Chinese Grand Prix

History

China’s push to host a Formula One race started in the early 1990s. The Zhuhai International Circuit opened in 1996 in Guangdong Province, and a race there was tentatively placed on the 1999 calendar, but it was scrapped because the track didn’t meet FIA standards. In 2002, the Shanghai International Circuit’s management, working with the Macau Grand Prix organizers, signed a seven-year deal with Formula One Management to hold the Chinese Grand Prix from 2004 through 2011.

The first race took place on 26 September 2004, with Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello taking the win. The next year, it served as the season finale; newly crowned champion Fernando Alonso won, also securing the constructors’ title for Renault. In 2006, Michael Schumacher claimed his final F1 victory at this event.

By November 2008, the BBC reported that senior official Qiu Weichang had raised the possibility of canceling the loss-making race. After a similar announcement about the French Grand Prix, Qiu stated the race’s future was being reviewed, with a decision expected in 2009. No formal extension to the original seven-year contract came in 2010, but after that year’s Shanghai race, Bernie Ecclestone said of the 2011 schedule, “We are not dropping anything. [It’s] 20 races – getting ready for 25.” A new agreement was finally reached in February 2011, following delays over the hosting fee—reportedly among the highest in F1. Organizers, facing years of losses, had refused to pay, but F1 bosses apparently lowered the fee, and the deal ran through 2017.

In September 2017, a three-year contract extension was announced, keeping the race on the calendar until 2020. The 2019 edition marked the 1000th round in Formula One history. The 2020 race, scheduled for 19 April, was first postponed and then canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2024.

Support races

The first Chinese Grand Prix in 2004 was supported by Formula BMW Asia, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, and the Asian Formula Renault Challenge, though the latter was dropped the following year. By 2008, the GP2 Asia Series had joined the lineup, and Formula BMW Asia was rebranded as Formula BMW Pacific. In 2009, only the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia remained, a situation that held until the TCR International Series appeared in 2015 for a single season. The China Formula Grand Prix and Shell Helix FIA F4 Chinese Championship were added in 2019, and F1 Academy has been a support event since 2025.