One Group is a group of companies responsible for the promotion of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and the exercising of the sport's commercial rights.
The Group was previously owned by Delta Topco, a Jersey-based company ow ...
to host the Chinese Grand Prix starting from the 2004 season until the 2011 season. The Chinese Grand Prix debuted on 26 September 2004, and was won by
Ferrari's
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens "Rubinho" Gonçalves Barrichello (, ; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between and . He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 111 T ...
. The following year, it hosted the final round of the Formula One championship, in which the newly crowned world champion
Fernando Alonso won and claimed the constructor's title for
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
. In 2006, the Chinese Grand Prix was won by
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...
, his last victory in Formula One.
In November 2008 the
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...
reported a senior race official, Qiu Weichang, as suggesting that the loss-making race might be cancelled. Following a similar announcement about the
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...
, Qiu Weichang said that the race's future was under consideration, and a decision would be made in 2009.
2010 came and went with no formal announcement of an extension to the initial seven-race deal struck in 2004. However, immediately after the 2010 Shanghai race
Bernie Ecclestone, who manages the contracts with the various circuits, said of the 2011 calendar, "We are not dropping anything.
t's20 races – getting ready for 25".
It was only in February 2011 that a deal was agreed between F1 and the organisers of the Chinese round of the world championship. Reasons for the delay appear to have been over the fee paid to F1 to host the race. After racking up losses year after year, the organisers of the race refused to pay the fee required, reported to be amongst the highest paid to host an F1 race. F1 bosses appear to have reduced the fee and the new agreement to host an F1 race ran to 2017.
In September 2017, a new three-year contract to host the race was announced, keeping the race on the calendar until 2020.
In 2019 it hosted the 1000th round of the Formula One World Championship.
COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing hiatus
The
2020 Chinese Grand Prix was originally scheduled to take place on 19 April, but it was postponed and later cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. No further editions of the race have been held since then, despite races having been scheduled for , and .
Winners of the Chinese Grand Prix
Repeat winners (drivers)
''Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.''
Repeat winners (constructors)
''Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.''
Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)
''Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.''
By year
All Chinese Grands Prix have been held at
Shanghai International Circuit
The Shanghai International Circuit () is a motorsport race track, situated in the Jiading District, Shanghai. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Chinese Grand Prix which was hosted from 2004 to 2019 and was scheduled again fr ...
.
Support races
Formula BMW Asia and
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
Porsche Carrera Cup (sometimes abbreviated PCC) is a number of one-make racing by Porsche premier series competed with, initially Porsche 911 Carrera Cup, then later Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The cars are specifically built by Porsche for one- ...
have both supported the Chinese Grand Prix since 2004. In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, the
GP2 Asia Series
The GP2 Asia Series was a form of open wheel motor racing as a result of a spin-off from the GP2 series.
The series was officially announced during the weekend of the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix. GP2 series organiser Bruno Michel commented that "It ...
also raced the same weekend. In
2015, the
TCR International Series also supported the Chinese Grand Prix.
References
External links
{{Formula One races
Formula One Grands Prix
National Grands Prix
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
Recurring sporting events established in 2004
2004 establishments in China