Shanghai International Circuit

The Shanghai International Circuit is a racing venue that hosts one of the Formula One World Championship races - the Chinese Grand Prix.

Shanghai International Circuit is a dedicated motorsport racing track located in Jiading District, Shanghai. The circuit is best known for annually hosting the Chinese Grand Prix since 2004; however, the Grand Prix has been canceled every year between 2019-2023.

The circuit has been constructed by a joint venture government-funded company, the Shanghai Jiushi Group, and it cost ¥2.6 billion ($450 million, €370 million).

The circuit has been designed by a famous Formula 1 racetrack architect and a former racing driver, Hermann Tilke. His portfolio includes famous circuits like Bahrain International Circuit, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Hockenheimring, Red Bull Ring, Baku City Circuit, and multiple others.

The layout of the track is symbolic as it is shaped as "上" which stands for "Shang" - the first part of the word "Shanghai" - the city where the track is located.

Besides Formula One, the venue serves other famous racing series such as Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, GT World Challenge Asia, Grand Prix motorcycle racing, WTCC Race of China, Asian Le Mans Series, and others.

Shanghai International Circuit has three main layouts. The first and the longest one- the Grand Prix layout (5.451 km - 3.388 miles) is the layout which is driven by Formula 1 cars during the Chinese Grand Prix. The Second longest is the Motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit (5.281 km - 3.282 miles), and the last is the Intermediate Circuit (4.603 km - 2.858 miles).

The circuit has a reputation as one of the most technical and difficult circuits in the Formula 1 calendar. After his victory in 2017, Lewis Hamilton said: "I think this is such a tough track for tires, it's probably... it might be the most technical circuit of the whole season, to be honest."

One of the most challenging parts of the track is its first turn. The very long and tightening turn reminds the shape of a snail shell on the helicopter footage from above. The four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel called Shanghai International Circuit Turn 1 one of the most challenging in the F1 calendar.