Shanghai, Shanghai · CN
Designed by Hermann Tilke with a layout inspired by the Chinese character 'shang' meaning above. The 3.39-mile circuit features the challenging back-to-back Turns 1-3 and a massive 1.17-km back straight.
Shanghai International Circuit is a permanent racing circuit, located in Shanghai. Drivers cover 5.451 km (3.387 miles) and 16 corners each lap, run clockwise.
The circuit opened in 2004 and holds FIA Grade 1 licensing. It appears on the Formula 1 calendar. Around 200,000 spectators can attend.
The city built it to be seen. Shanghai's authorities chose a site of swamp and rice paddy about 30 km north-west of downtown, hired Hermann Tilke, and put a reported $450 million and several thousand workers behind it. The ground was the hard part — the marshland needed extensive foundation work before anything could be laid on top — and the whole thing was finished in around eighteen months.
The layout traces the Chinese character shàng, from the city's name. Its best-known feature is the opening sequence, a corner that keeps tightening through almost 270 degrees before releasing onto the next straight, and a back straight of roughly 1.2 km. The first Chinese Grand Prix ran in 2004 and was won by Rubens Barrichello.
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