Chinese Grand Prix Tickets

Chinese Grand Prix
The Chinese Grand Prix is a round of the Formula One World Championship, held towards the end of the season in October. It is currently held at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, designed by Hermann Tilke. It is the most expensive Formula One circuit facility, costing almost $240 million.

The Origin
As the number of F1 World Championship Grand Prix cities increase, it wasn't going to be long before a Chinese Grand Prix entered the calendar for Asia. 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 government had spent more than nine years in developing a racing circuit there and was originally scheduled to join the F1 World Championship calendar in 1998, but the track failed to meet international standards and subsequently went bankrupt in 1999.

The second time around, the Chinese were going to do it right. They promptly signed a cooperation agreement with the organizers of the Macau Grand Prix, which has a 50 year racing history, to learn about organizing and developing a race track.

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. In the following year it hosted the final round of the Formula One championship in 2005, 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.

The Arena
The racing complex has four gates which provide the stunning architectural focus of the area. The main grandstand is flanked by two red towers, which will symbolically 'guard' the guests, like the two traditional Chinese lions you see in front of many Chinese buildings.

The colors red and gold are important choices and are present throughout the circuit design. They represent good luck and power in Chinese symbolism. Water, is another important factor, and is present at the circuit in the form of a lake, around the team buildings.

Water, just as in the now popular interior decorating methodology feng shui, promotes tranquility and reflection. In fact, the team buildings, or rather pavilions, have been designed to resemble the famous ancient Yuyan Garden in Shanghai. The F1 drivers and teams will be competing amidst these very auspicious symbols for the first Chinese Grand Prix.

Other Racing activities
For the city of Shanghai, simply hosting the F1 Grand Prix was not enough and in July 2003, it announced the launch of its own motor racing team, which it eventually hopes to race on the F1 circuit.

The Guangdong based racing team, Formula Racing Development, which was established there for the initial F1 circuit, has agreed to move its operations to Shanghai.

The team will race as Shanghai FRD and currently competes in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge and Formula Campus. The aim is to become China's first F1 team.

China spent more than nine years developing a track in the southern city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province and was expected to join the Formula One circuit in 1998, but the track allegedly failed to meet international standards.

Formula One Season
Formula One organizers have been battling to revive public interest in the elite motor sport as millions of viewers switched off to Ferrari's monopoly on the world championship over the past three years.

Aside from the new Formula One commitments to China and Bahrain, Moscow is also building a circuit while India, Dubai, Turkey and Egypt are bidding to convince Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley of their ability to stage races.

Currently, the Formula One season is made up of 17 grand prix, 11 of them in Europe. It is still unclear which, if any, of those venues will be dropped in favor of Shanghai.