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| Main straight and pit lane area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Shanghai, China | |
| Time zone | GMT +8 | |
| Opened | 2004 | |
| Construction Cost | $450 million | |
| Architect | Hermann Tilke | |
| Major Events | FIA Formula One Chinese Grand Prix V8 Supercars A1 Grand Prix Grand Prix of Nations, China |
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| Circuit Length | 5.451 km (3.387 mi) | |
| Turns | 16 | |
| Lap Record | 1:32.238 ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004) |
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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.
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History
Costing approximately $450 million (USD), the circuit was financed by a government-funded joint-venture company, consisting of the Shanghai Juss Corporation, Shanghai National Property Management Co Ltd, and Shanghai Jia'an Investment and Development Co Ltd. Architectural and design experts began planning and visiting the site between April and May 2003, and the area was transformed from swampland to international racetrack within 18 months with a team of 3000 engineers working around the clock.
Other events held at the circuit include a round of the MotoGP world championship, the Australian-based V8 Supercar championship in 2005, attracting crowds of over 250,000 spectators, and also the final round of the A1 Grand Prix in 2006/2007.
The 2008 MotoGP race was the last one on this circuit, as the FIM didn't select the racetrack for the provisional calendar of 2009. This is due to overcrowding problems in the circuit.[1]
In September 2007, former manager of the circuit Yu Zhifei [2] was convicted of embezzlement as part of a corruption scandal in Shanghai which resulted in the dismissal of several senior Chinese Communist Party officials.[3]
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.[4] 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".[5] 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.
Records
Times below are driven over a distance of 5451 meter.
| Category | Record | Driver/Rider | Car/Bike | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula One | 1:32.238 | Michael Schumacher |
Ferrari F2004 | September 26, 2004 |
| GP2 Asia Series | 1:46.470 |  Kamui Kobayashi |
DAMS | October 18, 2008 |
| A1GP | 1:51.832 |  Darren Manning |
Team Great Britain | April 1, 2006 |
| MotoGP | 1:58.139 |  Colin Edwards |
Tech 3 Yamaha | May 3, 2008 |
| 250cc | 2:04.543 |  Jorge Lorenzo |
Fortuna Aprilia | May 5, 2007 |
| 125cc | 2:11.572 |  Mika Kallio |
Red Bull KTM GP 125 | May 13, 2006 |
| V8 Supercars[6] | 1:51.056* |  Todd Kelly |
Holden VZ Commodore | June 12, 2005 |
*Intermediate circuit (4.600 km/2.858mi)
References
- ^ FIM announce provisional 2009 MotoGP calendar MotoGP.com, retrieved on July 25, 2008
- ^ Chinese boss fired Forumula1.net, retrieved on October 10, 2007
- ^ Chinese F1 boss found guilty GPUpdate.net, retrieved on September 19, 2007.
- ^ Shanghai International Circuit Facts & Figures Forumula1.net, retrieved on October 10, 2007
- ^ "Chinese Grand Prix Preview". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 2009-04-13. http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/f1releases/2009/Pages/f1_preview_chn.aspx. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ 2005 V8 Supercar Shanghai round results
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shanghai International Circuit |
- Shanghai International Circuit | JUSSEVENT
- Shanghai International Circuit
- Shanghai International Circuit History and Statistics
- Shanghai International Circuit Statistics from official F1 site
- Ciro Pabón's Racetracks 3D views and virtual laps of all F1 circuits, including this one, via Google Earth
- Shanghai International Circuit mapygon Satellite image of Shanghai International Circuit under construction
- FRD Motorsports - Organizer and Promoter of Asian Formula Renault, China Clio Cup, and other race series held at Shanghai International Circuit
- Trackpedia's guide to the Shanghai International Circuit
- BBC's guide to the Shanghai International Circuit
- BBC's 2009 Circuit Guide
- A1GP info of Shanghai International Circuit
Coordinates: 31°20′20″N 121°13′11″E / 31.33889°N 121.21972°E
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