CIRCUIT GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the Shanghai International Circuit

Get up to speed with all the key Shanghai International Circuit statistics, driving pointers, facts and more.

The Formula 1 season continues with Round 2 in China, where the first Sprint weekend will present another new challenge for the teams and drivers. But how much do you know about the Shanghai International Circuit? F1.com presents your all-in-one guide…

• Circuit length: 5.451km
• Number of turns: 16
• Number of laps: 56
• Race distance: 305.066km
• Lap record: 1m 32.238s – Michael Schumacher (2004)

While there were rumblings of a Chinese Grand Prix from the early 1990s onwards, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the owners of the Shanghai International Circuit signed a seven-year deal with Formula 1 to host a race from 2004 onwards.

It was one of two tracks to debut in the 2004 season – the other being Bahrain – and featured in the midst of Ferrari dominance, with Rubens Barrichello taking victory from Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.

The track hosted the season finale the following year and remained tucked towards the end of the calendar until 2009, when it was shuffled forward to become one of the opening rounds.

Although the contract has been extended multiple times, there was a significant break between 2020 and 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the venue making its return in 2024.

Unlike Melbourne's Albert Park, the Shanghai International Circuit is a permanent race track that was resurfaced ahead of the 2025 event – this massively increased the grip levels, but saw drivers struggle with graining on their tyres. With plenty of action over the last year, the circuit will have evolved significantly and this shouldn’t be as much of a problem this time around.
The start presents a unique challenge for the drivers as they navigate the twisty opening turns before preparing for the super-high g-forces in Turns 7 and 8. There’s also one of the longest straights on the calendar at 1.2km, offering some brilliant overtaking opportunities.

Heavy braking zones, similar to those seen in pre-season testing in Bahrain, and the circuit’s technical nature could take some getting used to in the new cars, especially with only one practice session on offer ahead of Sprint Qualifying.

Meanwhile, Overtake Mode is the direct replacement for DRS, acting as a performance aid that allows a driver to recharge an extra +0.5MJ and generate an additional electrical power profile.

This can only be deployed when a driver is within a second of the car ahead at the detection point, which in China is at Turn 16 – the beginning of the start/finish straight – with the activation point coming marginally further down the track.
The detection point will most likely be at the final corner at most circuits, as any subsequent long straight is perfect for drivers to maximise the higher speed they gain with Overtake Mode.

1. From a bird’s-eye view, the circuit layout resembles the Chinese symbol for ‘shang’, meaning upwards
2. 8 of the last 12 Grands Prix held at Shanghai have been won from the front row of the grid
3. Lewis Hamilton has won the most Chinese Grand Prix with 6 victories
4. Ferrari and Mercedes have achieved the most podiums at the Chinese Grand Prix with 13 podiums each
5. A victory for Lando Norris this weekend would see him equal Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann, and Alan Jones for 25th on the all-time list with 12 wins

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