Shanghai International Circuit

Shanghai International Circuit

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 Chinese motor racing venue, situated in the district of Jiading near Shanghai in the People's Republic of China. It was the venue of the inaugural Formula One Chinese Grand Prix on 26 September 2004.

Shanghai International Circuit

Shanghai International Circuit

Shanghai International Circuit

Shanghai International Circuit

Layout

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. 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". One lap lasts 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles). The whole circuit plus seating areas and other areas for spectators, covers a total area of 5.3 km².