Shanghai International Circuit

Shanghai International Circuit.
Location	Jiading, Shanghai, China
Time zone	UTC+08:00
Coordinates	31°20′20″N 121°13′11″E / 31.33889°N 121.21972°ECoordinates: 31°20′20″N 121°13′11″E / 31.33889°N 121.21972°E
Capacity	200,000
FIA Grade	1
Owner	Shanghai Jiushi Group (92%); Shanghai International Automobile City (8%);
Operator	Shanghai International Circuit Co., Ltd.
Opened	2004
Construction cost	¥2.6 billion ($450 million, €370 million)
Architect	Hermann Tilke
Major events	Formula One; Chinese Grand Prix; MotoGP; Chinese motorcycle Grand Prix; WEC; 6 Hours of Shanghai; WTCC; Race of China; V8 Supercars; China Round
Length	5.451 km (3.388 mi)
Turns	16
Race lap record	1:32.238 ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004)

The Shanghai International Circuit (simplified Chinese: 上海国际赛车场; traditional Chinese: 上海國際賽車場; pinyin: Shànghǎi Guójì Sàichēchǎng) is a motorsport race track, situated in the Jiading, Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, which it first hosted in 2004.

History[edit]

Costing approximately 2.6 billion yuan^[1] ($450 million), the circuit was financed by a government-funded joint-venture company, consisting of the Shanghai Jiushi Group, Shanghai National Property Management Co Ltd, and Shanghai Jia'an Investment and Development Co Ltd.^{[citation needed]} Architectural and design experts began planning and visiting the site between April and May 2003, and the area was transformed from swampland to international racetrack within 18 months with a team of 3000 engineers working around the clock.

Other events held at the circuit include a round of the MotoGP world championship, an event of the Australian-based V8 Supercar championship in 2005, attracting crowds of over 250,000 spectators, and also the final round of the A1 Grand Prix in 2006/2007.

The 2008 MotoGP race was the last one on this circuit, as the FIM didn't select the racetrack for the provisional calendar of 2009. This is due to overcrowding problems in the circuit.^[2]

In September 2007, former manager of the circuit Yu Zhifei^{[citation needed]} was convicted of embezzlement as part of a corruption scandal in Shanghai which resulted in the dismissal of several senior Chinese Communist Party officials.^[3]

Partly due to location of the circuit, areas around turns 1, 8 and 14 have been sinking, and therefore the circuit had to be inspected before the 2011 event took place.^[4]

The Chinese Grand Prix attracted 260,000 spectators in its inaugural year in 2004 with a slight 10,000 increase in 2005, but attendance has since declined with 155,000 attending in 2010. On Feb 18, 2011, Reuters reported words from the Chinese Grand Prix organizers said Shanghai has extended the deal to host the Chinese Grand Prix to 2018 despite falling attendance. Reuters reported words from Yiping Chen, deputy director of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, suggested the situation can improve in the following years by lowering the ticket cost. Reuters reported prices for prime seats range would decrease from 3,580-3,980 yuan in 2010 to 1,980-3,280 yuan in 2011.^[5] On the same day, AFP reported that the Shanghai City government will keep open a subway line to the race track to boost spectator numbers from April 15–17, 2011.^[6]

The February 18, 2011 Reuters news also reported words from Wen Zhao, vice-mayor of Shanghai, suggested F1 is a calling card for Shanghai and she is confident that the success of the event in the years ahead.^[5]

Layout[edit]

In common with many other new Formula One circuits, it was designed by Hermann Tilke, and also features his trademark track feature: a long back straight followed by a hairpin turn. Current-generation F1 cars can easily surpass 300 km/h (186 mph) on the long straight between corners 13 and 14.^{[citation needed]} The track layout was inspired from the Chinese character shang (上) the first character in the name of the city Shanghai, meaning "above" or "ascend".^[7] One lap lasts 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi). The whole circuit plus seating areas and other areas for spectators, covers a total area of 5.3 km².

A lap in a Formula One car[edit]

The first two bends make a 185km/h right-hand curve which leads immediately into turns 3 and 4 taken at 105 km/h. One and two are far more difficult - a lift on entry followed by various taps of the throttle and brakes are needed so the car maintains balance throughout. It also becomes blind towards the middle of the corner.^[8] Three and four are nowhere near as difficult but a good exit is needed to gain speed down the following straight and through turn 5. The complex of turns 1-4 makes up the first of two "snails" on the circuit, the other being turns 11-13.^[9] Turn 6 is a second gear, right-handed hairpin with plentiful run-off. Turns 7 and 8 make up a high speed chicane - the left-right complex sees a constant G-force of 3^[8] and a minimum speed of about 100 mph. Turns 9 and 10 immediately follow - two slow left-handers which require a good exit to gain speed down the next straight. Turns 11 and 12 effectively make up a slow left-right chicane where the use of kerbs are important but traction is low. Turn 13 is a very long right-hander which becomes less and less tight, and a very good exit is important as the longest straight currently in Formula One follows. At 1170m, it is the equivalent to 11 football pitches laid end to end, or the same length as three and a half of the world's biggest aircraft carriers^[10] Turn 14 is a hairpin at the end of the straight - the second gear corner is a prime overtaking spot as DRS is available in the run up to the corner. Turn 16 is the last corner - a fourth-gear^[8] left-hander which requires a quick tap on the brakes - braking early can be more effective as you can then carry more speed through the corner and then down the pit straight.

The total length of the circuit is 5.451 km (3.387 mi), which is about average for a Formula One circuit. Michael Schumacher's lap record at the circuit was broken after 13 years in 2017 by Mercedes-AMG driver Lewis Hamilton, who completed one lap of the circuit in 1:31.678. Hamilton's record was broken the following year by Scuderia Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, who completed one lap of the circuit in 1:31.095.

Records[edit]

Category	Record	Circuit Length (m)	Driver/Rider	Team	Bike/Chassis	Date
Formula One	1:31.095	5451	Sebastian Vettel	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari SF71H	April 14, 2018
GP2 Asia Series	1:46.470	5451	Kamui Kobayashi	DAMS	Dallara GP2/08	October 18, 2008
FIA World Endurance Championship LMP1	1:42.832	5451	Kamui Kobayashi	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Toyota TS050 Hybrid 2017	November 3, 2017
FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2	1:48.509	5451	Bruno Senna	Vaillante Rebellion	Oreca 07 Gibson	November 3, 2017
FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Pro	1:59.578	5451	Michael Christensen	Porsche GT Team	Porsche 911 RSR	November 3, 2017
FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Am	2:00.502	5451	Darren Turner	Aston Martin Racing	Aston Martin Vantage GTE	November 3, 2017
A1 Grand Prix	1:51.832	5451	Darren Manning	Team Great Britain	Lola B05/52	April 1, 2006
MotoGP	1:58.139	5281	Colin Edwards	Tech 3 Yamaha	Yamaha YZR-M1	May 3, 2008
250cc	2:04.543	5281	Jorge Lorenzo	Fortuna Aprilia	Aprilia RSA 250	May 5, 2007
125cc	2:11.572	5281	Mika Kallio	Red Bull KTM GP 125	KTM 125 FRR	May 13, 2006
V8 Supercars^[11]	1:51.056	4600	Todd Kelly	Holden Racing Team	Holden VZ Commodore	June 12, 2005
WTCC	1:48.782	4603	José María López	Citroën Total WTCC	Citroën C-Elysée WTCC	October 11, 2014