Into the first corner: An F1 return to China for the Chinese Grand Prix

After five years, and a few attempts to get it back on the calendar, the Chinese Grand Prix and Shanghai International Circuit returns to Formula 1. 

April 14, 2019. That was the last date when F1 raced at the iconic Shanghai circuit for Formula 1’s 1,000th race where Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas lined up on the front row, followed by the two Ferraris and two Red Bulls. 

F1 had attempted to get the venue back on the calendar, before this weekend’s race, but logistics around the country’s state of the Coronavirus and their strict isolation requirements made it difficult for them to return. 

However, the sport will finally return but not in the way they remember as the track has been resurfaced, and they have new Pirelli tyres and all-new cars. 

Into the unknown…

While the track will remain familiar to the teams, it will be like going to a whole new circuit for them as there is no historical data for the teams to rely on. 

The last time we raced in China, the cars were in their previous generation and the new ground-effect cars were three years away. Plus, the cars ran smaller Pirelli rubber compared to now.  

With a new track surface, cars and tyres, the teams will be limited in their data-gathering ability because this round will be the first sprint race weekend of the season.

Four newcomers to Shanghai… 

While some drivers will be returning to the Chinese circuit with mounts of experience in the circuit, some have only raced here once when they joined the sport in 2019; Lando Norris (McLaren), George Russell (Mercedes) and Alexander Albon (Williams). 

However, four of the current field of drivers have not raced at the Shanghai International Circuit before; Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant, Yuki Tsunoda and, home hero, Zhou Guanyu. 

The last time F1 raced in Shanghai, Piastri was racing in the Formula Renault series, Sergeant was in Formula 3, Tsunoda was in F3 and Zhou was in Formula 2. 

This weekend will also mark a historical first for the sport as Zhou will become the first Chinese driver to race in F1, on home soil. 

Itinerary for the Chinese GP… 

The race weekend will be slightly different than the previous four championship rounds, following the new format for Sprint races. Friday will consist of Free Practice 1 followed by Sprint Qualifying – for the sprint race itself. 

The Sprint will be the first session on Saturday before qualifying sets the grid for the main grand prix, on Sunday. Here are the times for this weekend; 

Friday

FP1 – 11:30am local (4:30am BST)

Sprint Quali – 3:30pm local (8:30am BST)

Saturday 

Sprint – 11am local (4am BST)

Qualifying – 3pm local (8am BST)

Sunday

Chinese Grand Prix – 3pm local (8am BST)

Read more Formula 1 here:

• F1 announce 2025 calendar
• Fernando Alonso signs ‘multi-year’ contract at Aston Martin F1
• Who Finished Where: 2024 F1 Japanese GP
• Max Verstappen heads Red Bull 1-2 finish at Japanese Grand Prix
• Verstappen leads Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying ahead of Japanese GP
• Japanese GP: Verstappen fastest in uninterrupted FP3

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.