The FIA has regionalised some of the F1 calendar in an attempt to make the series more sustainable. This included moving the Japanese Grand Prix from its mid-to-late-season spot to April for a more defined Asian leg, with the return of the Chinese Grand Prix following two weeks later.
The Qatar Grand Prix was also moved to become the penultimate race on the calendar, to make it easier to transport cars and equipment to the Abu Dhabi finale. This should also help combat the extreme heat issues that were faced by the drivers in 2023 during the race at the Losail International Circuit, as it is expected to be cooler at the start of December.
When is the next Formula 1 race?
Round 5 of the 2024 F1 season will be the Chinese Grand Prix. The event is being held for the first time in five years after being cancelled between 2020-2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019 Chinese Grand Prix was the 1000th F1 race to be held since records began in 1950, and the event this year will also celebrate 20 years since China first held a grand prix in 2004.
The event is contracted to be held in both 2024 and 2025, with no update on the future of a race in China.
Rubens Barrichello won the inaugural race in 2004 for Ferrari – his second consecutive win. Fernando Alonso won the season finale in China the following year, after taking the world championship just two races earlier at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Spaniard’s victory at the race secured the constructors’ title for Renault, beating McLaren, whose bid was over after Juan Pablo Montoya’s engine failed on Lap 5.
Michael Schumacher took the final win of his career at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix before he retired – for the first time – at the end of the season. The German driver returned to racing in 2010, after working behind the scenes for three years, but was only able to secure one final podium – a third-place finish at the 2012 European Grand Prix in Valencia.
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Lewis Hamilton has the most wins at the Chinese Grand Prix, taking the top spot on the podium six times (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017 & 2019). The fastest lap is held by Michael Schumacher, who set a time of 1m32.238s in his Ferrari in 2004.
When is the Chinese Grand Prix?
The Chinese Grand Prix will take place between 19-21 April, with Sunday’s race starting at 3pm local time – 8am BST.
What are the timings for the Chinese Grand Prix?
Here are the full UK timings for the Chinese Grand Prix:
Friday 19 April:FP1 – 4.30am
Sprint Qualifying – 8.30am
Saturday 20 April: Sprint Race – 4am
Race Qualifying – 8am
Sunday 21 April: Race – 8am
Where is the Chinese Grand Prix being held?
The Chinese Grand Prix is being hosted at the Shanghai International Circuit, which has held the event for the country since 2004. The track was designed by Hermann Tilke, the German engineer behind other circuits such as the Bahrain International Circuit, Yas Marina Circuit and the Circuit of the Americas.
The circuit was built on previous swampland, which was originally used as rice paddy fields – used for farming rice plants. The track cost $450 million for extensive groundwork and took just over a year to complete.
Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari F2004 leads at the start of the race.
Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Ferrari F2004 leads at the start of the race.
Photo by: Lyndon McNeil
An aerial view of the Shanghai International Circuit is designed to look like the Chinese symbol for ‘Shang’ which means upwards. The 5.451km track has a tightening first two corners, with Turns 7 and 8 loved by many drivers for their high speeds.
The circuit has two DRS zones and also features a 1.2km straight between Turns 13-14, which is one of the longest on the calendar, behind the record-holding Baku City Circuit which has a straight of 2.2km.
The Shanghai International Circuit is set to also host the F4 Chinese Championship, Formula E Shanghai ePrix, China Touring Car Championship and the GT World Challenge Asia in 2024.
Will the Chinese Grand Prix be a sprint weekend?
The Chinese Grand Prix is set to be the first sprint weekend of the 2024 season. The sprint race format has changed this year, with the sprint qualifying being moved to Friday after FP1 and the race qualifying moving to Saturday after the sprint race.
This means the sprint race will now take place on Saturday morning and has addressed complaints from the teams that their cars were locked into parc ferme conditions from Friday after just one practice session.
The changes to the format ensure that the parc ferme can be reopened between the sprint race and qualifying, allowing teams to make any fixes to the cars set-up.
There are six sprint weekends in the 2024 season: China, Miami, Austria, United States, Brazil and Qatar.
Remaining 2024 F1 schedule
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