The Chinese GP returns to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2019, and if you’re a new fan of the sport who hasn’t seen a race around the Shanghai International Circuit before or want a reminder of how a lap looks, we have you covered.
The Hermann Tilke-designed circuit has been the scene of some astounding drives (look no further than Daniel Ricciardo in 2018 for that), and heartbreak (Lewis Hamilton getting beached in the pit-lane gravel trap in 2007 while on the verge of a possible title in his rookie season), and now, it will be the scene of the first full-time Chinese Formula 1 driver getting to drive at their home race in Zhou Guanyu.
Chinese GP track guide: What does a Shanghai International Circuit lap look like?
So long has it been since Formula 1 raced in Shanghai, the official F1 website has Kimi Raikkonen commentating over a virtual on-board lap of the circuit in true Kimi style.
This is a unique track, however, the shape of the layout based on the Chinese symbol ‘Shang’, meaning ‘upward’ or ‘ascend’, and its 16 turns provide a distinctive challenge as a result.
It’s a tyre killer that Alex Albon described as having “a thousand lines” the drivers could take prior to his first race there, so let’s take a look at a lap around the Shanghai International Circuit.
Turns 1 and 2: A long start/finish straight and DRS zone ends with a long right-hander that sees the drivers continuously turn and decelerate, downshifting carefully so as to not be too slow before the downhill apex of Turn 2, which effectively turns back in on itself after the Turn 1 entry.
No other corner is like this on the calendar, and the very brave have dared to try a move around the outside here before, which then becomes the inside at Turn 3.
Turns 3 and 4: Still heading downhill, a quick burst of throttle is used before turning left, with the aim being to get back on the power as quickly as they can. Turn 4 is effectively a continuation of the exit of 3, the drivers still turn left but stay flat out as their cars drift towards the kerb on the right.
Turn 5: Hardly a turn, a simple right kink that sees the drivers end Sector 1 by bringing their cars back to the left-hand side.
Turn 6: A big braking zone for this right-handed hairpin. Ricciardo squeezed past Valtteri Bottas here to take the lead for his famous 2018 win, but get it wrong and a crash is almost certain.
Turn 7: Heading uphill next and the G-forces are massive here in this next long left-hander, flat out in qualifying, but there is no respite as Turn 8 is next immediately.
Turn 8: Still a very fast corner but down a gear or two as the tyres are likely crying for help as the car turns right now, but key to getting this right is staying right for the next braking zone.
Turns 9 and 10: Hard on the brakes and down to third for the first left, but back on the power again quickly and keeping the throttle pinned through 10 as the drivers head onto a short back straight and the tyres finally get a moment’s rest.
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Turn 11: Hard on the brakes again from about 180mph to third gear, for a tight left-hander that sets up possibly the most important corners on the circuit.
Turns 12 and 13: The long, banked right-hander of Turn 12 is taken flat out, but getting on the throttle early is vital as, like Turns 1 and 2, Turn 12 continues into 13 with one turn of the wheel, but the drivers keep their foot to the floor with a huge 1.2km back straight after it.
The best overtaking opportunity on the track is at the end of it, so any lost momentum here can cost drivers dearly.
Turn 14: The biggest braking zone on track is also the best chance for an overtake, with the right-handed hairpin seeing drivers turn all the way back on themselves. Both overtakes and crashes have happened here in the past, so there is always a risk from dropping down from 210mph to about 50mph.
Turn 15: The track opens out on the exit of Turn 14, barely registering as a corner but the drivers continue to turn slightly right on exit before the final left-hander.
Turn 16:Track limits are in play on the final corner which is, as Raikkonen eloquently described it in his virtual lap from several years ago, “surprisingly fast”, with the drivers only dropping a gear or two as they fling their cars left and straight back onto the power again, but run wide and your lap will be deleted. Risk and reward all round to end the lap.
Shanghai’s return to the calendar will also see the first F1 Sprint weekend of the season, with the shortened format taking another turn in the 2024 campaign.
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