Formula 1 Season
April 2015Chinese Grand Prix
Formula One comes to the home of Chinese motor sport, Shanghai. The Shanghai International Circuit was built on marshland and required 40,000 stone pillars for stabilisation. It cost approximately $450 million to build and was opened in 2004. Many consider it the benchmark upon which all new tracks are judged.
The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and showcases one of his track features - a long back straight, where cars reach speeds in excess of 300 km/h, followed by a hairpin turn. The track layout also resembles the Chinese character 'shang', the first word in the name of the city Shanghai. It is 5.4 km in length.
The grandstands can hold up to 200,000 spectators, and the city is well on its way to become one of the world's main racing hubs. It would appear to have a secure future as a venue for F1 Grand Prix.
