The Chinese Grand Prix
(Simplified Chinese: ?????; Pinyin: Zhongguó Dàjiangsài
) is a round of the Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, designed by Hermann Tilke. It is the most expensive Formula One circuit facility, costing $240 million. [1] The track is 5.451 km long [2] and features one of the trickiest corners combinations on the Formula One calendar, comparable to that of Istanbul Park's turn 8. Turn 1 and 2 are a very demanding 270 degree, right-handed corner combination that requires a lot of speed whilst entering and it tightens up towards the end.
|
CHINESE GRAND PRIX TICKETS
|
History
The vision of a Chinese Grand Prix started in the early 1990s. The
Chinese government had originally planned for an F1 circuit to be located in the city of
Zhuhai in
Guangdong Province, southern
China. The
Zhuhai International Circuit was designed and built and was provisionally added to the 1999 F1 World Championship calendar, but the track failed to meet certain standards set by the
FIA.
[3] However, the Chinese government did not give up and eventually, with assistance from the organizers of the
Macau Grand Prix, held the first ever Formula One race in China in 2004.
In 2002, it was announced that the management of the
Shanghai International Circuit had signed a 7 year contract with the
Formula One Management to host the Chinese Grand Prix starting from the 2004 season until the 2011 season. The Chinese Grand Prix debuted on
September 26,
2004, and was won by
Ferrari's
Rubens Barrichello. The following year, it hosted the final round of the Formula One championship, in which the newly crowned world champion
Fernando Alonso won and claimed the constructor's title for
Renault F1. In 2006, the Chinese Grand Prix was won by
Michael Schumacher - his last victory in Formula One before he retired at the end of the season.
In November 2008 the BBC reported a senior race official, Qiu Weichang, as suggesting that the loss-making race might be cancelled. Following a similar announcement about the
French Grand Prix, Qui Weichang said that the race's future was under consideration, and a decision would be made in 2009.
[4]
Sponsors
Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix
2004-2008
Winners of the Chinese Grand Prix
| Year
| Driver
| Constructor
| Location
| Report
|
| 2009
| Sebastian Vettel
| Red Bull-Renault
| Shanghai
| Report
|
| 2008
| Lewis Hamilton
| McLaren-Mercedes
| Shanghai
| Report
|
| 2007
| Kimi Räikkönen
| Ferrari
| Shanghai
| Report
|
| 2006
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Shanghai
| Report
|
| 2005
| Fernando Alonso
| Renault
| Shanghai
| Report
|
| 2004
| Rubens Barrichello
| Ferrari
| Shanghai
| Report
|
Support races
Formula BMW Asia and
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia have both supported the Chinese Grand Prix since 2004. In
2008, the
GP2 Asia Series also raced the same weekend.
References
- Grand Prix Shanghai Set to Go
- Formula One Chinese Grand Prix
- An introduction to the Chinese Grand Prix
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7728866.stm