The Shanghai International Circuit was designed as the race circuit for the new millennium. And the modern track, with its stunning architecture, has achieved its goal of becoming China's gateway to the world of Formula One racing.
Opened in 2004, the circuit was built on a 5.3 - square kilometre area of swampland and completed in a matter of 18 months. Concrete piles between 40 and 80 metres long were driven into the ground, then covered in metre-thick styrofoam and finally earth.
Circuit architects Hermann Tilke and Peter Wahl on their creation: “The 5.4 kilometre racing track is shaped like the Chinese character 'shang', which stands for 'high' or 'above'. Other symbols represented in the architecture originate from Chinese history, such as the team buildings arranged like pavilions in a lake to resemble the ancient Yuyan-Garden in Shanghai. Here, nature and technology are carefully used to create harmony between the elements.”
Not only is the course remarkable for its change of acceleration and deceleration within different winding turns, making high demands on the driver as well as the car, but also for its high-speed straights. These offer crucial overtaking opportunities and give an intense and exciting motorsport experience to the spectators. 
The Main Grandstand with 29,000 seats provides a spectacular view of almost 80 percent of the circuit.The track layout includes seven right-hand and seven left-hand turns. The longest straight is not the start/finish section but lies between turns 13 and 14, a full-throttle stretch measuring a good 1.3 kilometres.
Shanghai International Circuit - Shanghai, China
| Circuit Type | Race |
| Designer | Hermann Tilke |
| Construction cost | $450 million |
| Capacity | 200,000 |
| First Race Held | 2004 |
| Time zone | GMT +8 |
| Circuit Length | 5.451 km (3.387 mi) |
| Race length | 305.066 km (189.559 mi) |
| Circuit Turns | 16 |
| Circuit Direction | Clockwise |
| Number of races held | 7 |
| Lap record | 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher 2004) |
*facts gathered from formula1.com & ESPN F1
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