Chinese Formula One Grand Prix
Clamed to be at the time, the most advanced Grand Prix track in the world, the Shanghai International Circuit was built from scratch on reclaimed swampland and completed in May 2004 at a cost of $450 million!.
The circuit itself can accommodate up to 200'000 people and is characterised by its distinctive main buildings, which bridge the track at either end of the start/finish area and gives diners in the Sky Restaurant a unique view of the racing below. The challenging 3.37 mile circuit has 16 corners, interspersed by two long straights. The first three turns occur in quick succession after the start, followed by a fourth that opens out into a faster stretch punctuated by the gentle kink of turn 5. After the extendedhairpin of turn six, the track opens out again for the gentler turns seven and eight. The track closes up again for turns nine and ten before the straight that precedes the slower, more difficult turns eleven, twelve and thirteen. This complex is followed by one of the longest straights in Formula One, culminating in a tight right hairpin that is turn fourteen, leaving just a 90-degree left-hander leading to the start/finish straight which completes the lap. The Shanghai International Circuit has quickly become a favourite among both drivers and spectators. |
SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT
LOCATION: Shanghai, China
CIRCUIT TYPE: Purpose-built
CIRCUIT LENGTH: 3.37 Miles
LAP RECORD: 1:32.238 - M.Schumacher 2004
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