The layout of the Shanghai International Formular One Circuit.

Circuit: Shanghai International
Lap distance: 5.451 kilometers.
Race distance: 56 laps - 305.256 kilometers.
Official Website: www.icsh.sh.cn

The Shanghai International Circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, who also created the Formula One tracks in Malaysia and Bahrain.
He is currently working on the one being built in Turkey.
The circuit is shaped like the Chinese character‘shang’—of Shanghai—and consists of nine straights and 14 curves, seven left and seven right.
Lap times are estimated at around one minute 34 seconds with an average speed of around 205 kilometers per hour.
The longest straight is 1.175 km and lies between turns 13 and 14. Cars should hit a top speed there in excess of 330 kph in dry conditions.
Construction of the circuit, which can accommodate 200,000 spectators, started officially on October 17, 2003.
The main grandstand opposite the pits can seat 29,500 spectators.
The cost has been put at US$325 million.
There are 6,500 meters of tire barriers around the circuit, equating to 174,000 separate tires.
The race will be China’s Formula One debut and the biggest sporting event to date held in the country.

A DRIVER’S VIEW
“A lot of the corners are cambered which is pretty unusual for an F1 circuit,”said BAR’s Briton Jenson Button after driving around in a road car.
“Turn one is pretty exciting as the corner gets tighter and tighter as you go into it which will be tough on the tires and tough on your neck.
“You’ve also got a couple of high speed corners at the back of the track which look like fun and the long righthander leading onto the back straight which will be the hardest on the circuit.
“Then there is one of the longest straights in Formula One, where we’ll be reaching speeds of well over 316 kph.
The braking into the hairpin at the end of this will be pretty tough too.”